HOUGHTON – After more than 130 years, Michigan Tech rolled out its first cohesive, University-wide brand on Feb. 26, including a new logo.

“We want to give our audiences a better sense of who Michigan Tech is, of the thing that makes Michigan Tech so special,” MTU President Glenn Mroz said. “We wanted something that embodies our proud past, with an eager eye to the future.” 

A task force representing faculty, administrators, alumni and students conducted extensive research before settling on the new logo. The thinking behind the new mark is this: 

  • The Husky statue has become the center of campus, a gathering place and a symbol of Michigan Tech.
  • Alumni identify themselves as “Huskies.”
  • The date 1885 is important to let people know that Tech is a real university that has been around for more than 130 years, not a new kid on the block nor a technical school.

The rebranding is more than a logo change,” Mroz emphasized. It will include a consistent set of visuals and messages that communicate the essential identity of the University.

“It will be the stories we tell about the great people of Michigan Tech, the visual representation of those stories and the stories themselves,” he said.

Athletics will be releasing a new spirit mark in coming months as well.

It will take 18 months for the full brand roll-out, as academic and administrative departments, colleges and schools incorporate it into their internal and external communications. Admissions, Alumni Relations and the University Bookstore will be the first three areas to switch over to the new brand, because they serve external audiences.

Also on Friday, MTU’s Board of Trustees were told this semester’s undergraduate and graduate enrollment is higher than it was in spring 2015. Total enrollment is up 2.2 percent, to 6,777 compared to 6,631 in spring 2015. Undergraduate enrollment rose 1.5 percent, to 5,331 this spring compared to 5,251 at this time last year, and graduate enrollment increased 4.8 percent, to 1,446, compared to 1,380 in spring 2015.

Undergraduate applications for next fall also are up to 5,759 compared to 5,563 at this time last year, a 3.5 percent increase.