Hail, College of Idaho!

Dear alma mater: I am dancing a little Coyote jig. From the Idaho Press - Tribune:

UPDATED: It's back to The College of Idaho

Albertson College of Idaho has received the largest donation in the history of Idaho higher education and is returning to its original name, The College of Idaho. College President Bob Hoover announced Thursday that the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation has given $50 million to the school to kick off a 10-year fundraising campaign for the renamed College of Idaho...

The decision was made partly because some College of Idaho alumni didn’t feel connected to the school after the name change... (ya think?) The private school has long been the subject of jokes referring to its shared name with a grocery store, including zingers such as, “What’s your degree in — paper, or plastic?”... Current students and alumni cheered when Hoover announced the name change...

Just like this alum.Update: The College of Idaho is back, gets $50 million

After 16 years as Albertson College of Idaho, Caldwell’s liberal arts college announced a return to its roots Thursday along with a $50 million donation and the start of a new fundraising campaign. Before a crowd of students, faculty, alumni and dignitaries, President Bob Hoover revealed that ACI will once again be called The College of Idaho...

And from the Statesman: College cuts ‘Albertson' name - The College of Idaho goes back to its original name and gets $50 million from the Albertson Foundation

Albertson College of Idaho students say there will be no more jokes about their grocery store college or using their preferred savings card when paying tuition... Michael Danielson, class of 1989, said he is "ecstatic." "It will bring some interest by alums back to the college," he said. "(Alumni) felt it wasn't their school."

Diane Raptosh, professor of English and 1983 alumna (and my cool classmate!), agreed. "I understood the reason (for the 1991 change) and respected it," she said. "But like many other alumni, I felt a little bewildered and longed for The College of Idaho." Faculty is mostly focusing on the endowment, Raptosh said. "It will allow us to look like a top 100 liberal arts college and allows us to strive toward that goal."