AR 3821: Naming of Buildings

The Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) District Board of Education will approve the naming of college buildings, spaces and programs upon recommendation by the college president.

The amount of the donation required shall be based on type, size, prominence, maintenance and/or replacement cost of the facility, grounds, or program, and will be set and reviewed as needed by the advancement office in collaboration with the associate vice president of facilities, risk management and public safety.

Purpose

The Board of Education shall consider any of the following conditions as appropriate reason for the naming of a facility or program:

  1. To designate the function of or discipline to be served by a building or facility, or the mission or purpose of a program.
  2. In honor of an individual, family, organization, nonprofit foundation or corporation that has made a significant financial contribution to the college.
  3. To reflect natural or local area geographic features.
  4. In special circumstances, the Board of Education may waive any or all of the above criteria.

In recognition and appreciation of an individual, family, organization, nonprofit foundation, or corporation for significant financial or service contributions, the college may name facilities or spaces in honor of significant contributors of funds or service to the college according to the following guidelines:

  1. Acceptable forms of gifts to result in a naming include cash, appreciated securities, real property, and under special circumstances, life-income gifts (charitable remainder trusts), gifts through estate planning, and gifts-in-kind.
  2. Naming opportunities shall be available for a deferred gift if the gift is irrevocable, and the college advancement and foundation office are provided with a copy of the duly signed and executed estate planning document designating the gift as irrevocable.
  3. In most cases, gifts may be made through legally binding pledges fulfilled within no more than five years.

The Board of Education shall take into consideration the significance and amount of the proposed gift, gifts, or service as either or both relate to the realization, completion, or enhancement of a facility or property or college program.

Length of agreement

The college shall honor a facility naming opportunity for a minimum of 30 years, unless otherwise noted at the time of the naming, and, if a name is associated with a program, for a specified period of time as noted in the gift agreement at the time of the naming in the board resolution. In the event that a name must be removed during the remodeling of a facility or if a facility is destroyed in a natural disaster and is rebuilt for its original purpose during that minimum 30-year period, recognition shall be replaced according to the original naming resolution.

In the event a building or facility is completely replaced with new construction, not due to a natural disaster, or its purpose is drastically altered through remodeling, the board reserves the right to add to or alter the naming opportunities of the new facility. In such a case, the original naming recognition shall be suitably commemorated in the new facility, e.g. by a plaque placed in a prominent location.

When a facility or portion of a facility is proposed for renaming, the college shall make all reasonable efforts to inform in advance the original donors or honorees and their immediate family members. Only in extraordinary circumstances would the name of a facility that ceases to exist be moved to another facility, and then only by vote of the Board of Education.

Removal of name

If at any time following the approval of a naming, circumstances change substantially so that the continued use of the name may compromise the public trust, the Board of Education reserves the right to remove a name from any and all named facilities or programs.

Circumstances that may lead to the removal of a name include:

  1. The commission of a heinous crime or involvement in an egregious action by an individual whose name appears on a naming opportunity.
  2. Donor failure to fulfill gift commitments as specified in the gift agreement.

Naming amounts

Generally, for privately funded buildings, the value of a gift affording a donor the opportunity to name a new building must be at least fifty percent (50%) of the private fundraising goal. An appropriate value should be established by the president, in consultation with the vice president for college advancement, and the vice president of finance and administration, at the time construction plans are being developed.

For publicly-funded buildings, the value of a gift affording a donor the opportunity to name a new building must be at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the cost of the building or an amount that would provide significant and on-going funding for the college program. In most cases, a minimum contribution of $1 million is required to name a building.

Naming procedures for buildings first require the vice president for college advancement to obtain from the president authorization to solicit or respond favorably to a gift-naming proposal. If presidential authorization is granted, the president will submit the proposed gift naming opportunity to the Board of Education for its approval. If the board approves the proposal, authorized representatives of the donor, the district, and the MHCC Foundation shall execute a gift agreement.

The final approval for the naming of any building or facility on any campus of the MHCC District rests with the Board of Education.

Adopted:        6/18/24

References: ORS 341.290