KCTCS Board of Regents Policies

Naming of Buildings and Facilities for Private Donors

7.10.1 General Policies

1. All KCTCS buildings should carry, as part of their names, terms that describe their function(s), regardless of other names that may also be given them. Functionally descriptive names attached to buildings, however, do not prevent their subsequent use for different purposes and with different names.
   
   1. A building can be named to honor individuals, families, businesses, or organizations that have generously donated their time and money, or who have brought great recognition to the college or KCTCS through their achievements. Whenever possible, the building name should be given to a structure related to the person's or group's area of interest or work.
      
      
2. When another name seems more appropriate than a functionally descriptive one, recommendations should demonstrate the following:
   
   1. Remarkable associations of the proposed name with either the history of the college and/or System, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the nation, or with the advancement of knowledge and learning;
      
      
   2. That the proposed name will remain memorable long beyond the lifetime of those who propose the name.
      
      
3. Considerable discretion and historical perspective should be observed before proposing building names. Naming in honor of elected officials at the local, state, or national level or persons in active service to the college or the System, whether as an employee or as a volunteer, shall be discouraged.
   
   
4. Buildings devoted to the interests of a single administrative or academic unit may carry names associated historically with that field of study/endeavor or whose expressed interests in that field merit being honored or memorialized.
   
   
5. General administrative and multipurpose office and classroom buildings serving several disciplines or offices may carry names of historical significance to the college/System as a whole, as distinct from those names of interest only to a particular function or use.
   
   
6. Off-campus structures should ordinarily be given names that describe their geographical location, regardless of other names that may also be given them.
   
   
7. When no final determination of the name of a new building seems appropriate at the time of construction or occupancy, it shall be given a functionally descriptive name until such time as circumstances warrant a permanent name. The functionally descriptive name shall be selected by the college president.
   
   
8. The names of certain existing buildings which reflect participation in underwriting their construction by some donor, subscription, or other special circumstance, and whose original use was designed for particular occupants, may come in question when occupancy is changed. In such cases, special consideration should be given to the determination of its original name. Consultations between all interested parties should precede recommendations to the Board of Regents. 
   
   
9. The names of rooms in a building (or spaces within or an adjoining building) shall be left to the discretion of the college president/chief executive officer administering the space.
   
   
10. The duty of recommending building names (not functionally descriptive names) shall be vested in a Named Building Advisory Committee appointed by the KCTCS President or designee. The Named Building Advisory Committee shall be comprised of the KCTCS Facilities Officer, KCTCS Advancement Officer, and a Presidential representative. In the event a Committee member is party to or has an interest in a naming request proposed to the Committee, they shall be replaced by a neutral representative appointed by the KCTCS President or designee. The President of the College requesting a named building shall write a request to the Named Building Advisory Committee that outlines the rationale and demonstrates compliance with this policy.
    
    
11. The KCTCS Board of Regents has the right to revoke naming privileges. Proposals to change a building from a previously approved name shall follow the same procedure as naming requests outlined in Administrative Policy 7.10.2. The revocability of named gifts should be documented in a Named Gift Agreement on file with the corresponding College Advancement Office and follow the college’s records retention policy.

Consistent with the Policy of the Board of Regents, this policy shall be reviewed every two years after the approval of the most recent revision. 

Administrative Policy 7.10.2 – Procedures for Naming of Buildings and Facilities for Private Donors implements this policy.