Facility Naming

Policy Statement

Durham Technical Community College (Durham Tech) recognizes extraordinary meritorious and/or financial contributions to the College by providing facility naming opportunities. Individuals and entities recognized with honorific or gift-related namings must have a demonstrated and continuing commitment to the College’s mission, vision, core values, and strategic goals.

Purpose

The College provides facility naming opportunities to recognize the dedication, accomplishments, and/or generosity of those whose contributions support and are in alignment with the College’s mission, vision, core values, and strategic goals.

Individuals and organizations may make facility naming recommendations to the Office of the President according to the procedure below. No facility may be named without the prior approval of the President (or their designee) and the Board of Trustees. The President or their designee will determine if the proposed naming is consistent with the College’s core values and whether the proposal is equitable in relation to similar naming actions.

This policy and its procedures establish minimum standards and general guidelines for naming and set forth uniform and consistent procedures for obtaining approval and maintaining recognition. The President may recommend exceptions to any naming guidelines, subject to Board of Trustees approval. The final authority for naming recognition approval rests with the Board of Trustees.

Procedure

For the purposes of this policy, the term "facility" shall refer to any physical College property including but not limited to buildings, courtyards, roads, walkways, grounds and public spaces, rooms and auditoria. The term shall also encompass tribute markers (e.g., plaques, medallions, or other monuments) placed on or in close proximity to trees, benches, walls, seats, or other such property. 

Durham Tech offers two types of facility naming opportunities: honorific naming and gift-related naming.

Honorific Naming

An honorific naming may be bestowed in recognition of an individual’s meritorious contributions to the College. An individual being recognized with an honorific naming must have exhibited values consistent with the College’s mission and core values, have an established relationship with the College, and contributed significantly to the good of society.

The duration of an honorific naming shall be at the discretion of the Board of Trustees.

Nominations

1. Individuals and organizations who wish to make an honorific facility naming recommendation must contact the Office of the President at president@durhamtech.edu to request an Honorific Facility Naming Nomination form.
    
2. The nomination form must be submitted to the Office of the President and must be accompanied by supporting documentation to provide background on the nominee and their relationship/history with the College.
    
3. The President will review each nomination form and ensure appropriate due diligence is conducted and presented as part of the nomination process. They will endorse the form prior to its submission to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees.
    
4. The Executive Committee will evaluate each nomination and provide recommendations to the Budget, Finance, and Infrastructure Committee of the Board of Trustees within fifteen (15) calendar days.
    
5. The Budget, Finance, and Infrastructure Committee will review the nomination documentation for a period of not more than fifteen (15) calendar days from the date the recommendation is submitted by the Executive Committee.
    
6. Upon approval, the Budget, Finance, and Infrastructure Committee  will forward the nomination documentation to the full Board of Trustees for consideration.
    
7. A naming opportunity will be approved upon a majority vote at a Board of Trustees meeting at which there is a quorum and no fewer than (six) 6 members present.
    
8. The Office of the President will coordinate with the requestor and the honoree to execute an Honorific Facility Naming Agreement within thirty (30) calendar days.
    

Gift-Related Naming

A gift-related naming occurs when a donor makes a substantial gift to the College and is recognized with a naming. A substantial gift is one that is in some way integral to a project’s completion or fulfillment of other key objectives, regardless of whether the gift represents a majority of the project’s cost. Donors who wish to be considered for a gift-related naming must exhibit values consistent with the College’s mission and core values.

Decisions regarding gift-related namings are made on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the nomination procedure below and other applicable College policies and procedures. When making its decision, the Board of Trustees will also take into consideration the total cost of the project, the availability of other funds, and the level of financial contribution.

All gift-related naming must be documented in a written donor agreement negotiated by the Durham Tech Foundation and subject to review by legal counsel. Any such agreement shall specify that it is subject to Board of Trustees approval in the Board’s complete discretion. The President or their designee shall submit any such written agreement negotiated for a naming opportunity to the Board of Trustees for their review prior to the Board’s consideration of a naming recommendation.

A donor will not be publicly recognized until the Foundation has received at least fifty (50) percent of any pledge related to the naming. A schedule for the balance of payment must be included in the written donor agreement. The balance of the pledge must be received no later than five (5) years after the public recognition date. Limited exceptions to this may be made for deferred gifts, trusts, and similar donations.

The duration of a gift-related naming shall be fifty (50) years unless otherwise directed by the Board of Trustees. Naming recognitions resulting from endowments are permanent.

Nominations

1. Individuals and organizations who wish to make a gift-related facility naming recommendation must contact the Office of the President at president@durhamtech.edu to request a Gift-Related Facility Naming Nomination form.
    
2. The nomination form must be submitted to the Office of the President and must be accompanied by supporting documentation to provide background on the nominee and their relationship/history with the College, if any.
    
3. The President and Executive Director of the Foundation will review each nomination form and ensure appropriate due diligence is conducted and presented as part of the nomination process. They will endorse the form prior to its submission to the Foundation Board of Directors.
    
4. The Foundation Board of Directors will evaluate each nomination and provide recommendations to the Budget, Finance, and Infrastructure Committee of the Board of Trustees within thirty (30) calendar days. The Board may consult legal counsel for advisement on questions regarding the applicability of state or federal conflict of interest laws and other ethical considerations.
    
5. The Budget, Finance, and Infrastructure Committee will review the nomination documentation for a period of not less than thirty (30) calendar days from the date the recommendation is submitted by the Foundation Board of Directors.
    
6. Upon approval, the Budget, Finance, and Infrastructure Committee will forward the nomination documentation to the full Board of Trustees for consideration.
    
7. A naming opportunity will be approved upon a majority vote at a Board of Trustees meeting at which there is a quorum and no fewer than (six) 6 members present.
    
8. The Office of the President will coordinate with the Foundation and the requestor to execute a Gift-Related Facility Naming Agreement within thirty (30) calendar days.

Building and Room Name Assignments

To complete the honorific or gift-related naming process for buildings and rooms, Information Technology Services (ITS) will assign the facility’s name in Colleague, Durham Tech’s Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP)/Student Information System. The related fields are as follows:

• Building ID – The Building ID is an alphanumeric code that includes the campus location code (e.g., “MC” for Main Campus) and building number. The Building ID is limited to four (4) characters.
   
• Description – The Description includes the last name or business/organization name and the building designation. The Description is limited to thirty (30) characters.
   
• Long Description – The Long Description is the full name of the facility or an abbreviated version of the full name. The Long Description is limited to forty (40) characters.
   

For example, the “William G. Ingram Center for Applied Learning and Technology” would be entered into Colleague as follows:

• Building ID: MC11
• Description: Ingram (Building 11)
• Long Description: William G. Ingram Center
   

Signage

Signage used to recognize an honoree or donor shall be determined by the College and shall be consistent with all other College signage in use at that location and/or consistent with similar signage used elsewhere on campus.

Revocation of a Naming

The Board of Trustees may revoke a naming recognition at any time if the honoree or donor fails to meet requirements specified in the naming agreement, is found to be in violation of state or federal law, or otherwise engages in conduct that, in the opinion of the Board of Trustees, brings dishonor to the College or otherwise undermines the College’s reputation or standing in the community. In these cases, the College shall bear no responsibility for returning any contributions received or otherwise providing remedy.

Modification or Relocation of Property and Names

The College may, at times, need to relocate, modify, or reallocate named facilities. If any of these changes are required, the College will make every effort to ensure that the parties’ wishes and/or the original purpose of the naming are preserved. The College may retain the name, transfer the name to a comparable facility, or discontinue its use. Such decisions shall be made with Board of Trustees approval and with notice to the parties.

Facility Name Assignments Unassociated with Honorific or Gift-Related Naming Requests

The College retains its right to name facilities based on factors unrelated to honorific or gift-related requests. The Office of the President will provide guidance to the College community about such namings. Building numbers will be assigned based on the campus location and number sequence; requests to assign names to facilities must be reviewed and approved by the President.