New University Name for an Existing Graduate School

PROJECT: New university name for an existing psychology graduate school.

PALO ALTO UNIVERSITY: Named for the school’s home in Palo Alto, California, which highlights links to nearby Stanford University. Stanford University describes the origin of the name Palo Alto:

El Palo Alto simply means “the tall tree” in Spanish. The name is believed to originate with the 1769 expedition of Gaspar de Portola (1716-1786), later governor of the Spanish territories in California. During their exploration of San Francisco Bay, de Portola and his men camped under the giant tree, which served as a landmark and was visible for miles. (Becoming Stanford)

BRAND POSITIONING: The Pacific Graduate School of Psychology (PGSP), located in Palo Alto, California, is one of the premier graduate schools in the United States for the advanced study of psychology. The university intended to keep the PGSP name in place for the graduate school of psychology, but wanted a broader name, preferably with a regional basis, for the umbrella university name. The new name, Palo Alto University (PAU), links the school to the local community, the region in general, and by association to Stanford University’s School of Medicine and Department of Psychiatry, with which PGSP has cooperative relationships.

VISIT: Palo Alto University