At its inception, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology was billed as the MIT of the North, referring to the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But its name was confusing and its vowel-heavy acronym, UOIT, never seemed to roll off the tongue.
“We’ve always been a tech-focused university,” Mr. Murphy said. “Rather than having people grapple with UOIT, saying 'We come from Ontario Tech’ is a far simpler and more direct message. On a quiet Thursday this month, the Canada geese nearly outnumbered the students on the cozy, verdant campus adjacent to Durham College.
Sarah Abdelmassih a PhD candidate who studies molecular biology, said she’s still catching herself referring to UOIT instead of Ontario Tech, but she welcomes the change.