4.10 Naming of Facilities and Academic Entities Authority

Purpose

The Maricopa Community Colleges District is proud to recognize individuals, organizations and corporations that support its mission. That support can be manifested in a number of ways—through long and distinguished service as volunteers or employees, or monetary contributions to scholarship funds, endowments, special programs, or capital projects. This administrative regulation is intended to establish guidelines and processes for naming facilities and academic entities at The Maricopa County Community Colleges District.

Authority

The authority for naming facilities and academic entities (as defined in this administrative regulation) rests with The Maricopa County Community College District Governing Board.  No commitment shall be made regarding the naming of facilities or academic entities to any person or party without appropriate, prior approval as specified in this administrative regulation. The Board also reserves the right to accept or reject naming proposals submitted through the District Chancellor.

The Chancellor shall be the Governing Board’s principal representative under this administrative regulation and may act with or without the assistance of an advisory committee he/she may choose to appoint. Nothing in this administrative regulation shall prohibit the Chancellor, the College Presidents, District Vice Chancellors, members of the Governing Board or the Governing Board as a whole, or the Board of Directors of the Maricopa County Community College District Foundation as a whole, from initiating action for the naming of District facilities or academic entities. Others, including District faculty, administrators, staff and members of the District’s service area community also may initiate consideration of a naming request either through the appropriate College President, if the naming request is for a facility or academic entity at a college, or through the Chancellor, or through a member of the Foundation.

Definitions

Facility (including facility components and outside facilities)—colleges, satellite centers, buildings, building additions, wings, halls, laboratories, libraries, conference areas, dining facilities, parks, plazas, recreational fields, parking lots and roadways.

Academic Entities—divisions, departments, centers, institutes, programs, and endowed chairs.

Exceptions—classrooms, seminar rooms, reading rooms, fountains, furniture, and bricks, plaques, walls and other commemorative installations are not covered under this administrative regulation and may be named at the discretion of the College Presidents, Vice Chancellors, and President/CEO of the Maricopa Community College Foundation with the concurrence of the Chancellor.

Naming Guidelines and Criteria

The District, its Colleges and the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation frequently and enthusiastically recognize outstanding supporters, volunteers, faculty and staff in special publications, at events, receptions and awards ceremonies, through named endowments and other named funds, or through a variety of permanent, public installations that honor distinguished service and generous donors.

A facility or academic entity named in honor of a person or persons, organization or corporation is an exceptional form of recognition—perhaps the most prestigious and prominent recognition the District can bestow.  Naming opportunities are limited and a very high standard should be applied in the selection of honorees. Therefore, nominations based on professional achievements and/or long service that while unusual and laudable also are shared by significant numbers of other employees or volunteers should be recognized in some other, more appropriate way.  The following examples shall be used as minimum criteria in determining whether an individual, organization or corporation qualifies for nomination:

• While serving the District in an academic capacity, the individual has long demonstrated high scholarly distinction resulting in significant recognition within his/her discipline and earning a regional or national reputation.
• While serving the District in an administrative or staff capacity, the individual has rendered long and distinguished service resulting in significant, measurable benefits to the welfare of the District resulting in recognition from professional groups or other regional/national organizations.
• While serving the district, community, state or nation in an elected or appointed position, the individual has rendered long and distinguished service which demonstrably benefited the purpose and mission of the District.
• An individual or individuals, organization or corporation which has donated or pledged to donate funds or other resources and support for the benefit of the District, the amount of which shall determine the facility or academic entity that may be named.

When an individual or individuals are recommended for naming rights the following additional criteria also shall apply:

• No naming in honor of an individual who has served the District in an academic, administrative or staff capacity may be considered until two years after retirement, separation, or death if the person had not yet retired or separated from the District.
• A naming in honor of an individual who has retired from the District but has been recalled to full or part time employment may be considered based on the earlier of the first two criteria.
• No naming in honor of an individual who has served the District, community, state or nation in an elected or appointed position until two years after retirement or separation from the elected or appointed office.

Nominating Process

All proposals to name facilities or academic entities shall be submitted in writing either to the Chancellor or the President of the College at which the naming would take place. At a minimum, all written proposals will address each of the applicable sections of the nomination form provided in Appendix AS-10, and shall be in conformance with all of the applicable guidelines and criteria set forth herein.

After appropriate review and consultation the Chancellor shall recommend and submit those nominations which he/she determines have met the guidelines and criteria set forth in this administrative regulation and merit further consideration to the District Governing Board for approval.

Confidentiality

Authority for granting naming rights is reserved to the Governing Board and their action in this regard must be taken in public session. To the greatest extent possible, however, and out of respect for the individual or individuals, organizations or corporations who may be recommended for naming rights, the nominating process and deliberations of the naming rights advisory committee, should one be appointed, shall be held in confidence until such time as the Chancellor presents a recommendation for naming rights approval to the Governing Board.

Due Diligence

All nominations for naming rights shall be reviewed by the District’s General Counsel or designee. All nominations based in whole or in part on a donation or a pledge to donate funds or other resources for the benefit of the District also shall be reviewed by the President/CEO of the Maricopa County Community College District Foundation or designee.

A thorough financial review shall be undertaken by the Vice Chancellor for Business Services or designee with emphasis on the costs associated with granting naming rights including necessary legal or insurance expenses, building preparation and maintenance expenses, the cost of manufacturing, installing and maintaining new signage, etc. Whenever possible, even when naming rights are recommended for long and meritorious service, efforts should be undertaken to raise gifts sufficient to at least offset associated expense to the District/College.  In cases where a naming right is recommended and in any proposal to name an academic or non-academic program for a donor, consideration should be given to ensure that any associated endowment will be sufficient to sustain the program, if applicable.

In all cases, special care shall be exercised when a naming opportunity involves facilities currently financed with tax-exempt bonds. The Vice Chancellor for Business Services and the District’s General Counsel shall be consulted as early as possible in this process to ensure that tax-exempt bond status is not jeopardized.

Upon approval by the Governing Board, the District’s Chief Legal Counsel and, in cases where a gift or pledge is involved, the President/CEO of the Maricopa County Community College District Foundation or their designees shall cause to be executed with the honoree or their appropriate representatives, an agreement documenting the naming rights granted and their terms and conditions.

Duration of Naming Rights

When a facility is named either in honor of distinguished service or in recognition of a donor, the naming right will generally be effective for the useful life of the facility. If a facility must be replaced or substantially renovated the facility may be renamed, subject to the specific terms and conditions set forth in any gift or other naming right agreement related to the prior naming action.

If the decision to name a facility, either to honor distinguished service or to recognize a donation, is directly related to the function of that facility, and if that function is later transferred to another facility, the naming right will not automatically be transferred to the new facility. However consideration may be given to such a transfer subject to the terms and conditions of any agreement related to the original naming action. 

When an academic entity is named, that naming right also will generally be effective for the existence of the entity, once again subject to the terms and conditions of any agreement related to the original naming action.

In the case of any decision affecting previously granted naming rights, the appropriate District or Foundation representative(s) shall make a timely and good faith effort to inform the original donor(s), honoree(s) or their heirs, assigns, or representatives.

Changing Circumstances

If at any time following the approval of a naming, circumstances change substantially so that the continued use of that name may compromise the public trust, the Chancellor will consult with the District’s Chief Legal Counsel and if appropriate with the President and CEO of the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation regarding future action. The District reserves the right to remove any name that would not reflect positively on the District or would conflict with its purpose or mission.

A naming conferred in recognition of a pledged gift is contingent upon fulfillment of that pledge and shall be approved on that condition.  After appropriate review and consultation with the Chief Legal Counsel and Foundation President and CEO, the District may remove any name granted in honor of a pledge that is not substantially fulfilled.

Renaming/Addition of Second Name

Any proposal to rename or to add a second name to a facility or academic entity shall follow all guidelines, criteria and processes set forth in the administrative regulation herein. If not otherwise required in this administrative regulation, a review of all prior agreements and documents pertaining to the original gift or naming agreement also shall be conducted.

Naming Related to Gifts – Additional Considerations

In the case of a naming right nomination based primarily or solely upon a proposed gift, consideration shall be given to the following:

Ideally, the gift shall: (1) fund the total cost of the project to be named; (2) provide substantial funding for that portion of the total cost that would not have been available from another source (such as federal or state loans or appropriations, student fees, or bond issues); (3) constitute a significant portion of the total cost of the project to be named, or (4) otherwise be sufficient to clearly justify the public recognition involved.

In fact, the appropriate contribution value for which naming rights may be granted is likely to be highly variable and dependent on factors of location, prominence and function and also may be impacted by economic fluctuations.

The District’s Office of Facilities Planning and Development and the Maricopa County Community College District Foundation shall work collaboratively to develop and periodically update a table of estimated values and value ranges for various types of facilities. And these estimates should be re-evaluated periodically. If possible, this collaboration also should attempt to establish minimum acceptable contribution levels to guide discussions with potential donors. Similarly, the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and the President/CEO of the Maricopa County Community College District Foundation shall collaborate to develop and periodically update a table of values and value ranges and minimum acceptable contribution levels for naming academic entities.

The final decision regarding appropriate contribution values shall be left to the District Chancellor as part of his deliberations and recommendations to the Governing Board.

(Note: While items 1 through 3 in paragraph two of the “Naming Related to Gifts” section, relate to the actual costs of a project or projects for which naming rights may be conferred, the funds received from naming rights gifts need not necessarily be used to pay for those project costs, even in cases where a gift is received before completion of the project. The Maricopa County Community College District and the Maricopa Community College District Foundation reserve the right to negotiate the use of such gifts with a prospective donor.)