On Sept. 24 Eastern Washington University announced a new brand and identity as the region’s only polytechnic.

Positioning itself as the region’s only polytechnic, EWU plans to provide students with the opportunity to gain professional work experience and shift towards experiential learning to prepare for the workforce.

To stand out from other universities in the region, EWU began the process of a new brand positioning in the fall of 2023. A work group of faculty and staff landed on the marketing tactic as a way to paint the school as a top regional university to prospective students, staff and the surrounding community.

Polytechnic universities typically provide hands on, experiential learning for students, usually those in STEM majors. According to EWU’s website, over 60 percent of EWU students graduate with professional experience.

In a written statement to The Easterner, EWU President Shari McMahan said that as a polytechnic EWU’s role is to prepare students for the future. She said that with a practical learning experience for every program, students are given a competitive advantage in their chosen field of work.

“Paired with our strong liberal arts foundation, this will further increase the value of an Eastern degree,” McMahan said.”Since many of our programs already include a research, performance, or internship element, this is an exciting opportunity to expand on who we are, not change who we are.”

Travis Masingale, design professor and member of the marketing work group, said that EWU already functions much like a polytechnic and that he believes the rebrand will help point the school in the right direction.

“We have to make sure students have the skills that employers want when they graduate. It’s a giant ship, right? And we’re trying to turn it in a certain direction,” Masingale said.

Bella Quinn, a communications major at EWU, said that practical experience offered at the university would be good for students.

“I feel like trying to find an internship or just any practical experience like a research class, or with an organization just helps you a lot more, just right of the bat,” Quinn said “So I feel like having those opportunities is really good and students will take advantage of them if they are offered.”