FIRST the good news. York St John College has gone up in the world, and is a step closer to receiving university status. This is inevitable for an institution which is as smart as its modern headquarters.

Now the bad news. The name is going to change again.

Here is a place which never seems able to hang on to its title. Various incarnations include York Diocesan Training School, St John's College, and Ripon & York St John.

Now it will be known as York St John University College. The stationery bill is taking another hit.

Of course, the college might simply be following its home city's approach to names: York, aka Eboracum and Jorvik.

Updated: 09:37 Wednesday, February 01, 2006