Tri-State University will officially be renamed Trine University effective June 1, 2009, it was announced by the school's board of trustees.

The MIAA member school's announcement caps a three-year discussion by the board. School president Earl Brooks II made a public announcement in May of the board's intention to incorporate the family name of successful alumnus Ralph Trine and his wife, Sheri, who have been long-term university supporters and partners, into the new name.

Tri-State is in Angola, Ind., about halfway between Toledo, Ohio, and South Bend, Ind., off I-90. It is hoped the name change will help the university re-position itself from the original three-state service area, and differentiate it from the many entities claiming a tri-state identity across the country. Changing the name will also alleviate any confusion about its private status by removing any reference to a state university.