Effective: June 14, 2017

Policy Review Date: YEAR

Policy Executive: Senior Vice President – Finance and Administration

Responsible Office/Unit: Facility Management

Policy Statement:

Applicability:

This policy applies to the naming of all permanent physical facilities of Central Washington University for the purpose of commemorating persons, for administrative description, and for temporary or working use, including interior spaces of structures and exterior spaces, whether or not connected with a particular structure.

(1) Applicability of Policy

A. This policy applies to the naming of all permanent physical facilities of Central Washington University for the purpose of commemorating persons, for administrative description, and for temporary or working use, including interior spaces of structures and exterior spaces, whether or not connected with a particular structure.

“Permanent” means that the facility is expected to continue in existence for at least ten years. This policy does not apply to the naming of operational units, the procedures for which are outlined in CWU 203-04.

B. Types of facilities:

1. Major facility: any large or prominent facility. Examples include large or well-known structures, academic buildings, facilities that receive frequent visits by the general public; prominent interior spaces, such as a main atrium or entrance, auditorium, library, the floor of a building, a playing surface; and prominent exterior spaces, such as a street, plaza, park, quadrangle, or open atrium. In case of doubt, a facility should be considered major.
2. Minor facility: a facility to which this policy applies and which is not major. Examples include small structures; facilities designed for service or incidental purposes or that are rarely visited by the general public; most interior spaces, including classrooms, offices, lounges, laboratories' physical space, and work spaces.

C. Naming Definitions:

1. Benefactor name: a name for a facility that recognizes substantial financial contributions by a donor or donors to the university.
2. Commemorative name: the name of an individual person or persons, assigned as a permanent name for a facility.
3. Administrative name: a permanent facility name, which is primarily descriptive. (E.g. Biology-Chemistry Building, Language & Literature Building) The name of an individual or corporate entity may not be considered an administrative name. An administrative name is considered permanent even if it is hoped or expected that it will be replaced by a commemorative name.
4. Working name: a temporary name which will be replaced by a permanent administrative or commemorative name. Working names are typically used in the planning, development, and construction phases of a facility. (E.g. Science II, Music Education.)

(2) Authority for naming

A. Authority for the naming of facilities rests with the trustees of Central Washington University upon the recommendation of the President of Central Washington University, except for the areas specifically delegated to the President or other officers for final approval.

B. Final approval authority for all other facilities shall be assigned as follows:

Initial and intermediate approvals are stated elsewhere in this policy.

C. The vice president of operations shall annually provide to the Operations Committee of the Board of Trustees a list of all complete naming proposals received during the preceding year, the classification of each proposal (as major, administrative, etc.), and the status of each proposal in the approval process. The first report will be submitted six months after adoption of this policy, and annually thereafter.

D. The criteria for naming in this policy constitute minimum standards; the criteria are necessary but not necessarily sufficient for approval. The President, designated officers, and Board of Trustees retain full discretion to decline to recommend or adopt a naming proposal that otherwise appears to meet the criteria.

E. All naming proposals that require approval of the President or the Board of Trustees must be presented first to the Senior Vice President – Finance and Administration.

1. If the Vice President finds that the proposal and dossier are complete and appear to meet the relevant criteria, he or she may refer the proposal to the President's Cabinet for consideration.
2. He or she also may seek additional information from the proponent of the naming or consult with the President in determining whether to refer a proposal to the committee.

(3) Benefactor naming.

A. Benefactor naming recognizes substantial financial contributions by donors to the university in accordance with applicable university and CWU Foundation policies on the value of gifts. In determining the appropriateness of naming as benefactor recognition, the following factors may be considered, in addition to the personal qualities described above:

1. The net present value of any and all gifts to CWU or the CWU Foundation from the donor to be honored, and, in particular, of the gift (if any) that motivates the naming.
2. The appropriateness of associating the donor's name with Central Washington University.
3. The donor's other contributions to the university, including volunteer activities, awards, and assistance with other projects.

B. In no case will a benefactor naming be approved by the trustees before the execution of a legally enforceable gift agreement.

C. A benefactor may ask the university to name a facility for a person other than himself or herself or his or her immediate family, provided that the proposed individual exhibits the personal qualities described above, the individual's permission is obtained as required by this policy, and the individual is not otherwise disqualified from naming.

D. The duration of the name of a facility will be articulated in the agreement with the benefactor.

(4) Commemorative names.

A. A commemorative name recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to CWU, the state of Washington, the nation, or the world, and whose lives and personal qualities deserve to be remembered and emulated. The individual or his or her contribution ought to have a relationship to the facility being named. Such naming seeks to recognize the best Wildcat values and traditions, with a special emphasis on those who have been strong advocates of the pursuit of knowledge and the enhancement of higher education.
To maintain the significance of the honor, the commemorative naming of any facility remains a rare method of honoring individuals. Other prestigious university honors should be considered before a memorial naming is proposed. Ordinarily, a commemorative honoree would have previously received (including posthumously) such an honor, and there would be a compelling reason that the further recognition of a memorial naming is appropriate.

B. For commemorative naming of major facilities, a five-year waiting period will be observed after the death of the individual before considering his or her name for such distinction, unless specifically approved by the Board of Trustees.

C. A dossier that contains the information required by this section, appropriately verified, shall accompany all proposals for commemorative naming. The dossier typically is prepared by the proponent of the naming in the originating unit. The dossier shall also include the written permission of the individual to be named (or an appropriate representative, in the case of memorial naming) to use the name as proposed.

(5) Administrative names.

A. Administrative names are intended to be permanent. They must be unique on the campus on which the facility is located, and unique within the university where possible. They are to describe the use or purpose of a facility, or exterior space (e.g., Botany Greenhouse); indicate a location (e.g., North Village Cafe); or adopt some other neutral designation, such as the name of a tree, flower, animal, or geographic or geologic feature.

B. Administrative names should be dignified, appropriate for permanent use, suitable for the facility and where possible have some obvious relevance to the facility.

(6) Working names.

A. Working names are temporary and will be replaced either upon the formal dedication of a facility, or if there is no formal dedication, upon commencement of the operations or completion of a building.

B. Working names should be unique, short, and descriptive of the facility being named.

C. The use of multiple working names for a single facility is strictly to be avoided.

(7) Removal of names.

A. When a facility ceases to exist or is substantially remodeled, the university may continue to commemorate memorial or benefactor recognition, particularly if the name commemorates an individual who made a significant contribution to the advancement of the university or if the facility was named as a result of a significant monetary contribution. However, the university is not obligated to transfer a name to another facility.

B. The university reserves the right to withdraw a name when, based on information unavailable at the time of the naming, the continued use of the name would compromise the public trust and reflect adversely upon the university.
In the case of a benefactor naming, the university may remove a name upon the failure of a financial commitment to be satisfied.

C. The university reserves the right to rename a building with a commemorative name when the facility or ground is no longer used to the purpose affiliated with the name.

History: 

08/03/2011: BOT 03/15/02, Motion 02-18, BOT 06/13/03, Motion 03-38, BOT 10/10/03, PAC 09/05/07, Responsibility: BFA; Authority: Cabinet/UPAC;
Reviewed/Endorsed by: Cabinet/UPAC; Review/Effective Date: 11/07/2012; 6/14/17; Approved by: James L. Gaudino, President
Reformatted and Assigned new Policy Number - Previous Policy CWUP 2-10-080, June 2025.
Procedure CWUR 1-60-040 attached as Appendix June 2025

Appendix A – Naming Approval Procedure

(1) Approval to proceed for working names.

A. Working names are assigned at the discretion of the Senior Vice President – Finance and Administration.

B. The working name of a facility shall serve until a permanent name is proposed and approved.

(2) Approval to proceed for administrative names or major facilities.

A. An administrative name may be proposed by a CWU employee with the submittal of a dossier through the administrative structure of a division, to the vice president.

B. The dossier shall contain the following elements

1. A precise description of the facility to be named.
2. The exact name to be adopted.
3. The basis or reason for the naming, including why the proposed name is appropriate to the facility.
4. A description of the due diligence that has been performed in soliciting input on the naming proposal.

C. The dossier may be recommended by the appropriate vice president to the president's cabinet for recommendation to the president, upon whose approval the facility may be named.

(3) Approval to proceed for commemorative names.

A. For the commemorative naming of major facilities, all initial approaches to, or serious discussions with, a benefactor or representative of an individual to be memorialized must have the prior approval of the vice president of university advancement, the vice president associated with the facility, and the president.

B. The purpose of preliminary approval is to ensure that the contemplated naming is likely to be consistent with university goals and priorities, with university and campus development plans, and with the terms of this policy. The approval to proceed permits the approach or discussions to begin and a proposal and dossier to be prepared; approval to proceed does not assure approval of the completed proposal and dossier.

C. Requests for the president's approval to proceed shall be routed through the vice president for operations (for facilities). The request should contain sufficient information to reflect the approvals in paragraph (3.A.) and address the purposes of paragraph (3.B.).

(4) Approval for benefactor and commemorative names, which require presidential or trustee approval.

A. Proposals for benefactor naming will only be accepted from the vice president of university advancement.

B. A complete proposal includes a dossier that addresses and verifies all of the applicable criteria in this policy, including:

1. A precise description of the facility to be named.
2. The exact name to be adopted.
3. The basis or reason for the naming; for commemorative names, why the proposed name is appropriate to the facility.
4. A description of the due diligence that has been performed on an individual for whom the facility is to be named.
5. The proposed duration of the name on the facility.
6. Whether the individual is currently a public official.
7. Benefactor names:
   a. Require analysis and approval by the CWU Foundation. The foundation's analysis to include:
   b. Consideration of the net present value of the gift.
   c. Other contributions and activities of the donor.
   d. Consistency with announced gift opportunity amounts.
   e. Consistency with other CWU gift amount policies.
   f. Other naming opportunities.
   g. Approvals by the relevant department, school, and campus leadership (as appropriate).
   h. If the naming is for someone other than a donor, formal permission of that person or his or her authorized representative.

(5) Naming decision process

A. After receiving the recommendation, the president's cabinet may seek additional information, disapprove the recommendation, or approve the recommendation and, when appropriate, forward the recommendation to the board of trustees. The board will consider proposals according to its normal operating procedures.

(6) Notification of naming approvals.

A. The Senior Vice President – Finance and Administration should be notified of naming approvals that are covered by this policy but do not require action by the committee, president, or trustees.