John Tyler Community College officially becomes Brightpoint Community College on Friday, two years after the renaming process began.
The school revealed a new logo — red, black and yellow arrows in the shape of open books pointing toward a center. The book shapes represent wisdom gained through education, and the points coming together represent community, a school spokesperson said.
The colors signify diversity, and the yellow arrows point up, representing upward mobility gained through education.
Signage on the Midlothian and Chester campuses will arrive in the next few weeks.
In 2020, the state board for community colleges asked its schools to review the appropriateness of their names. A few months later, John Tyler opted to change its name.
Tyler, the 10th president of the United States, was a slave owner and supporter of the Confederacy. He was buried under a Confederate flag in Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery.
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John Tyler Community College chose the name Brightpoint because it reflects an uplifting and welcoming environment and aligns with the school’s mission, vision, values and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Other community colleges in the state are changing their names, too. Patrick Henry is becoming Patrick & Henry, a nod to the two counties that surround the school, Patrick County and Henry County. Patrick Henry, the founding father, had little connection to the region, school leaders said.
Dabney S. Lancaster in Clifton Forge will become Mountain Gateway. Lord Fairfax in Warrenton chose Laurel Ridge as its new name. Thomas Nelson in Hampton is renaming itself Virginia Peninsula.
Eric Kolenich
Reporter
Eric Kolenich writes about higher education, health systems and more for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He joined the newspaper in 2009 and spent 11 years in the Sports section. (804) 649-6109
