Mascot and Athletics Brand: Latest News
May 13, 2024
Macalester is pleased to announce its newest Scot, “Coo”
Macalester is pleased to announce that the Highland Cow, aka Heilan Coo, is our newest Scot and official mascot.
The Highland Cow was selected with input from thousands of Macalester alumni, students, faculty and staff. Close to 7,500 people weighed in with their preferences throughout the spring semester. The feedback was then reviewed by the Mascot Selection Committee, which is composed of faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
Read the full press release
May 10, 2024
Get Ready to Meet Our Newest Scot!
The Mascot Committee would like to thank everyone in our community for participating in our mascot polls during the spring semester.
In late March, the Loch Ness Monster and Highland Cow went head-to-head in a poll. We heard from 2,844 community members, thirty-four percent of which were students. Let’s see what tomorrow brings during Commencement.
Mascot Poll: Which designs do you like?
April 2, 2024
It’s time. The mascot committee is in the final stretches of picking the newest Scot and we’d like to hear what designs and which mascot resonates with you.
We heard from almost 4,000 community members, ranging from the 1950s to the class of 2028.
In the first round of voting the Highland Cow secured 41 percent of the vote and the Loch Ness Monster received 32 percent of the vote. The Kelpie came in third with 15 percent of the vote. As a result, the mascot committee is moving forward with the Highland Cow and the Loch Ness Monster, both of which align with our guiding principles.
Now, it’s time to let us know which designs and which mascot resonates with you.
Mascot Update: Polling results are in!
March 22, 2024
In early March, we asked everyone in our community to rank their mascot choices and the results are in.
We heard from almost 4,000 community members, ranging from the 1950s to the class of 2028. We even heard from some prospective students who are gearing up for their life at 1600 grand.
The choices: a Highland cow, the Loch Ness Monster, a kelpie, and a unicorn.
In ranked choice polling, 50 percent of the vote secures the top spot. Our community was divided on the first round and the poll went out to three places, with a toss up between the Highland Cow and the Loch Ness Monster. In the first round of voting the Highland Cow secured 41 percent of the vote and the Loch Ness Monster received 32 percent of the vote. The Kelpie came in third with 15 percent of the vote.
The Loch Ness Monster and the Highland Cow were neck and neck among our current students, each receiving 50 percent of the vote. Poll results did shift somewhat based on decade among our alumni.
What’s next? A chance to share your thoughts on designs of the Highland Cow and the Loch Ness Monster starting on April 2.
#NewScot2024
February 27, 2024
Tell us what you think is the best mascot for the Scots. We received 61 unique ideas for a mascot and heard from faculty, staff, students, and alumni during focus groups. Now, we need your help to narrow down the list. Four ideas rose to the top, though we’d like to include a couple of honorable mentions.
The Scottie Dog and Albino squirrel were two ideas that were much loved in the first round of our survey but they missed a few of the guiding principles. The Scottie Dog isn’t unique among our peer set. Agnes Scott College, Carnegie Mellon University, and the College of Wooster all have a terrier as a mascot. The albino squirrel wasn’t unique either (Oberlin College), didn’t resonate across generations, and didn’t feel fierce or competitive.
#NewScot2024
The Finalists
- Loch Ness Monster: Iconic to Scottish folklore, “Nessie” already has an unofficial presence on campus; its home in Scottish lochs connects to Minnesota waters
- Highland Cow: A student once walked a cow up to the third floor of Old Main, inspiring this strong and steadfast mascot; both males and females; feature horns and its coat is Macalester orange
- Kelpie: A more obscure creature from Scottish legend is the kelpie horse, a mascot that resides in deep waters and drowns its adversaries
- Unicorn: The official animal of Scotland and considered one of a kind throughout its long history, this mascot would be the first in collegiate athletics, a tribute to Macalester’s trailblazing spirit
Survey Results
February 19, 2024
Highland Cow. Blizzard. Unicorn. Octopus. The list goes on.
In January alumni, students, faculty and staff submitted 61 unique ideas for a new Macalester mascot. The nominations came from 611 people. Alumni from the 1960s to 2000s made the case for what they’d like to see.
Each of the 61 ideas connects to Macalester. In many cases that connection is through its Scottish heritage, whether through mythological creatures or animals. Some ideas channeled our weather and landscape in Minnesota. And, some represented the spirit of the people who are part of our community.
Now the Mascot Committee—a group composed of students, faculty, staff, and alumni—will winnow those ideas down to the semifinalists. The committee will use the guiding principles to create the list of semifinalists.
Guiding Principles
- Embodies a fierce and competitive spirit
- Unifies the campus and larger community
- Relevant across generations to Macalester experience or history
- Works equally well for women’s and men’s sports teams
- Can translate well visually
- Is unique among our peer set and is not an established mark outside of our peer set
Ideas Submitted
Class Years Represented
