Executive Policy #9
Approved October 11, 2004
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1.0 FUNCTION OF THIS DOCUMENT
This document provides guidelines to be used for requesting that a University facility be named after an individual, group of individuals, or organization and lists criteria for naming University facilities, including the assignment of temporary names (see 3.3). The guidelines here will be cited and applied by the University Facilities Names Committee in making recommendations to the President and Regents of the University for the naming of a University facility. These guidelines and procedures apply only to the naming of University facilities; these include buildings, grounds, roads, and rooms or spaces within University facilities.
2.0 DEFINITIONS
In this document, the term "major facility" refers to buildings, building additions, roads, and significant open spaces. The term "minor facility" refers to spaces that are within major facilities. The guidelines in this document do not apply to the naming of scholarships, fellowships, professorships, departments, programs, and centers.
3.0 CRITERIA FOR NAMING
The primary criteria for naming a facility after individual(s) shall include but not be limited to:
- Substantial contributions to the University as member(s) of its faculty, staff, administration, or governing board;
- Personal achievements as alumni/alumnae of highest distinction in an academic, professional, or public service role, while maintaining close ties with and providing significant support to the University; or
- In the case of a major facility, substantial financial contribution equivalent to 50 percent of the replacement or construction costs of a facility.
The University reserves the right to refuse a naming request or to reverse a naming decision should the individual after which the building is named be shown to have rejected values that preserve human dignity and/or the educational ideals of the University.
Major facilities will be assigned temporary names to indicate function until a permanent name is assigned (see 4.3).
3.4
Named programs, departments, and centers may be housed in facilities that are also named. In this case, the assigned name of the building will appear on the building face and external sign, with named programs indicated as dictated by signage standards of the University's Capital Planning and Development unit.
3.5
The name on an existing major facility will remain for the life of the facility, if the facility is named after a person.
3.6
The name on a facility to be demolished, vacated, sold or replaced will not automatically be transferred to a new facility; if a named facility is demolished, vacated, sold, or replaced, a request must be submitted in order to recommend a name for the replacement facility.
Minor facilities may be assigned the name of a sponsor or donor in return for a substantial contribution toward equipping and/or remodeling the facility as well as an endowment for operating and/or recapitalization expenses. In general, such names will be assigned for a designated period of time, in keeping with the expected tenure of the facility's function.
Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the President and the Regents of Washington State University.
4.0 PROCEDURE FOR REQUESTING A NAMED FACILITY
4.1
All facility naming requests should be directed to the Chair of the University Facilities Names Committee and include the following:
- A memorandum giving the particulars of the naming request that includes rationale for the naming, referring to relevant criteria in 3.0 above;
- Supporting information about the individual or group for which the facility is to be named;
- Letters of support for this request from unit administrators, faculty, staff, students, or alumni as appropriate; and
- Any other information that may be relevant to the potential implementation of the request.
4.2
Facility naming requests that are primarily in response to major financial contributions (see 3.1, 3.2, 3.7, and 3.8) should be directed to the Facilities Names Committee accompanied by an endorsement from the Vice President for University Development or designee, in consultation with the President as appropriate. No formal proposals or commitments should be made to donors without prior review and agreement, in principle, of the President by way of the Vice President for University Development.
Requests to assign a temporary name to a facility should be forwarded to the Facilities Names Committee when a new building is funded for design or when an existing building with a functional name is assigned a new function:
- When a new building is funded for design or an existing building is vacated/assumes a new function, the Vice President whose responsibilities cover the function of this building or his/her designee should contact the Facilities Names Committee and propose a suggested temporary name for the building in question.
- Should the Facilities Names Committee note that there is a new facility or vacated facility which requires a name assignment, the committee will notify the President's Office requesting that the appropriate Vice President or designee be asked to propose a name to the committee.
4.4
Upon receiving a naming request, within 30 days the Chair of the Facilities Names Committee will convene the committee to consider the request, and the committee will make a recommendation to the President in due course.
4.5
When the Facilities Names Committee recommends a name for a building, the committee recommendation will include: the proposed full name of the facility, a proposed name for building street signage, and a proposed Registrar's Code as is appropriate.
4.6
The President will confer with or respond to the committee's recommendation as he/she deems appropriate and forward a recommendation, should he/she so choose, to the University Regents. If a recommendation is not forwarded, the President shall inform the committee chair who will in turn inform the party(ies) who has (have) made the request.
4.7
Formal acknowledgment that the President has approved a naming request which does not require approval by the Regents will be sent by the President's Office to the Chair of the Facilities Names Committee, with copies to the original requester, the appropriate Vice President and Dean (if applicable), and the Office of Capital Planning and Development.
4.8
If a request is forwarded to the Regents, the President will inform the Chair of the Facilities Names Committee who in turn will inform the party(ies) making the request.
4.9
Formal acknowledgment of action on a naming request that is forwarded to the Regents will be made in the minutes of a Regents Meeting. The President's Office will acknowledge this action with a letter to the Chair of the Facilities Names Committee, with copies to the original requester, the appropriate Vice President and Dean (if applicable), and the Office of Capital Planning and Development.
4.10
Implementation of the naming request shall be carried out through the Office of the President in consultation with the University's Capital Planning and Development unit.