SAVANNAH — Armstrong State University officially rolled out its new name July 1, offering free Leopold’s ice cream in Compass Plaza to students, faculty and staff to celebrate the name change.

 The university received approval from the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents on April 16 to drop the word “Atlantic” from Armstrong Atlantic State University.

The more streamlined name is expected to help minimize confusion and create a stronger brand for Armstrong. The state Board of Regents added “Atlantic” to the university’s name in 1996 in an effort to give Armstrong a geographic identifier. The university was originally founded in 1935 in downtown Savannah and has been located on a 250-acre campus on the city’s southside since 1966.

“Today is a great day for Armstrong State University,” said Armstrong president Linda M. Bleicken. “The Armstrong name has always been part of our tradition of excellence. We appreciate the support of our faculty, staff, students, alumni and community leaders as we continue to focus our efforts on student success.”

Many current Armstrong students are enthusiastic about the name change.

“I love the new name,” said Rachael Flora, a senior majoring in English at Armstrong. “It makes a lot of sense and is much easier to say.”

After receiving a positive response from a statistically validated survey of Armstrong faculty, staff, students, alumni and community leaders in fall 2013, the university decided to move forward with a name change from Armstrong  tlantic State University to Armstrong State University. The survey indicated that the majority of university stakeholders supported the name modification.

“The name ‘Armstrong State University’ reflects who we are today,” said William Kelso, the university’s vice president of advancement and an Armstrong alumnus. “We’ve always been Armstrong, and we’re proud to be part of the University System of Georgia. We look forward to a long and successful future as Armstrong State University.”