The Association of Colleges and Universities of Canada (AUCC) has undergone a name change.

Starting Wednesday, it will be known as Universities Canada/Universités Canada.

Under the AUCC banner, adopted in 1965, the organization brought universities together, facilitating a cohesive voice and a forum for collective action. The shift to Universities Canada/Universités Canada highlights the association’s focused role in supporting universities’ significant contribution to Canada.

“The evolution from the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada to Universities Canada/Universités Canada marks a significant new era for our organization,” says Paul Davidson, president of Universities Canada/Universités Canada. “Our new identity truly reflects the innovative, focused and dynamic nature of our organization, our work and our people. We are articulating more clearly who we are and what we stand for.”

Universities Canada/Universités Canada (formerly AUCC) is the voice of Canada’s universities at home and abroad, representing the interests of 97 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities and university degree-level colleges.

The new identity features an iconic diamond image that symbolizes convergence and destination-a town square, a traffic intersection, a university quad. Turning it on end creates added dynamism, highlighting the need to continually advance in order to serve the needs of higher education, research and innovation.

The diamond expands outward from a common centre to symbolize growth, evolution, steadily increasing reach and inclusiveness. It illustrates that Canada’s universities are shaping responses to a perpetually changing world.