535.000 - Memorializing College Facilities and Property

On occasion, Clark College seeks to recognize the efforts and contributions of individuals/corporations by naming buildings, portions of buildings, rooms and/or labs, fixed furniture, equipment, open spaces, pathways, fields, etc., collectively referred to hereafter as “property.” This policy establishes a uniform and consistent procedure to gain campus approval and to record naming for all campus property. Approval is required before the naming of any college property is official.

535.001 NAMING POLICY AND PROCEDURE

Intent/Criteria for Naming

The primary intent of the naming process is to allow the College to recognize or honor individuals or organizations that have made one or more of the following contributions:

  1. A student, faculty, or staff member who has left the service of the College, who has achieved prominence in his or her field of endeavor, and who has made an outstanding contribution to the College.

  2. Former elected or appointed state government official instrumental in the development of the College.

  3. Former member of the Board of Trustees, an advisory committee, or president who has served the institution.

  4. A citizen who has provided significant leadership and service to the College.

  5. A citizen or organization that represents the high ideals of the College,

  6. A donor whose gift has significantly financed the construction of a structure or area and/or who has consistently supported programs.

Additional criteria to be considered when contemplating a naming opportunity should include the following:

  1. Major buildings, sites, and common areas will not be named for individuals while they are employed by or officially involved with the College. Facilities may be named for such persons no earlier than five years following the conclusion of their relationship.

  2. A given surname may be assigned to only one building on each campus. This guideline only applies to building names. Other naming opportunities on campus could exhibit multiple pieces of property with a given surname.

  3. The proposed building, site, and common area name should not readily lend itself to unwanted abbreviations, acronyms, or nicknames.

Modification or Relocation of Property Names/Renaming

The naming of property is effective for the useful life of the building or facility as long as it is used for the purpose for which it was used at the time of the gift. At the end of the useful life of the property and/or the cessation of the use in effect at the time of the gift, the College may rename property. In the event of a renaming under these circumstances, appropriate recognition of earlier donors and honorees shall be included in or adjacent to the replacement or redeveloped property, as applicable.

Under extraordinary circumstances, when the continued use of the name would compromise the public trust and reflect adversely upon the College, the College reserves the right to rename property accordingly.

Philanthropic Naming Procedure

This procedure corresponds to Section 6 of the Clark College Naming Policy, approved and adopted by the Board of Trustees in February 2006.

Philanthropic Naming refers to the naming of College facilities, programs, funds, or services in recognition of a charitable donation from an individual, civic or charitable group, or other entity or organization that is intended to enhance the College by financial and/or in-kind support for a specific facility, program or service.

Philanthropic Naming is a poignant and prominent honor for an individual or organization deemed worthy of such recognition. The act speaks to the judgment that is exercised by the College to link the name of an individual or organization with traits that are considered commendable at Clark College. Recognizing that the naming of College facilities, programs, funds, or services is likely to be highly visible to the College and the community at large, all who are involved in the act of a philanthropic naming must do so discreetly, thoughtfully, and with concern for how that action will be viewed in retrospect. Any such proposed action must be consistent with the interests of the College, to assure that the amount of the contribution warrants the proposed recognition, and to maintain equity in the relationship of donations for similar naming opportunities.

Naming Guidelines

Individuals and organizations are encouraged to be major benefactors of the College. In doing so, and in certain situations, the benefactor’s name may be used in association with a facility, program, fund, service, external/internal space, etc… to acknowledge the investment by the donor in the success of students and excellence of programs at Clark College. When the College is presented with a naming opportunity, the following criteria apply:

  1. Individual/organization demonstrates a genuine belief in the role of the College within the community for advancement of education in Southwest Washington.

  2. A minimum gift of 51 percent of the cost of the property/project unless a different gift amount for naming is specified and agreed upon.

  3. Donation must be realized in full within five years of the commitment. Also, at least 30 percent of the gift amount must be received before groundbreaking on a new facility.

  4. In cases where the benefactor name is used, the gift agreement will specify the number of years for which the building or space will be named, including the clause that any name changes during that period will be at the college’s sole discretion, subject to approval by the Board of Trustees.

Facilities

1. New facility with 100% private funding:

  • At least 51 percent of the facility/building construction cost, as well as an endowment for maintenance and operations should be from the donor for a naming opportunity of said facility/building.

  • Naming within the facility will be proportional to the square footage for said area (for example: if the cost per square foot is $500, and the lecture hall is 2,000 square feet, the donor may be eligible for a naming opportunity of the lecture hall for a $1,000,000 contribution.)

2. New facility with combination of state and private funding for construction:

  • At least 51 percent of the facility/building construction costs should be from the donor for a naming opportunity of said facility/building.

  • Naming within the facility will be for a gift of 51 percent of the square footage for said area (for example: if the cost per square foot is $500, and the lecture hall is 2,000 square feet, the donor may be eligible for a naming opportunity of the lecture hall for a $510,000 contribution.)

3. New facility with only state funding for construction:

  • An endowment to pay for at least 51 percent of the annual facility/building maintenance and operations should be from the donor for a naming opportunity of said facility/building.
  • Naming within the facility will be calculated based on this formula (for example: if the maintenance and operations cost for a lecture hall is $12,000 annually, the donor may be eligible for a naming opportunity of the lecture hall for a $205,000 contribution to establish an endowment for maintenance and operations of the lecture hall.)

4. Existing un-named facility: Naming will be allowed for establishing an endowed fund for the maintenance and operations costs of the facility commensurate to the square footage of the area to be named.

5. Renovating an existing facility: If the facility is named already, the existing name may not be replaced, but a joint naming may be allowed for at least 51 percent of renovation costs. If the facility is not named already, naming may be allowed for 51 percent of renovation costs as well as an endowment for maintenance and operations. 

Philanthropic naming for an addition (e.g., new wing) to an existing facility may be allowed for at least 51% of the cost of the addition. 

Notes:

a.) Endowment for maintenance and operations will be for the duration life of named facility. The amount may be for full or partial coverage of the maintenance and operations of a facility/building. Upon retiring a named facility, the College will use the earnings of the endowment fund towards the replacement facility with appropriate acknowledgement for the donor commensurate to construction costs. The endowment distribution will be according to the spending rules of the Investment Policy of the Clark College Foundation.  As of the date of these recommendations, that amount is set at three percent (3%) of the principle.

Equipment/Objects

Naming of any equipment/object may be possible for a contribution that will provide for the entire cost of said item as well as a fund, wherever appropriate, to facilitate the maintenance and operations of the donated item for its duration.

Program

Philanthropic support can provide much needed funding to further elevate the existing standards of excellence at Clark College. Philanthropic naming may be allowed for a gift in the form of an endowment, direct program support, or a combination thereof. Any private gift associated with the naming of any of the following should be at a level that will transform the nature of the unit/department/program involved, enabling that area to reach a level of excellence that would have been extremely difficult using state funds alone.  Support should be used to provide a margin of excellence for the program involved, and should not replace state funds previously made available to that program.

  1. Academic Unit: $6 million

  2. A School/Department within an Academic Unit: $2 million

  3. Athletics Department: $5 million

  4. Athletics Program/Sport: $500,000

  5. Excellence/Innovation Fund: $1 million

  6. Excellence/Innovation Center: $1 million in addition to costs associated with the facility as outlined in Facilities Section of this document

  7. Student Services Program Fund: $1 million

  8. Lecture/Concert/Theatre

A lecture/concert/theatre series or opportunity for a visiting lecturer/artist will attract a variety of outstanding individuals of broad experience and/or discipline-related expertise whose presence and presentations will have appeal and impact for the program, the College as a whole, as well as community-wide significance.

  • Lecture/Concert/Theatre Series:  The endowment fund must be sufficient to provide for the honorarium, travel, lodging and meal costs that are generally acceptable in association with such an activity.

  • Visiting Lecturer/Artist:  The endowment fund must be sufficient to provide for the salary, honorarium, travel, lodging and meal costs that are generally acceptable in association with such an activity.

Student Success

  1. Scholarships - $25,000 minimum endowment (currently $100,000 is needed for a full tuition scholarship)

  2. Leadership Fund: $100,000 minimum endowment

  3. Travel/Training/Internship Fund: $100,000 minimum endowment

  4. Library Collections Fund: $100,000 minimum endowment

  5. Other Specified Endowment: $100,000

    Notes:

    a.) Specific criteria for eligibility should be established in consultation between the donor, College unit/department/program, and Foundation staff. The terms must be appropriately documented within the donor’s gift agreement.

    b.) An endowed fund for excellence may be established in support of an academic discipline, library, student services, eLearning, or other areas which could benefit from private support. Earnings from such funds may be used to enhance the selected program in a variety of ways, including support for faculty/staff development, travel, direct program support, or for other educational enrichment activities.

Faculty/Staff Development

An endowed position will aid the College by providing a faculty/staff member who does not have to be paid entirely out of the annual operating budget. This allows the College to reallocate scarce state funding to address other College priorities. In addition, in competitive disciplines of study, and in areas where industry may lure professionals away from academia, the availability of such funds may enable the College to improve employee recruitment and retention.

  1. Professorship: $1.5 million endowment

  2. Deanship:$2 million endowment

  3. Chair: $2 million endowment

  4. Director/Coach: $1million endowment

Travel and training funds are critical to those in academia for staying abreast of the latest advances in their respective fields. Endowed funds will allow for flexibility within a department to make such important professional development opportunities available for their faculty/staff.

  1. Professional Development Fund: $350,000 endowment

  2. Professional Sabbatical Fund: $1 million endowment

Other Naming Opportunities

Plaques, Monuments, Major Markers, Class Gifts

An ad-hoc committee comprised of one faculty member, one classified staff, one professional staff, one student, one College Trustee, one Foundation Board member, director of facilities services, and Foundation vice president of development, is responsible for reviewing all requests for plaques, monuments, and major markers on campus. The committee will meet as needed and upon review and approval/dismissal of a request, will send their recommendation(s) to the Executive Cabinet for final decision on the matter.

Such requests for recognition must be in the form of a letter, no longer than three pages and signed by at least three members of the College community, and should include background on the honoree, as well as outlining the location, plans, cost, and design for the said recognition item.

Requests for a Class Gift must be endorsed by the ASCC Executive Cabinet and outline the way funds will be generated from the students for the said item.

  • Design Standards: Any proposals for new plaques, monuments, or major markers must conform to College policy and design standards related to campus signage and graphics and the facilities master plan.

  • Definitions:  A plaque is any ornamental or engraved flat or low relief plate, slab, or disc that can be affixed to a base, indoor or outdoor building surface or other object. Monuments or memorials can be either permanent pieces of public outdoor art, sculpture, landscape enhancements, or other civic improvements whose primary purpose is to honor a person, group, event, or other significant

    contribution to the College.  Some examples are a plaque, bust, sculpture, etc… Major markers include signage requested that depart from the established College signage standards.

Records:  The Clark College Foundation as well as the office of the vice president for administrative services shall maintain an official list of all requests and approved proposals for all naming opportunities addressed on campus.

Non-Philanthropic Naming Procedure

This procedure describes how the College will implement “Intent/Criteria for Naming” sub-sections 1 -5, of the College Naming Policy.  Sections 1 – 5 address non-philanthropic naming opportunities for buildings, rooms, awards, other fixed objects, and outdoor areas (hereafter referred to as “property” or “properties”)


The College may consider non-philanthropic naming opportunities when:

  1. The Facilities Master Plan is updated.

  2. An unanticipated project emerges.

  3. The President, at his/her discretion, seeks nominations to name a maximum of four College properties during an academic year.

Facilities Master Plan Updates and Unanticipated Projects

For naming opportunities that occur as the result of an update to the Facilities Master Plan or the emergence of an unanticipated project, the president will determine whether the College will pursue philanthropic or non-philanthropic naming. When the Clark College Foundation is asked to identify donors in support of a project, the philanthropic naming procedure will be used first.

At the President’s Discretion

Upon the president’s identification of a non-philanthropic naming opportunity, the following process will be employed.

  1. Members of the College community will be invited to submit nominations using a form provided by the College. Nominations will be kept for a period of two years in the office of the vice president of administrative services.

  2. A sub-committee of College Council, consisting of representatives from tenured full-time faculty, adjunct faculty, classified staff, exempt staff, administrators, and the Executive Cabinet, will review nominations. This sub-committee will meet quarterly, including the period of time between June and October when College Council is not in session, if a non-philanthropic naming opportunity is under consideration.

  3. The sub-committee will recommend up to three nominations per opportunity to the president. The president may reject all recommendations and ask the sub-committee to submit a new slate.

  4. For lesser properties (rooms, awards, other fixed objects and outdoor areas) the president will have sole authority to select among the recommendations from the sub-committee.

  5. For major properties (buildings) the president will select one recommendation from the sub-committee and present to the Board of Trustees for approval.

  6. The Board shall have full and final authority over naming of College property.

    When reviewing nominations for a non-philanthropic naming opportunity, the sub-committee will abide by selection criteria 1 – 3 in the Campus Naming Policy.

Revised Policy/Procedure Approved by Executive Cabinet
June 8, 2010
November 22, 2011