Home » About » ESGC At A Glance » Policies & Procedures » Naming Policy

Adopted by President’s Cabinet 1/4/18; Updated 8/16/22

Introduction

The Board of Regents considers the naming of a place or academic unit in honor of a living or deceased individual, corporation, foundation or organization to be one of the highest and most distinct honors that it can bestow.

Namings may be authorized for outstanding and distinguished service, for philanthropic giving, or for both. The President of East Georgia State College should ensure that the proposed naming is consistent with the interest of the institution and the USG and is commensurate with the level of service or philanthropic giving from the person, persons, group, or groups for which the naming will be made. Namings authorized without associated fund raising should be the exception.

Naming of colleges and schools at East Georgia State College and all real estate, facilities, and property owned or leased by the USG, including facilities constructed, donated, or acquired by affiliated organizations of East Georgia State College, requires prior authorization by the Chancellor, the USG Chief Administrative Officer, and the Board of Regents. All proposed namings shall be submitted to the USG Chief Administrative Officer who shall distribute the proposal for integrated review and, in conjunction with the Chancellor, submit the request to the Board of Regents for approval.

Namings authorized by the Board of Regents shall not be modified without approval of the Board. If a situation occurs that may warrant the removal of a name that was previously approved by the Board of Regents, the decision whether to remove the name lies in the sole discretion of the Board in consultation with the Chancellor.

The President of East Georgia State College is authorized to name and to remove the name of interior spaces and academic units subordinate to colleges and schools, such as departments, without prior approval of the Board. EGSC shall maintain a report on interior namings and naming removals.

The namings of facilities and features of EGSC will endure only for the useful life of the facility or feature and not in perpetuity. If a facility or feature is substantially changed, a named facility or feature may no longer exist and the President, in his or her discretion, may seek Board of Regents’ approval to transfer the name to a new facility or feature.

The Board of Regents will authorize external namings (places, colleges, and schools) to honor a living person only when that person has been disassociated from employment by the USG or from local, state, or federal government employment for at least two years prior to seeking Board of Regents’ approval.

Additional naming opportunities that do not require Board of Regents approval, such as scholarships and endowments, are managed by the VP for Institutional Advancement and are not covered in this policy.

Naming Review Committee

East Georgia State College's Naming Review Committee (hereinafter referred to as the “Committee") is composed of the President, Vice President for Business Affairs, Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, the Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Grants and the Director of Plant Operations. The purpose of the Committee is to evaluate honorees for the naming of places or academic units, streets and interior spaces and name removal, using the guidelines set forth below. The Committee’s evaluation will include consideration of the current service and/ or financial contribution and future financial commitment of the honoree, as appropriate. For all proposed namings that require Board of Regents approval, the Committee will submit the proposed naming recommendation to the USG chief administrative officer who will distribute for integrated review and in conjunction with the chancellor submit the request to the Board of Regents for action. The Committee shall annually review all named places, academic units, streets and interior spaces to ensure the names remain consistent with the interests of East Georgia State College and the University System of Georgia.

Honoree’s Eligibility

Namings may be authorized for outstanding and distinguished service, for philanthropic giving, or both according to the below standards. Outstanding service and philanthropic giving are flexible standards and will require consideration of the facts relevant to the person being honored and implementation of standards developed by East Georgia State College and the Committee. The President of East Georgia State College and the Committee will strive to ensure that the value of the service warrants the action proposed and that the naming is consistent with the interests of East Georgia State College and the University System. 

Service: Places, academic units and interior spaces may be named for living or deceased persons who have provided outstanding service to East Georgia State College, to the state, to the nation, or to society in general, and who served with distinction. When naming is to honor a living person for outstanding and distinguished service as a public servant, that person must have been dissociated from employment by the University System, local, state or federal government employment for at least two years prior to seeking Board approval. In the event that the individual being honored is no longer living, the two (2) year wait period may be waived. 

Philanthropic Giving: Places, academic units and interior spaces may also be named for individuals, corporations, foundations or organizations making monetary donations to East Georgia State College or its Foundation; examples include: 

      • East Georgia State College building or complex* $500,000 
      • East Georgia State College campus street $250,000 
      • East Georgia State College stadium $150,000 
      • East Georgia State College athletic field $75,000 
      • Interior Spaces $25,000 and above 

 *A “complex” is defined as an interconnected group of buildings with indoor and/or outdoor facilities and any other related auxiliary structures, forming one contiguous unit. This definition is intended define a facility that encompasses one or more of the following uses: athletic, academic and/ or recreational. 

The Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Grants maintains the minimum gift levels as noted above. 

To the extent possible, fund raising opportunities shall be maximized to attain namings covered by this policy. 

In order for a place or academic unit to be named based upon a contribution, the gift will comply with the following guidelines: 

      1. 1The gift must be in irrevocable form to be paid within a five-year period based upon a signed pledge commitment. 
      2. Namings should be associated with endowment gifts that include at least a portion of the gift for endowment to support the facility or academic programs associated with the facility. 
      3. Deferred gifts should generally not be used for current naming opportunities; discussions may ensure with interested donors about possible naming opportunities that would be available when the gift is actually received. 
      4. When a gift is pledged over a period of time, presidents should make a formal naming request to the Board when at least half of the total gift has been received by the institution. 

When considering the honoree's monetary contributions, whether an individual, corporation, or foundation, the Committee will evaluate cumulative contributions. An individual may be honored by naming with a combination of cumulative donations and outstanding service to East Georgia State College, as defined above. Prior to the President's recommendation of naming to the Board of Regents, a monetary gift or pledge equal to seventy-five percent of the respective limit as noted above, must be received by the President. 

Naming Ceremony

After the approval of the naming, East Georgia State College will hold a recognition ceremony to publicly acknowledge the naming and the donor. East Georgia State College will notify the Chancellor and the Board of Regents of the ceremony date as soon as it is determined so as to encourage attendance of representatives of the University System of Georgia. 

Outdoor Signage Standards

All signage for streets and buildings named herein will be of a character that is attractive, complimentary and harmonious with the existing architectural style of campus buildings and landscape grounds. The signage shall be consistent with the East Georgia State College's Master Plan and specifically the campus's landscape plan regarding common outdoor space usage such as hardscape and signage, to achieve a cohesive and sustainable campus. These standards shall ensure that the campus grounds convey an attractive and inviting college/university character. 

Building Plaques

In accordance with Board policy, a plaque of bronze cast metal or other appropriate material will be installed in all major construction projects including new buildings, additions, and renovations, noting the year completed, the Governor and members of the Board at the time of completion and other Regents serving since the project was first approved, the architect and the contractor. If deemed appropriate by the President, major contributor(s) may be recognized by inclusion on the plaque or a separate plaque. 

Name Removal

The removal of a name from an East Georgia State College facility, street or interior space may become necessary due to the failure of the honoree to meet a pledged financial commitment, failure to maintain the high standards of East Georgia State College or the University System of Georgia or for other appropriate reasons. Once the Committee is aware of a situation that may warrant removal of the name the Committee will convene and consider all relevant information. If the Committee determines it is necessary to remove the honoree's name from a place, academic unit or street, the Committee will seek Board approval for the name removal through submission of the request to the chief administrative officer. Removal of names from interior spaces is at the discretion of the president and the removal will be reported to the Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Grants at the end of the calendar year. The President will provide written notification of the name removal decision to the honoree.