Ohio Administrative Code
Title 3341 - Bowling Green State University
Chapter 3341-9 - Receipt of Gifts and Donations
Section 3341-9-02 - Naming
Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A) Policy statement and purpose
To set out the rules by which university property will be named.
(B) Policy
The BGSU board of trustees upon the recommendation of the university president has the authority for naming all university facilities, properties, and academic entities (i.e., all buildings, major portions of buildings, academic colleges, schools, centers, professorships, university streets or roads, athletic fields, plazas, malls, and other large areas of major assembly or activity). Naming decisions related to a building, a chair or professorship, a program, etc. will be made subsequent to or concurrent with approval of the establishment of the facility, program or academic entity by the president and his/her cabinet, and in some cases the board of trustees. The board may delegate to the president the authority to name individual rooms, limited areas and individual items or features within buildings, individual landscape items or features, limited outdoor areas and other minor properties. The board of trustees and president must approve all proposed names.
Primary consideration for naming or renaming facilities, properties, and academic entities is given in recognition of a significant gift to the university, however naming in recognition of other significant contributions to the welfare of the university may also be considered. These naming policies will be provided in writing to potential benefactors. All aspects of the review and approval of a naming opportunity are considered confidential.
(C) University naming approval and removal criteria
Recommended names must comply with the following criteria to be considered for naming or renaming facilities, properties, and academic entities:
An approved name will remain in use for the life of the facility, property or academic entity however there are situations that could cause the removal of the name either during the planning process or after project completion.
(D) Benefactor naming requirements and funding levels
Benefactor naming opportunities will be considered in recognition of a substantial gift to the university when the vice president of university advancement has first approved the formal initiation of the naming approval process and the following requirements have been met:
Endowed funds may be established within the BGSU foundation, Inc. subject to its policies governing the establishment of endowed funds. Exclusive of endowed book awards ($15,000), the minimum amount required to establish an endowment is $25,000. The required funding level for specific types of endowments are higher depending on the type of the award as addressed below.
If a building is to be constructed in total through private funds, the fund raising goal should equal fifty percent of the construction cost of the building and naming rights will be awarded for a contribution equal to that amount. If a building is to be funded through a combination of private funds, and other funding sources the contribution must equal fifty percent of the private fund raising goal and no less than twenty percent of the total construction costs of the building.
The naming of individual rooms or wings in new or existing buildings such as auditoriums, lecture halls and lobbies, will be determined in context of the total facility function. However, in all cases naming will only be awarded if the gift is a minimum of twenty percent of the total construction costs of the new addition to the existing building.
Currently unnamed buildings may be named by the establishment of an endowment equivalent to thirty five percent of the value of the building. (To accommodate unforeseen circumstances, the value of unnamed existing buildings will be determined by the university.)
The name of an individual, corporation or foundation may be associated with a college, school, center, or institute in recognition of a significant financial contribution to support the program or area in question. Minimum endowment gift: $15,000
(E) Non-benefactor naming requirements
Naming may be awarded in recognition of former members of the university faculty or staff, former university trustees, former presidents, former elected officials, or former state employees concerned with the functions, oversight or control of the university. Non-benefactor naming opportunities will be considered when the vice president of university advancement has first approved the formal initiation of the naming approval process and the following requirements have been met:
(F) Fine approval
A university naming committee, appointed by the president and chaired by the vice president of university advancement, reviews the proposed naming opportunity, applicable criteria and policies, and then makes a recommendation to the president.
Date: January 1, 2014