Name task force members began by reviewing some four thousand lines of text that resulted from an electronic mail discussion on the topic of naming the School. They identified a list of issues involved in a new name, e.g., proper semantic scope; comprehensibility; image to students, faculty, colleagues, and employers; market value; verbal aesthetics; precedent. The result of this exercise was a list of almost one hundred names. Task force members discussed each name in view of identified issues, reduced the list of names to twenty-five, and sought reactions to these names from the School's many constituencies. The task force presented a list of six names to the School's charter faculty. Faculty voted and selected the name "School of Information." The dean and task force members conducted additional discussions with students, alumni, UM deans, deans at other universities, and others, and the faculty finally ratified the selected name. Following approval from the provost and deans of the University of Michigan, the University of Michigan's Regentsapproved the School's request to change its name to the School of Information on March 15, 1996.
When they began, task force members had hoped to find a name that all, or at least most, concerned parties would like. This turned out to be unrealistic. In fact, not one of the almost one hundred nominated names was acceptable to more than two-thirds of the various constituents. Task force members had to settle for a combination of compromise and marketing to arrive at a finalist that was at least maximally acceptable.
Task force members concluded that naming a new school (like naming a child or a new business) was a very hard task. There were many different constituencies with a stake in the new school, and they each had different concerns. The choice of name brought many of these to the fore, since it carried with it a strong sense of identity. Faculty and administrative staff went to great lengths to educate and promote the larger vision of the School so critics would understand and support the larger mission and the need for a more general name.
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