It's Official: We Are GovState
By Zion Banks, Editor
You’ve seen the signs and heard the raucous chants across Governors State University’s (GovState) campus since 2023 and now it’s official. We Are GovState is the official U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) registered tagline for Governors State now known as GovState.
Will Davis, Vice President of External Affairs, said the rebrand to GovState reduces confusion, more accurately captures the identity of Governors State University, and aligns with the email nomenclature @govst.edu
“When you google GSU, Georgia State pops up,” Davis said. “We Are GovState reflects who we are and is inclusive of faculty, staff, students and alumni,’’ he said, noting the rebrand began just as the University celebrated the 10-year-anniversary of its expansion to a four-year institution complete with a freshman class, a dorm and athletic teams.
Attorneys first petitioned the USPTO for the trademark in 2024 and received final approval in early 2025, noting the trademark is most relevant to merchandise and branding.
The trademark, the University’s second, is good for five years.
The first, Here, you are, was trademarked in 2018.
Kaitlyn Wild, GovState’s Director of Compliance, said the trademark is more legal covering.
“We can now control the usage of that phrase in written form in terms of selling goods and advertisements. It’s a way to show this phrase is associated with us or that we are overseeing it to ensure a certain level of quality. We are the only ones who have a right to use that phrase. If someone starts selling knock-off GovState merchandise, we can sue them for it,’’ said Wild.
Davis is preparing a massive marketing rollout of We Are GovState.
“It’s exciting to see it out in the world – finally,’’ he said.