5 - 13.1
Administrative policy regarding naming opportunities
- Policy statement. Kent state university may name facilities and academic programs in order to recognize donors who make gifts that significantly advance the university's ability to carry out its instruction, research and public-service missions.
- Scope. This policy applies to all naming opportunities involving facilities and endowments meeting the minimum levels of support throughout the eight-campus system of Kent state university as provided for in rule 3342-5-13 of the Administrative Code.
- Definition. For the purposes of this policy, “facilities” means any university property owned by the university including but not limited to buildings, structures, roads, and other similar features.
- Types of gifts for named facilities and endowments.
- Naming of facilities. Opportunities for naming facilities includes, but is not limited to, new construction, renovations, and space designations. At all times, the university retains the discretion to rename buildings, renovated areas, and spaces when renovation or replacement is required while continuing to acknowledge the donor's original gift in an appropriate way. The university reserves the right to discontinue or eliminate a naming on a facility or space after its useful life at the sole determination of the board. A time limit may be placed on a naming opportunity if the donation is not endowed or permanently established.
- Endowed chair. This designation of a named “chair” is available to gifts seeking to provide a permanently funded opportunity for truly outstanding scholars according to rigorous, nationally accepted standards and is the highest honor Kent state university may award to a faculty member. The reputations of individuals recruited as chairs will reflect their special understanding of their particular field of study and their nurturing of the leading scholars of the future. Chairs at Kent state university, as at other prestigious universities, will constitute that small cadre of exceptionally-gifted professors whose names evoke immediate acknowledgement and respect in academic circles. This award typically supplements existing budgeted salaries, but is also available to support the teaching and research activities (including but not limited to the purchase of university equipment) of the individual selected to occupy the endowed chair.
(a) The gift may further be designated as follows: distinguished endowed chair, endowed research chair, and endowed chair. - Endowed professorship. This designation is available to gifts seeking to provide for the designation of a named "professorship" to those positions held by exceptionally-gifted scholars. Professorships are typically held by those faculty members whose accomplishments indicate great potential. Their efforts are focused on honing their teaching skills and carving out areas of research performance. This award typically supplements existing budgeted salaries and may be awarded at the professor, associate professor or assistant professor levels with qualifications for each endowment to be determined on a case-by-case basis.
- Endowed administrator. This designation is available to gifts seeking to provide for a designation related to an administrative position at Kent state university. This award typically supplements existing budgeted salaries, but may also be used to fund university-wide initiatives in further of the university’s strategic plan and/or mission.
- Undergraduate endowed scholarship, founder's medallion scholarship, or graduate endowed fellowship. These three funds will be used to endow significant fellowships and scholarships at Kent state university. Fellowships are reserved for graduate students, and scholarships are generally given to undergraduate students.
- Library endowments.
- Library endowment fund. Income from the principal will provide unrestricted support to the annual operation of the Kent state university libraries. This endowment is very valuable because of the critical nature of the library as it serves a technical and research-oriented university.
- Unrestricted scholarship or other endowment. Named unrestricted scholarship endowments rank as top priority in establishing scholarship endowments at Kent due to the flexibility they present. These scholarships can be used to recruit and retain the brightest and most capable students without any restrictions.
- Library media endowment. This endowment will be used to place new media, which may include things such as but not limited to books, magazines, periodicals, electronic media or subscriptions in honor or memory of those who have elected to endow a library book fund in the Kent state university libraries.
- Other such gifts as may be approved by the board upon recommendation of the president. From time to time, a donor may present a naming opportunity or endowment that may not be specifically provided for or described under this rule (including but not limited to programs, centers and institutes, schools and departments, and colleges).
(a) To ensure that the university and its donors may engage in such opportunities and as to not impede or limit the university’s options under this rule, the board may approve other such gifts as may be contemplated for naming facilities or endowments upon recommendation of the president.
- Procedures.
- Review of publicly available information. In order to protect the reputation and best interests of the university, the vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement shall conduct a reasonable review of publicly available information on donors prior to submitting the naming resolution to the board of trustees.
- Gift opportunities under this policy shall be presented by the vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement to the president, and the president shall provided approval of such opportunity, prior to any presentation to the board of trustees for approval as may be required by the Administrative Code.
- Any written agreements in which Kent state university is a contracting party under this rule shall be reviewed and executed pursuant to rules 3342-5-04 and 3342-5-04.1 of the Administrative Code.
Policy Effective Date:
Feb 01, 2021
Policy Prior Effective Dates:
11/4/1977, 3/11/1982, 7/19/1985, 10/3/2005, 6/1/2007, 3/1/2015, 4/1/2016