University of Arizona Says Goodbye to Controversial ‘UArizona’ Nickname

The University of Arizona has officially retired the use of the term “UArizona” from its public communications as of this month. The university will revert to using “Arizona” and “U of A,” favoring these terms for their higher public recognition.

“We’ve discovered that we’re best known to students, alumni, and fans as ‘Arizona’ and ‘the U of A,'” said university spokesperson Mitch Zak. The updated “Written Style Guide” from the university’s Marketing and Communications Department now prohibits the use of “UA” in any college-related communications.

In 2019, the university adopted “UArizona” with the intention of optimizing online search results. The aim was to avoid confusion with entities like United Airlines and Under Armour which also use the abbreviation “UA.” “We are adopting the use of UArizona to distinguish the University of Arizona from several other national and international entities that use the abbreviation UA, which will assist us with search engine optimization,” said former spokesperson Pam Scott at the time.

However, the adoption faced resistance from both the media and the public. “Stop trying to make UArizona happen! It’s not going to happen!” commented one user on Reddit. Local media like the Tucson Sentinel openly criticized the new abbreviation, dubbing it a “hellish abomination of a marketing abbreviation.” An entry was even added to the Sentinel’s internal stylebook urging reporters to avoid its use unless quoting someone directly.

Despite being adopted by some local TV stations, the term “UArizona” failed to gain widespread popularity. A recent Google search for “uarizona” still results in a prompt asking if the searcher meant “Arizona,” showing how ineffective the term was in achieving its intended purpose.

The transition to and from “UArizona” reportedly did not incur any costs for the university. The name was used solely in written communications and did not appear on official merchandise. “UArizona” will continue to be utilized only in social media handles, Zak noted.

The marketing decision to adopt “UArizona” was quietly reversed through an update to the online style guide on July 1. The university did not issue a press release to announce this change. Sources indicated that the staffer who initially pushed for adopting “UArizona” is no longer employed with the university.

The revised style guide now explicitly bans “UA” and “UAZ” from all communications. It specifies that “Arizona” is the preferred second reference, but “U of A” is also acceptable when written with spaces. The guide provides detailed rules on how “U of A” should be correctly utilized in various contexts.