Houston Baptist University announces name change: 'Houston Christian University more accurately epitomizes our student body and reflects who we serve'

Houston Baptist University (HBU) has renamed itself to Houston Christian University (HCU), per a school-issued press release.

The private faith-based university said that president Dr. Robert B. Sloan announced the name change during an open forum with faculty, staff, students and present and former trustees on Wednesday. 

“Houston Christian University more accurately epitomizes our student body and reflects the faculty, staff, alumni and community we serve,” Sloan said, according to the release.

Sloan said the newly christened institution seeks to welcome “all Christians” to its campus.

“This historic university appeals to people all across the spectrum of Christian denominational life, and this new name clarifies who we are,” the president said in the release.

The name change is a part of the school’s plans to boost its student body to 10,000, the release said.

Houston NBC affiliate KPRC reported that HCU will retain “Huskies” as a nickname but the university will continue to use its standard Husky head logo minus any wordmark until the completion of the rebranding process.

The athletic teams will still wear uniforms bearing the soon-to-be former acronym HBU until further notice, KPRC reported.

HCU will also keep the colors blue and orange.

The release said that the university has mulled changing its name for about 16 years, and an assembled team of trustees spent the previous two years intensively researching the matter.

According to the release, the university’s board of trustees in May approved the renaming.

Sloan said HCU’s commitments will stay the same.

“We believe that authentic and faithful Christian higher education, rooted in a scriptural worldview, is ever more critical in a fractured society in need of reconciliation, hope and healing,” the president said, per the release.