I don’t have a copy of it handy, but in general, American newspapers don’t capitalize a “the” at the beginnings of such names, whether they are names of universities or publications or other entities. There is often an exception for a self-reference, however. (Example: most newspapers refer to “the Associated Press” but the A.P. itself will say “The Associated Press”).
Here in Baltimore, the official university seal of my grad school reads The Johns Hopkins University. Hardly anyone ever adds the definite article to the front of the name, however, and even the university’s website just says Johns Hopkins University.
IIRC, they made a conscious decision a few years back, when they redesigned the University logo, to stop emphasizing the “The.” When I was there, oh so many (OK, ten) years ago, they were still saying “The Johns Hopkins University” on everything. I guess they decided to devote their efforts to making sure everyone remembered the S on the end of Johns.
While we’re at it, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, on the banks of the Miami River in the former territory of the Miami Indians, had been there for generations before the city in southern Florida was even founded. But do RedHawk fans ever get any peace about the “silly” name of their school? No. Do they ever even get clearly understood outside the region when they say they go, or went, to the college in Ohio, dammit? No. Do the 'Canes ever have to say they go to “Miami of Florida”? Well, once upon a time, but not recently, no. Duke, I’ll go along with your guess that it’s to avoid confusion with the older, smaller, once more-intellectual but now party-hearty school in Athens that didn’t have the foresight to use the name “U. of Ohio”. The student bodies of Indiana University and California State College have little excuse for their troubles explaining why they’re in Pennsylvania, though.
FWIW, in Columbus, my former home, the “*The * OSU” construction is essentially a joke, spread mainly by football players. More commonly, it’s called “State” or “The Farm”.
Exapno, I’ve never heard of an Institutive. FWIW, the stone-carved letters over the main entrance to MIT read “MASSACHVSETTS INSTITVTE OF TECHNOLOGY, WILLIAM BARTON ROGERS, FOVNDER”. No “The”. And why, btw, would a stone carver be able to cope with S’s but punt U’s?
Having attended Miami myself, I feel the pain. Every time it comes up, I point out that the name of the institution is “Miami University,” not the “University of Miami of Ohio” or some such ridiculous locution. And I also point out that the idiots who named Miami, Florida, purposely picked an Indian tribe that lived in Ohio, not in Florida.
I’m not sure whether or not you’re kidding, but just in case: there’s no “punt” here. Those who carve legends into stone often follow Roman custom, often to the extent of writing in Latin. In the Roman alphabet, there was no “U.” “V” was the letter for both the consonant and the vowel. Indeed, many believe that they were pronounced the same, more like a “w” than either a “u” or a “v.”
There also was no “J” or “W” in the Roman alphabet and many inscriptions reflect that as well.
We have had lengthy threads here about how and why U.S. colleges and universities got their name. It can be confusing because there is no standard. Most states have flagship schools mixed with other college systems. Some call the main university “University of State X” to make their point. Some have “X State university” as their flagship school with other schools taking on competing names. Mix in the private schools and you can’t just assume anything at all in terms of where the school is located geographically, whether it is really a college or a university, if it is a state school at all, or if it is a flagship school within a state just based on the name alone. You have to look at each individual school. It is all about what people thought was the best marketing name available when the school got its name.
The OP is basically asking 2 questions. Most of the responses seem to be dwelling on just the least nuanced one.
Question 1: Why is it called “The Ohio State University?”
Answer: Because that’s the way the board of trustees wanted it. It’s in no way uncommon or unique. Lots of universities, and lots of other businesses and other proper named organizations for that matter, attach an unnecessary “The” at the beginning of their official name. Disney is technically called “The Walt Disney Company” and Coke is “The Coca-Cola Company.”
Question 2: Why has emphasizing the “The” in the name become something of a fad for this university in particular?
Answer: That’s a tougher question. It might have something to do with the conflict with Ohio University over the limited trademark dispute. OU trademarked the word in 1995, OSU filed suit opposing it in 1997 I believe. I’m not sure when the emphasis meme began or when it took off. The first time just about anyone heard it nationally was when an OSU player said it in his MNF introduction. I don’t know who or when that was, but I suspect that it was just one athlete trying to stand out from the crowd. He likely had little interest or knowledge of the OU/OSU dispute, it caught on and then Miami started calling themselves “The U” in intros to compete for attention. Both “The U” and “THE Ohio State University” probably existed on their campuses long before they got brought into national prominence on MNF but you’d have to ask the players who did it first why they chose to do it. It could be something as stupid as a dare by a friend.
The Zombie Thread!
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samclem