Evangel unveils new mascot

Evangel University unveiled its new mascot after a monthslong process that involved stakeholder feedback.

University officials selected a horse symbol called Valor, designed to represent the character and strength of Evangel in athletics and other school purposes, according to a news release.

“The process of selecting a new mascot that best represented our university was a comprehensive and thoughtful one,” said Michael Kolstad, vice president for university advancement, in the release. “Valor was among the list of submitted mascot names, and it continually rose to the top of the list among our focus groups and mascot selection committee.”

Tulsa, Oklahoma-based branding agency Hampton Creative designed the Valor logo, and the campaign also received a donation from The Bank of Missouri to help the university reveal the new mascot. The financial terms of the contract with Hampton Creative and the donation amount from The Bank of Missouri were not disclosed.

Valor replaces the Crusader, Evangel's former mascot that had been in place since the university's 1955 inception. In announcing it would do away with the Crusader this spring, Evangel interim President George Wood said the mascot "often inhibits the ability of students and alumni to proudly represent the university in their areas of global work and ministry.” The term historically is associated with soldiers in the Crusades, a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims, according to History.com.

In selecting Valor as its new mascot, Evangel gathered feedback from more than 800 alumni, current students, faculty and staff. In the process, school officials collected 700 mascot name submissions, according to the release.