Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College will become Northwood Technical College effective Aug. 2, 2021.
The college, located in west central and northwest Wisconsin, recently announced a new name, logo and mascot for its campuses in Ashland, New Richmond, Rice Lake and Superior, and at the Balsam Lake Outreach Center, Ladysmith Outreach Center, and Hayward Outreach Center.
College officials decided to change the name after survey results showed “Indianhead” was not recognized correctly as a geographic region, according to a press release. Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College and its abbreviation, WITC, “caused confusion on what type of college WITC is and whether it’s even a college,” officials said.
Following a public process for name and mascot submissions last fall, a rebranding task force was created to narrow the naming options. The Board of Trustees sent five possible names to student focus groups in early January. For the final selection, more than 750 students and staff voted, and Northwood Technical College — Northwood Tech, for short — was the winner.
The college board approved the new name Feb. 15, followed by a Wisconsin Technical College District Boards Association approval March 17.
Last week, the college unveiled its new logo and mascot designs, which were developed with KW2, a marketing agency in Madison.
The mascot’s name is Blaze the Bear. “Blaze is short for trailblazer, giving a nod to the theme of innovation,” college officials said.
Northwood Tech campuses serve more than 18,000 residents of northwestern Wisconsin each year.