Policy 10.2: College Naming Opportunities
Original Date of Issue: 2/16/2022
Revised:
Policy
Delaware County Community College seeks to provide appropriate recognition to donors for their generosity. Although such recognition may take many forms, the Naming Policy seeks to establish process for the naming of facilities and programs and serves as a map for the Delaware County Community College Board of Trustees, herein referred to as the “Board of Trustees,” the President of the College, herein referred to as “President,” the Delaware County Community College Educational Foundation, herein referred to as “Educational Foundation,” the Educational Foundation Executive Director and staff and volunteers who assist in the solicitation of gifts.
The Naming Guidelines are established to ensure consistency, fairness, fitting recognition, and good value in exchange for the honor or privilege of name association with a program, fund, or physical aspect of the College. As named gifts can encourage others to give, the Naming Guidelines is intended as a guide and allows for flexibility on a case-by-case basis.
Definitions
- Gift. A “gift” is a voluntary, philanthropic transfer of assets received from an individual, a corporation, a foundation or other organization. A gift may be made through a number of vehicles, including but not limited to: cash, stocks, estates, trusts, in-kind and real estate.
- Institution. The term “institution” in these guidelines refers to Delaware County Community College.
- Naming. The term “naming” in these guidelines refers to the conferral of name to a building, room, endowed chair, or other initiative or program to honor the philanthropic support and/or distinguished contributions of an individual, organization, business or corporation.
- Facilities. Facilities include tangible assets, including, but not limited to: campuses, locations, buildings, outdoor facilities (ex. courtyards, lakes, parking lots, trails, walks, structural components of outdoor settings of the College) laboratories, classrooms, and conference rooms. Intangible assets include but are not limited to: college-wide centers, institutes, and departments.
- Programs. Programs include but are not limited to academic or student support programs, and other college programs available to members of the community.
Categories of Naming
- Honorific Naming. An honorific naming may be bestowed in recognition of the dedication or meritorious contribution of a person or family. A person being recognized by an honorific naming must have exhibited values consistent with the mission and vision of the institution, must have an established relationship with the institution, and must have contributed measurably to the good of society. Honorific naming opportunities are pursued and approved through the Office of the President, subject to the approval by the College Board of Trustees when appropriate.
- Gift Related Naming. A gift-related naming occurs when a donor makes a charitable contribution to the College or the Educational Foundation and is recognized with a naming.
Gift Related Naming Opportunities and Necessary Approvals
The Trustees and College President authorize the Executive Director of the Educational Foundation, as the administrator of its direct support organization, to recommend the naming of facilities or programs of the College in recognition and acknowledgment of philanthropic gifts from individuals and other entities. The Executive Director of the Educational Foundation may make recommendations; however, ultimate authority to accept or decline any proposal to name at the College rests with the College President and/or the Board of Trustees, when appropriate.
Event sponsorships and support for special artistic, entertainment or educational public programs do not fall under these guidelines. Nor do routine scholarship funds or tuition assistance programs that advance College recruitment, retention, or completion goals.
The naming of campuses, locations and new or existing buildings requires approval of the College Board of Trustees. Decisions for all other Naming Opportunities requires approval by the College President.
- Relevance: A gift-related naming opportunity requires that the gift amount significantly advance the College’s mission.
- Gifts of Monies, Securities, Real Estate, Personal Property and Other Types of Gifts: The Executive Director and President have the authority to consider various types of gift arrangements other than cash, securities, real estate and personal property to be gifted in consideration of a naming, in accordance with gift acceptance policies established by the Educational Foundation. These arrangements may include, but are not limited to, charitable trusts, charitable gift annuities, life estate gifts, life insurance, and irrevocable beneficiary designations.
- Duration of a Naming/Permanency of a Naming: A naming in recognition of a gift may be for the life of the building, other facility, program or endowment, or item being named, unless otherwise agreed to in the gift agreement, or at the discretion of the Board and/or President if the naming ceases to be consistent with the mission and vision of the College. Should an existing facility be demolished or repurposed and replaced by a new facility, the preexisting name may be, but does not have to be, transferred to the new facility. The transfer of said name will require the same approvals as the original naming. Any legal impropriety or other act which brings dishonor or disrepute to the Institution or the community at large on the part of the donor or the individual bestowed in an honorific naming, or a naming opportunity associated with a gift, shall make the gift and naming subject to reconsideration and revocation by the College through the President’s Office and/or Board of Trustees.
- Exceptions: The President and/or the Executive Director of the Educational Foundation may recommend to the College Board of Trustees a naming opportunity that does not fall within these guidelines.
- All Naming: All Naming must be in accordance with the requirements of the College and these College Naming Guidelines as well as consonant with all applicable Pennsylvania laws and policies.
Gifts Acceptance/Funding
Cash, cash equivalent gifts, or irrevocable deferred gifts qualify for the naming of facilities.
Gifts committed through pledges or irrevocable deferred arrangements may qualify for naming, but will not be activated until at least 51% of the commitment has been received by the Educational Foundation and documented in the financial records of the Educational Foundation.
If irrevocable deferred gifts are to be used for the naming gift (existing or planned facilities), the value of the trust will be considered to be the “Present Value of the Remainder Interest” at the time the trust is created. Present value refers to the current value of the remainder interest of trust assets, as determined by Internal Revenue Code. The Present Value of the Remainder Interest must be greater than or equal to the level of naming facilities set by the Institution. The Educational Foundation and the College are to be provided with copies of the duly signed and executed document designating the gift as irrevocable.
Irrevocable trust gifts will be considered on a case by case basis for naming new construction or facilities.
Facilities
An approved Naming Opportunities List shall be maintained in the Offices of the President and Educational Foundation Executive Director, which outlines the available naming opportunities for new or existing facilities. Guidelines for the range of an appropriate gift are attached to this policy as Appendix A.
Any artist’s renderings, construction models, or other plans should be identified as conceptual and not a literal depiction of what a new or renovated property will ultimately be.
Details of construction planning, furnishing, equipment, etc., rest solely with the President in consultation with the department managing facilities.
Guidelines for Termination of Naming
Cancellation of a program, termination of a chair, relocation or closure of a facility, demolition of a building or a similar happenstance may result in the termination of named recognition. If appropriate, the Executive Director may recommend to the President that an alternative form of recognition be extended. The Educational Foundation is responsible for contacting the individual or group regarding termination of naming. If the individual is deceased, the Educational Foundation will take due action to contact next of kin, or personal representative. Existing named property, with mutual consent of donor and Educational Foundation, may be grandfathered under the Naming Guidelines.
Recognition of Facilities Naming Donors
All gifts to name buildings will be recognized with the appropriate name displayed prominently on the exterior of the building in accordance with the College’s brand standards. All gifts to name facilities other than buildings shall be commemorated with appropriate signage in keeping with the College’s brand standards.
