Syracuse University re-names, re-brands study abroad office

Syracuse University re-names, re-brands study abroad officeJune 06, 2006SU News ServicesSUnews@syr.edu

Syracuse University’s Division of International Programs Abroad (DIPA) has undergone a name change to Syracuse University Abroad (SU Abroad), one component of an image makeover for SU’s study abroad operation.

“We believe that the new name more clearly captures what it is we do, which is to enable students to have a Syracuse University learning experience abroad,” says Interim Executive Director Jon Booth. The change has occurred after careful consideration and with input from various staff, faculty and students, leading to final approval granted by SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor.

The switch to SU Abroad also makes good marketing sense. “DIPA was such an impersonal acronym,” says SU Abroad Communications Manager Daeya Malboeuf. “We wanted to adopt a name that was more friendly and intuitive. Our visibility is doubly important when you consider that almost half of the more than 2,000 students who study abroad with us each year come to us from other schools across the nation.” Malboeuf also noted that consistency was a big factor in choosing the name. “Now our name matches our existing Web URL (http://suabroad.syr.edu), and the search terms are a more instinctive match for those who look for us on the Web.”

As part of the ongoing re-branding, print ads have been given a more sophisticated new look, and catalogs will soon follow. A fresh new logo and tagline have also been designed. Both will be featured when a completely redesigned website is launched in August.

For more than 45 years, Syracuse’s DIPA–now SU Abroad–has offered credit-bearing study abroad opportunities for SU students, as well as those enrolled at other colleges and universities across the United States and Canada. Today, SU Abroad maintains academic centers in China, England, France, Hong Kong, Italy and Spain, which all host study abroad programs throughout the academic year and in the summer. Each center has close ties to local universities, allowing students to design integrated programs of study appropriate to their academic and language abilities.