ROWAN UNIVERSITY POLICY
Title: Naming University Facilities, Academic Programs & Non-Academic Programs
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- The University is committed to retaining the name of each facility bearing a donor-designated name. The name is intended to remain for the life of the facility regardless of any subsequent change in the occupying unit(s). If the facility is razed at some future date, the University will recognize the honoree in an appropriate way, as approved by the University President.
- Naming of facilities, spaces, endowments and programs in honor of corporations or other organizations will have a set number of years attached to the naming which will be determined on a case-by-case basis and listed in the signed agreement.
- Under extraordinary circumstances when the continued use of the name would compromise the public trust and reflect adversely upon the University, Rowan University reserves the right to rename the facility or program.
- Rowan University has an extraordinary history. The institution has evolved from a two-year normal school in 1923 to a comprehensive university with a medical school in the twenty-first century. Should circumstances warrant, the Rowan community—students, alumni, faculty, staff, and governing boards—can bring forward proposals to rename a facility bearing an honorific name that is not associated with a gift to the Vice President for University Advancement to reflect Rowan's evolution. Once reviewed, the Vice President may forward the proposal to the University President for support and then to the Board of Trustees for approval.
- Naming associated with a particular facility, space, endowment or program will not preclude further naming within the facility, space, endowment or program.
- When a facility is proposed for renaming, Rowan University will make all reasonable efforts to inform in advance the original donors or honorees and their immediate family members.
V. ATTACHMENTS
A. Attachment 1, Proposals for Naming
B. Attachment 2, Procedures for Seeking Approval for Naming
C. Attachment 3, Naming Opportunities Threshold and Approval Authority
D. Attachment 4, Endowment Pledge Agreement Template
ATTACHMENT 1
PROPOSALS FOR NAMING
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PROCEDURES FOR SEEKING APPROVAL FOR NAMING
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- The approval processes outlined below are to be followed based on the type of naming opportunity being proposed.
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- A prospective donor should not be approached about the naming opportunity until initial internal approval from the Vice President for University Advancement is received. Therefore, there needs to be careful planning in advance of any solicitation involving naming to ensure a desirable outcome with the donor.
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- To name a structure or a space with permanence of 10 years or more, the Board of Trustees is the ultimate authority for approval.
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- To name an interior space with the capacity of 50 or less people or an exterior structure that can be relocated or attachments less permanence, the University President is the final authority for approval of the recommendation submitted by the Vice President for University Advancement. At the discretion of the President, the request may be forwarded to the Board of Trustees for approval.
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- To name a college, school, department, institute, or university-wide center, the Board of Trustees is the final authority for review and approval.
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- To name an endowed or a non-endowed fund, a development director does not require internal approval prior to solicitation as long as the fund adheres to the minimum funding requirements. However, once a Pledge Agreement is developed, all steps outlined in the agreement must be followed. If unique circumstances arise in the negotiation process, exceptions and modifications must be submitted to and approved by the Vice President for University Advancement. See an Endowment Pledge Agreement template in Attachment 4.
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- All deliberations with regard to naming will be held in private and the deliberations themselves will be considered confidential.
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- Every reasonable effort will be made to ensure that a naming request be acted upon within ninety (90) days of the initial submission of the proposal to the University Advancement/University Relations Committee of the Board of Trustees.
ATTACHMENT 3
NAMING OPPORTUNITIES THRESHOLD AND APPROVAL AUTHORITY
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This document shall serve as an agreement between the Rowan University Foundation and Donor for a pledge commitment between the two parties with the following conditions:
Donor agrees to:
Pledge Amount to the Rowan University Foundation to establish the Account. The pledge is expected to be paid in Year, one year after Donor's initial pledge of Amount is paid in full.
Rowan University Foundation, on behalf of Rowan University, agrees to:
- Invest and manage the Amount as part of the Rowan University Foundation portfolio and pay the current spending policy annually to Rowan University for the purpose of funding the Account. To preserve the Amount gift, the first endowment payout will occur one year after receipt of the payment.
- Publicize the Fund as part of the Account.
- Designate the responsible individual to expend the funds in accordance with the donor's wishes.
- Provide a yearly reporting to donor on the fund as well as a financial reporting of the fund.
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It is the donor's intention to fulfill the terms of this pledge. However, should unforeseen circumstances require modification or cancellation of these terms, the donor reserves the right to do so in writing to the Rowan University Foundation.
Agreed to, on this date day of month, year.
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Executive Director Rowan University Foundation Donor