The Superior campus of Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, which is changing its name after a focus group found it to be “antiquated.”
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in northwestern Wisconsin is getting a new name next year after focus groups and surveys found the name to be outdated and confusing to some prospective students.
The school, which serves about 2,500 full-time equivalent students on four campuses in Superior, Rice Lake, New Richmond and Ashland, announced the rebranding on Friday. It will take effect in the fall 2021 semester.
A consultant hired by the college earlier this year sought feedback from students, alumni, community members and employees. Of the 1,600 who responded, the consultant found about a quarter of people ages 18-34 — the school’s target market for students — associated the name with a tribal college. Many thought the school’s initials, WITC, referred to a radio station. A majority of people living in the region were unaware that “Indianhead” refers to the geographic area.
College president John Will, who grew up in northwestern Wisconsin, said the term refers to the shape of Wisconsin’s border with Minnesota that resembles the profile of a Native American chieftain, with the Apostle Islands serving as the feathers of his headdress.
