Frequently Asked Questions

1.  Why "Lone Star College System"?

The Lone Star name is of particular interest in the area because of its heritage. According to House Resolution #1123 adopted by the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas Legislature, Montgomery County is the birthplace of the Lone Star flag.

The flag was the vision of Dr. Charles B. Stewart, a Montgomery postmaster and pharmacist and the first Secretary of State for the Republic of Texas. He and his committee sketched on vellum three rectangles of equal size, one vertical and two horizontal. In the vertical he placed a lone star. The rectangles were marked as blue, white and red to signify loyalty, purity and bravery.

Montgomery County Judge Alan "Barb" Sadler said, "We are delighted that the college system chose Lone Star College System as its new name. It is both relevant and pertinent as it reflects the important local history of our community as the recognized birthplace of the Lone Star flag."

2.  When does this change take effect?

An announcement of the new name will take place immediately. The new name will be also visible on the system’s web site. However, daily use of the new name will begin January 1, 2008.

3.  Why is the name being changed?

Research has shown that the old name was cumbersome, confusing, and hard to remember.

According to a recent survey conducted by Consumer Creative Research:

  1. Only 32% of community residents have positive impressions of the district name
  2. 70% of community residents think the current name is too long, too confusing, or too hard to remember
  3. Only 2-in-10 want to keep the existing name

The old name was similar to two of the system’s five colleges: North Harris College and Montgomery College. This causes confusion with many residents who live near the system’s other three colleges.

A new name will:

  1. Link the five colleges into a single identity while preserving local identities
  2. Improve understanding of each college's relationship to the system
  3. Improve understanding of the system’s total capacity and opportunity
  4. Improve the system’s ability to attract students, partners, resources

4.  How was the new name selected?

The district asked a Name Review Committee composed of students, employees, community residents and alumni to write criteria for a new name. The committee then asked the community to suggest names through an online web site. More than 400 name recommendations were submitted.

The Name Review Committee studied each nomination, narrowed the list to nine, and re-posted these "semi-finalists" on-line for community input. More than 2,200 tallies were received during this stage of consideration.

Using results from the online polling, the Name Review Committee trimmed the nine names to three and posted these online for community input. In this round, more than 3,700 tallies were received.

At every stage of balloting, the name Lone Star College System proved the most popular. The Name Review Committee voted unanimously to recommend this name for consideration by the Board of Trustees.

5.  What is this name change expected to cost?

Direct costs associated with the name change include temporary signage for each college, replacement costs for major campus signs (changing lettering but not masonry), and web site modifications.

These expenses are expected to total about $396,000.

6.  Is this expense justified?

There are those who say that the cost is too high and unnecessary.

It is undeniable that there is a strong consensus among students, employees, alumni, citizens and our Board that the new name is an improvement over the previous name. This change is an effort to improve the college district. Any improvement bears some short-term costs, but these must be weighed against long-term benefits.

This cost is an investment in the future of the district. It will have a long-term payoff for students, employees and taxpayers of the district. While some individuals may only see the short-term costs, those looking to the future will see only positives for this name change.

7.  Will my college e-mail address change, and when?

Plans are being developed to transition to a new e-mail address built using a new "URL" or web address. This transition is expected to be completed by late January 2008.

8.  Will the college names change, too?

How the new system name will be used in conjunction with each college and center name is being studied by a branding team and the Executive Council, and will be announced later in November.

9.  Will the "star logo" change?

Changing the name of a college district provides an opportunity to re-examine the “icon” and logotype, important elements of the college’s identity. In this process, the current “star” logo was considered along with numerous other designs.

In late November, seven logo “finalists” were presented to the Marketing Council, students and college graphic and web designers for consideration. This representative group voted 38-0 to change the “star” graphic in favor of a more contemporary design.

The new logo will be “unveiled” at college events planned for January 16, 2008.

10.  Will the college colors change?

Yes. At the same meeting of the Marketing Council where a new logo was recommended, representatives from across the district voted 38-0 to change the college colors to one set of colors. These new colors will be “unveiled” at college events on January 16, 2008.