Houston Baptist University changes name to Houston Christian University as part of growth campaign

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- As part of a growth campaign to increase enrollment, Houston Baptist University is changing its name to Houston Christian University.

The university's president Robert B. Sloan made the announcement Wednesday afternoon during an open forum with faculty, staff, past and present trustees and students, according to a release from the university.

"We want to extend the influence of our mission while also appealing to as many students as possible," Dr. Sloan said.

The renaming is part of a growth campaign to expand HCU's residential campus to 4,200 students and online campus to 5,800 students, according to the university.

Dr. Sloan added that the university has considered a name change several times over the last 16 years, but it was in the last two years that a university task force of trustees arrived at this new name.

On May 17, 2022, the Board of Trustees officially approved the name change.

Despite the name change, Dr. Sloan affirmed the university's core convictions, saying HCU's historic Christian commitments have not and will not change.

"By changing to Houston Christian University, we are striving to be even clearer about our convictions. We are committed to Jesus Christ. We are committed to the Scriptures. We are committed to the Gospel and its power to draw all people to Christ. And we are committed to being 'salt and light' in the world," Dr. Sloan said.

He added that the school will keep the Husky mascot and they are working on new logos.