Policy Number: 148

 

NAMING OF FACILITIES

 

Board of Trustees Regulations provide the following guidelines for the naming of campus facilities:

1. The Board reserves the right to name all buildings (or parts thereof), structures, facilities, streets, grounds, and other real property belonging to the Board, hereinafter referred to as "Board property."

2. Board property may be named for notable former employees of the University, distinguished former members of the Board, donors of substantial funds, or public persons of the State and Nation or of any country.

3. Board property shall not be named for persons holding elective or appointive office in national, state, or local government; members or employees of the Board of Trustees or members or employees of the Board of Higher Education during the term of their office or employment.

Further, Board Regulations require that the President shall make recommendations to the Board of Trustees regarding the naming of Board property.

 

University Regulations

 

At Eastern Illinois University, the procedure for recommending the name of facilities shall involve the following three stages:

1. Determining the appropriateness of naming or renaming a campus facility.

2. Recommending an appropriate name for the facility.

3. Seeking Board of Trustees approval of the recommended name of a particular facility.

All recommendations are made to the President.  Any member of the University community may recommend the naming or renaming of a campus facility.

 

The President should periodically (at least each ten years) review campus facility names and utilize the following procedures when it seems appropriate to name or rename a particular facility.

 

To Determine the Appropriateness of Naming or Renaming a Campus Facility

 

When the President receives a proposal or determines that it may be appropriate to name or rename a facility, the President shall appoint a study committee consisting of the Chair of the Faculty Senate, the Chair of the Council on Academic Affairs, and the appropriate Vice President.  This ad hoc committee shall study the issue, consult with involved persons, and make a recommendation to the President on whether it is appropriate to name or rename a facility.  Guidelines to be used by the study committee are:

1. When a new facility is constructed, it is appropriate to consider naming the facility.

2. When the use of an existing facility is changed, it is appropriate to consider renaming the facility.

3. When a particular facility has functional subdivisions, it may be appropriate to consider naming some or all of these sub-units.

If the Committee's recommendation is positive, it shall not recommend a name for the facility but shall recommend potential members to serve on a committee to recommend a specific name for a particular facility.  It is appropriate to consider retired faculty and individuals with extended periods of service at the institution as potential members of the committee, and the committee should have some representation from among users of the facilities.

 

To Recommend Naming/Renaming a Campus Facility

 

When the President accepts a recommendation to name or rename a facility, he/she shall appoint a naming committee.  This ad hoc committee shall solicit recommendations from the University community, consider the alternatives, and recommend an appropriate name of the facility to the President.  The Committee shall provide the President with a written justification for its recommended name.  Prior to submission of its recommendations and justification to the President, the Committee shall review its proposal with the appropriate vice president.  Guidelines to be used by the naming committee are:

1. Personal, place, or functional names may be recommended for facilities.

2. The recommended name shall be logical in terms of the function of the facility.

3. The recommended name shall have some significance to and meaning for constituencies served by the facility and/or significance to and meaning for the University as a whole.

4. The recommended name shall be consistent with the guidelines provided in the Board of Trustees Regulations cited above.

5. When the Committee recommends the name of a person for a facility, there shall be a relationship between the magnitude of the contribution of that person to the University and the facility--i.e., major building names should be reserved for those individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement and welfare of the institution.

6. When the Committee recommends the name of a former employee of the University for a facility, at least two years shall pass after the employee's termination of regular employment, retirement, or death before consideration is given to naming a facility for that individual.

President's Recommendation to the Board of Trustees

 

When the President accepts a recommendation to name or rename a campus facility, he/she shall present the recommendation, after review by the President's Council, to the Board of Trustees for approval in accordance with procedures specified by the Board.  A facility is officially named or renamed only after Board approval.

 

Approved:
President
May 1, 1996

 

Monitor: President