Like a phoenix rising anew from the ashes, Jacobs University was - in a sense - reborn this morning. During a speech to hundreds of students, faculty and staff, Jacobs University President Dr Joachim Treusch unveiled the university's new logo and corporate identity.

"You will be the first to have a look at our new logo," the president told an audience crowded into the Campus Center Conference Hall before a video presentation revealed the new design. Palpable suspense in the room dissolved into quiet laughter at the dramatic music used in the presentation before finally resolving with loud applause and a standing ovation - although some in attendance did remain seated.

The somewhat abstract design, which adds a steel grey to the traditional blue color of International University Bremen, is in the form of a shield. Further observation reveals the letters 'J' and 'I' as well as a shape many are perceiving as a globe. Conspicuously-absent from the new identity is the name of the city that continues to support the university financially: Bremen.

Those who attended the speech by the president, meant to update the university community on recent developments, were greeted upon their exit by banners proclaiming the new logo as well as a champagne reception.

The unveiling of the new design marks perhaps the most significant and visible step in the rebranding of the school from International University Bremen to Jacobs University.

Reaction from the community, while somewhat mixed, appears to be cautiously in favor of the new design. Some expressed disapproval regarding the ambiguity of the logo, others compared it to Harvard, while others admitted that it would likely grow on them.

President Treusch also took the opportunity - before the new design usurped the attention of the audience - to review the fundamental selling points of the university and discuss other developments. As Dr Treusch pointed out, it has been "half a year since the second birth of our university," alluding to the donation by Swiss financier and philanthropist Klaus Jacobs.

Of most interest to the graduating class, perhaps, was the president's announcement that their diplomas will improve in quality, resolving a long-standing concern. "They will be nicer," he promised, "better paper."

He also pointed out the university's growing political clout, citing meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Prime Ministers of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony and twenty-three national ambassadors.

The construction of College IV was also addressed, as President Treusch described meetings concluded with the university's neighbors to the north. Dr Treusch noted, to much laughter, that our neighbors are often confronted with inebriated students in the early morning, who are "very happy [and] singing nice songs." The president called upon his background in physics when discussing the construction, arguing to the university's neighbors that the music from the bar will "be suppressed by the weight of the new college," a comment that brought still more amusement from the audience.

Dr Treusch also said that university officials "hope to be able to build a new audience hall" in the future, pointing out that current facilities were insufficient. The president also announced recent donations of €50 000 from Commerzbank and a minibus from DaimlerChrysler, as well as the acquisition of 25 new full stipends for the university.

In the broadest sense, in the shadow of these new developments, Dr Treusch appealed to a discussion relating to the common values of the university, arguing that it "should be taken very seriously, what our common values are." It is tremendously important, he suggested, that "we appear to the outside world as one company, one community."

Photo credits to Gabriel Boc.

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