In this competitive world, universities are rushing to bring in consultants to boost their brand. And what a worthwhile investment that can be. Rumour has it that after months of costly negotiations, Nottingham Trent University has come up with the controversial master stroke of dropping the word "the" from its title. This radical image change will, NTU assures us, "allow the university to present a coherent and professional image across its diverse communities". We will never use a "the" casually again.