Naming Procedures

Effective Date:
Last Updated: June 1, 2023

Introduction

Since Utah State University was founded, various university assets have been assigned honorary names to recognize persons or entities that have made important contributions to the mission of the university. These procedures direct how university properties or other entities (ex. college, school, department, institute, center, awards, etc.), may be assigned honorary names and the appropriate review and approval process regardless of whether or not there are donor or sponsored funds involved.

Naming opportunities are governed by USU Policy 502: Naming University Facilities, Organizations, and Programs.

The naming of curriculum-related units, departments, programs and courses are addressed by the Educational Policy Committee unless philanthropic support is involved.

Responsibility

University Naming Committee

The University Naming Committee is accountable for adherence to the standards and procedures within USU Policy 502: Naming University Facilities, Organizations, and Programs and this document.

The University Naming Committee has authority to consider opportunities not specifically addressed in these procedures and adapt the procedures as needed.

Members

The University Naming Committee shall be led by the Vice President for University Advancement and composed of the following members:

  • Vice President for University Advancement (chair)
  • Vice President or leadership representative from the following areas:
    • Stewardship and Donor Engagement (secretary)
    • Advancement Services
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    • Executive Vice President
    • Facilities Planning, Design, and Construction
    • Federal and State Relations
    • Finance and Administrative Services
    • Provost
    • Space Management Committee
    • University Marketing and Communications
    • USU Foundation Liaison
  • Faculty Senate Representative/s
  • Others as needed and approved by the committee 

Role and Purpose

The committee is responsible to review and advise the President on matters relating to naming opportunities, minimum gift requirements, and donor recognition. Review and recommendation of the names of Utah State University’s existing and new entities are submitted to the committee regardless of whether or not there are donor or sponsor funds involved.

Meetings

The committee shall convene as needed to review naming proposals in a timely manner. The committee will deliver its recommendations to the University President, who may solicit discussion with the Executive Council, the USU Board of Trustees, or USU Foundation Board before final approval.

Periodic Review

The University Naming Committee and the Gift Acceptance Committee review support levels outlined in this document at least every three years to determine if they should be adjusted.

University Advancement

The Office of University Advancement manages the donor-funded naming opportunity process.

Naming Process

Establishing an endowment or expendable named fund that supports students, faculty, faculty development, research, speaker series, awards, etc. 

  1. Contact the Advancement Services Office of University Advancement for assistance. 

Naming a university property or other entity (ex. college, school, department, institute, center, existing award/recognition, etc.).

Before discussing naming opportunities or soliciting gifts for such opportunities from donors, development officers (or anyone working directly with donors) must secure approval from the Vice President for University Advancement or his or her delegate. A thorough analysis of the proposal in relation to naming policy and guidelines will be conducted.

Exceptions include any naming opportunities that meet minimum naming thresholds or are already approved and marketed as part of specific projects, initiatives, or campaigns. In those cases, development officers must notify the Senior Director of Stewardship and Donor Engagement in order to track naming opportunities and ensure availability.

Donors and honorees should be informed that authorization of naming opportunities rests with the University President, and also may require the approval of the USU Foundation Board or the USU Board of Trustees.

Steps for Proposed Namings:

  1. Submit a Naming Request Form online at www.usu.edu/namingrequests that includes the following information:
    • Relationship between the use of the property, facility or program and the person for whom it is named
    • A detailed communication plan, including elements for donor solicitation and stewardship, public announcements, and participant accountability

    In the case of a proposed renaming, also include:

    • History of prior naming and surviving family members that may need to be notified of the name change
    • Gift documents pertaining to the original gift and related naming
    • A plan to cover costs associated with renaming and recognition of the replaced name
    • Suggestions for appropriately preserving and recognizing the original name
  2. The University Naming Committee reviews all applicable materials, giving due attention to both the long-term and short-term propriety of a naming and recognition, including the potential effect on other philanthropic relationships. The committee then forwards the official naming recommendation to the University President.
  3. The University President may approve or deny proposals for naming most physical spaces and entities. The University President considers proposals to name “hallowed” or “highly visible” physical spaces or “prominent” entities and may choose to forward them to the USU Foundation Board and/or the USU Board of Trustees for approval.
  4. If a recommendation to rename a facility or proposed space is denied, the existing name remains unchanged.
  5. If honorary naming has a donor component, a formal gift agreement will be drafted. Contact the  Advancement Services Office  of University Advancement for assistance.
  6. Honorary naming without philanthropic support shall be documented by the University Naming Committee with a memorandum and retained in the University Archives and University Advancement.
  7. Signage and merchandise must conform to all university signage and trademark guidelines and may not include the organization’s logo or other components of branding. Refer to University Policy 510: Trademark Licensing for information on donor logo usage on all additional items including merchandise. 

Naming Process Flowchart

naming

Special Classes of Naming Opportunities

Prominent Entity: An academic college, school, department, center, or institute.

Highly Visible Space: A free-standing building or open space within the main campus.

Hallowed Place: Over time, certain places on campus have accrued a special meaning and are considered to be “hallowed places.” Utah State University’s “hallowed places” are:

  • Old Main
  • Old Main Hill
  • The Quad
  • True Aggie A

Name Removal or Modification

The university may revoke or modify a naming if any of the following conditions occur:

  • The pledge obligation is unfulfilled and/or written off (if partial funding was received that is sufficient for an alternative naming opportunity, the terms of this policy shall govern any renegotiation for a suitable naming)
  • The university determines that its association with the donor’s name will materially damage the reputation of the university (reference morality clause)
  • A change in family or organizational circumstances cause the donor or other affected individual(s)/organization(s) to request a name change or revocation

The University Naming Committee will forward the request for removal of the name to the USU Foundation Board Development Committee for review and recommendation to the University President. The vote will go before the full USU Foundation Board before being forwarded to the University President. The University President will determine whether the USU Board of Trustees should be consulted.

If a donor fails to satisfy a pledge, his or her name may also be removed from recognition spaces, e.g., donor walls or giving society lists. Such decisions shall be made by the University President based on the recommendation of the Vice President for University Advancement. The University President will determine whether the USU Board of Trustees should be consulted.

University Advancement or an appropriate university representative shall make all reasonable efforts to communicate in writing with the donor or the donor’s heirs/designee in advance of any name change.

The unit that secured the gift shall be responsible for the costs associated with the removal of the name.

If a donor or honoree requests a change to the name of a facility or program (e.g., due to divorce or corporate merger), the University Naming Committee will consider the request and make recommendations to the University President. If the request is approved, the parties shall execute a new agreement to reflect the new name. Costs will be incurred by the requesting party.

Alternate Recognition

If a change in function, major renovation, demolition, or natural destruction of the space bearing the recognition happens, the university may offer appropriate alternate recognition; examples include:

  • First right of refusal for the naming opportunity for the new space. The naming opportunity offered may be slightly discounted at the university’s discretion but the university is under no obligation to do so
  • Hyphenated name to recognize existing and new donors, if all donors agree
  • Legacy plaque in the new space

Retiring Signage

If retiring signage when naming rights expire, areas may consider the following options:

  • Create a legacy plaque to recognize earlier donors or honorees, generally in aggregate, and display adjacent to the original space or in another space designated to or aligned with the original purpose
  • Create an online plaque gallery to honor the past and provide a resource for the future
  • Consider giving the plaque to the donor or honoree (if living) or next of kin (if original donor/honoree is deceased)

Or, simply retire after X years if the gift/naming agreement includes a duration for the naming and/or signage. 

 

Naming Guidelines

The university will enter into an agreement to name a physical space or non-physical entity only after carefully considering the potential impact the naming will have on the university and the campus community. Due diligence will be exercised to ensure that the proposed name would be consistent with university tradition and mission. The university will also evaluate the distinction a proposed name would lend to the university.

Allowable Funding

To fund a naming opportunity, the university accepts donations of cash, securities, and pledges to be fulfilled within five years. Also, an entity naming may be funded by gifts-in-kind that can be converted to cash and used to fund the endowment. Planned gifts may fund a named entity if at least 2% of the future bequest amount is given annually in cash.

Physical Spaces

Spaces available for naming include buildings and outdoor areas, interior areas, features (e.g., fountains), objects (e.g., lockers) or other university property (e.g., trees, benches, technology, equipment). Naming opportunities may become available as a result of new construction, renovation, or may be previously unnamed existing space.

New and “Unnamed” Buildings

Building names should not be based primarily on building occupants, since specific departments, use, or occupancy may become obsolete and occupants may relocate to alternate buildings. Building names should be unique and distinctive enough to ease wayfinding and identification for the university community and for first responders. Building names should not be confusing, identical to, sound or employ acronyms too similar to existing building names.

Likewise, changing the name of an existing building or entity involves considerable expense to implement (signage, building-control systems, mapping, scheduling software, etc.) and will be confusing to the campus community and first responders. Names should be changed only when warranted by other overriding considerations.

To identify new or “unnamed” buildings, the University Physical Resources Planning Committee (UPRPC) makes a proposal to the University Naming Committee, which considers the proposal and forwards its recommendation to the University President for decision.

Valuing Physical Spaces for Fundraising

The development officer shall work with the Vice President for University Advancement to set minimum gift levels for all capital projects. Once a capital project is approved and the function, design and funding plan are known, values can be calculated for naming opportunities:

  • For new construction and major renovation or expansion of an existing building, the minimum gift amount should be at least 50% of total cost of the project or 50% of actual fundraising goal.
  • For an existing space that is not named, calculate as if it was new or 50% of the replacement cost.

Values for interior spaces should be calculated using the following formula:

Base space value (BSV) x Utility index (UI) x Location index (LI) = Naming value

  • Base space value = fundraising goal ¸ total naming space
  • Utility index = what is the space going to be used for, spaces with higher ‘utility’ have higher value
  • Location index = the prominence of the space, spaces with higher traffic and public exposure have higher value
  • The range for the key weighting indexes is from 0.00 to 2.00 with 1.00 being neutral

The final step includes modifying the results based on the following factors:

  • Capacity of the prospect pool
  • Values being used by peer or aspirational institutions in the local and national market
  • Consistency with comparable naming opportunities across campus
  • Intangible value of the naming
  • Anticipated operating and maintenance costs

Entities

In addition to university properties, additional entities eligible for naming may include colleges, schools, departments, programs, multidisciplinary academic centers, institutes, faculty development funds, research funds, speaker series, existing awards/recognitions, etc.)

In naming an entity for a person, a family, or an organization, the university confers a high and conspicuous honor, bestowed only upon those who have made a substantial and sustained contribution to the university or have brought special distinction to the university, to the State, or to society at large by services rendered. Naming an entity is to be approached with thought and concern for how that action will be viewed in the retrospect of decades. Naming gift opportunities may be extended to donors of annual gifts, major gifts, planned or deferred gifts, and gifts-in-kind.

A significant portion of donated funds shall be used to establish an endowment that will provide support to the unit. The endowment’s income is budgeted and allocated at the discretion of the unit’s directors.

The amounts required to name a unit are determined by the size, operating budget, national ranking, capacity of the donor base, and visibility, as well as naming amounts of peer institutions on the university campus.

Academic Units

  • When naming an academic unit, a gift ordinarily should:
    • Equal at least 75% of the endowment for the benefit of the unit to be named, preferably with a portion of that amount in the form of unrestricted endowment funds, and
    • Be determined by the size, operating budget, national ranking, and visibility of the unit to be named, as well as naming amounts of peer units in the discipline or on the university campus when available, the capacity of the donor base for that unit, and
    • Be substantial and significant, even transformative in nature, enabling the unit to improve its competitiveness or distinction, or perhaps enabling the establishment of a new program within an existing unit.
  • When a unit to be named is closely related to a school or department, representative members of its administration shall be consulted before the University Naming Committee or the university acts on the naming.
  • Due diligence will be taken to assure contracts and obligations are met and reputational risks are considered before recommending the naming of a major program or area that involves a corporation or a corporate foundation to assure all contracts are being upheld. The naming for an individual associated with a corporation should be handled as any naming for an individual.
  • An Endowed Gift Agreement form shall be completed and processed in accordance with the University Gift Acceptance and Crediting Procedures.

Faculty Support Endowments

In addition to conferring professional distinction, the endowment provides financial support to the holder of the position’s discretion and should be used to elevate the distinction of the program. Income generated by the endowment can fund research, technicians, clerical support, travel, equipment, or other initiatives to further the mission of the college or unit.

  • The amounts required to name a position are determined by the size, operating budget, national ranking, and visibility of the position, as well as naming amounts of peer institutions on the university campus.
  • To avoid any appearance of commercial influence or conflict of interest, due diligence should be taken in cases involving namings for corporations and businesses.
  • An Endowed Gift Agreement form should be completed and processed in accordance with the USU Advancement Gift Agreement procedures.

Student Support

Student support is in the form of scholarships or fellowships. They are generally named for the donor or someone the donor would like to honor. Anonymous scholarships may be named for the scholarship area. Scholarship names must respectfully represent Utah State University. Funds will be used to support the students and are awarded according to the criteria established in the endowment.

Minimum requirements are outlined below and may be pledged over no more than five years. The applicable Gift Agreement template should be completed and processed in accordance with the University Gift Acceptance and Crediting Procedures.

Minimum Naming Requirements

Named College or Unit

Minimum value determined by reviewing market, and upon recommendation of the Vice President for University Advancement and the University Naming Committee, and approved by the University President and USU Board Trustees.

  • Provides support that would be transformational for the college/unit
  • Provides ongoing support to the unit under current governing policies and procedures of the university and campus at the discretion of the current dean or department head

Named Department, Unit, or Program

Minimum value determined by reviewing market, and upon recommendation of the Vice President for University Advancement and the University Naming Committee, and approved by the University President.

  • Provides ongoing support to the unit under current governing policies and procedures of the university and campus at the discretion of the current dean or department head

Named Center or Institute

Minimum value determined by reviewing market, and upon recommendation of Vice President for University Advancement and the University Naming Committee, and approved by the University President.               

  • Provides program support for a center of institute under current governing policies and procedures of the university and at the discretion of the director of the center or institute

Named Deanship

Minimum Gift: $5,000,000

Because deans are the visionary leaders responsible for enriching programs they oversee, an endowed deanship provides discretionary funds to ensure the dean achieves priority initiatives and assists USU with recruiting the best and brightest to lead our university.

  • To be used for ongoing support for the unit at the discretion of the dean under current policies and procedures of the university
  • Specific funding level for each unit will be approved by the University President and Provost
  • Gifts received for the named dean may not be used for additional naming opportunities
  • Once a dean’s position has been named, all successors will be accorded this title. This title will be included in the USU Board of Trustees approval process for faculty appointments

Named Head Coachships     

Minimum Gift: $5,000,000

A Head Coachship endowment provides a permanent source of financial support for a head coach to stay competitive with peer athletic departments.

  • May be used to enhance an existing head coach position and can be used for salary, travel, retention or recruitment
  • May include expenses directly related to the head coach

Named Coachships   

Minimum Gift: $1,000,000

A Coachship endowment provides a permanent source of financial support for an associate or assistant coach to stay competitive with peer athletic departments.

  • May be used to enhance an existing head coach position and can be used for salary, travel, retention or recruitment
  • May include expenses directly related to the associate or assistant coach

Named Distinguished Chair

Minimum Gift: $3,000,000

A distinguished chair position is a high honor often bestowed to deans and division directors of special merit. This is a prestigious honor that serves as a great incentive when attracting high caliber educators and researchers for leadership positions at the university.

  • Provides support to a dean or division director holder under current university policies and procedures.
  • May be used for retention and recruitment
  • May include expenses directly related to the chair
  • Selected by the University President and Provost with approval from the USU Board of Trustees
  • The appointment term of each endowed distinguished chair will be five years renewable

Named Chair 

Minimum Gift: $2,000,000

The endowed chair represents the highest honor the university can confer on prominent faculty members. Endowed chairs help attract and retain brilliant scholars. By providing dedicated resources for innovative research and teaching opportunities, endowed chairs enable the most gifted faculty members and administrators to excel in their scholarly activities.

  • Recipient may use an honorary title associated with the chair
  • May provide full salary or a salary supplement and fringe benefits for the recipient and support staff or other expenses as the endowment agreement permits under current university policies and procedures
  • May be used for retention and recruitment
  • May include expenses directly related to the chair
  • For college positions, the dean may select the chair subject to the approval of the appropriate university officials and the USU Board of Trustees; campus-wide chairs may be selected by the Provost subject to the approval of the University President and the USU Board of Trustees
  • The appointment term of each endowed chair will be five years renewable

Named Professorships

Minimum Gift: $1,000,000

Named professorships allow the university to retain and promote assistant and associate professors and recruit promising researchers and teachers from around the world and encourage them to expand their careers at Utah State University.

  • Recipient may use an honorary title associated with the professorship
  • May be used for portion of the recipient’s salary and fringe benefits or may be used for faculty support, awards, retention or recruitment under current governing policies and procedures of the university
  • May include expenses directly related to the professorship
  • May be awarded on an annual or ongoing level, depending on the wishes of the donor in consultation with the dean
  • For college positions, the dean may select the professor subject to the approval of the appropriate university officials and the USU Board of Trustees; campus-wide professors may be selected by the Provost subject to the approval of the University President and the USU Board of Trustees

Named Faculty Scholar                                              

Minimum Gift: $500,000

A named faculty scholarship provides support to faculty members under current governing policies and procedures of the university.

  • May be used to enhance an existing faculty position and can be used for salary, travel or research and awards
  • Awarded on an annual basis by the dean of the college or school, in consultation with the University President and Provost

Named Visiting Scholars      

Minimum Gift: $500,000

A Visiting Scholars Endowment creates a fund that would provide additional resources to bring national and international experts to campus for lectures, seminars and student interaction.

  • May be used at the discretion of the dean or department head for the enhancement of the student experience at Utah State University

Named Lectureship

Minimum Gift: $100,000

Lectures plays an important role in the academic life of the campus, allowing students and faculty interact with important leaders and professionals in a variety of fields. Lecture series provide the stimulus for innovations in research and education. A named lecture series can be campus-wide or established within a unit for a specific area of study.

  • Uses may include, but are not limited to, stipends, travel, lodging, facilities, refreshments, advertising and other special activities during visits to deliver a lecture. Reimbursements of expenses shall conform to the current university travel policy

Named Research Fund

Minimum Gift: $100,000

The research conducted Utah State University is some of the world’s most sophisticated and challenging.

  • Provides support for research under current governing policies and procedures of the university

Named Graduate Fellowship

Minimum Gift: $50,000

In any great university, excellence in teaching and research requires outstanding graduate students. Talented graduate students inspire their undergraduate students. They serve as creative research team members. Many go on to become distinguished college and university professors. Endowed graduate fellowships and assistantships help us compete with our peers to bring the world's best and brightest graduate students to Utah State University.

  • Provides financial stipend for graduate student(s) under current university policies and procedures
  • Tuition and fee waivers may also be included depending on the levels established at each campus
  • Additional income may provide living stipend, supplies allowance or books and materials

Named Endowed Scholarship

Minimum Gift: $25,000

The continued excellence of our university depends in part on attracting the nation’s most talented students. These students often choose their college based on its financial assistance. An endowed scholarship is one where a donor makes a gift that is invested in the university’s endowment pool. Each year, a portion of the earnings is used to fund the award to a student or students.

  • Need based, merit based or both
  • Provides financial support for student(s) tuition and fees
  • Other expenses, such as books, supplies, parking, transportation, child care, scholarship administration expenses, room and board may be allowed

Named Expendable Scholarship

Minimum Gift: $10,000

An expendable scholarship is one where the donor makes a gift and the entire amount of the gift is used to fund the award to a student or students. The gift can be spent in the year in which it was made, or the donor may specify that a portion of the gift be spent in each year over a period of years specified by the donor. 

  • Need based, merit based or both
  • Provides financial support for student(s) tuition and fees
  • Other expenses, such as books, supplies, parking, transportation, childcare, scholarship administration expenses, room and board may be allowed

Named Endowed Fund to Support a Program

Minimum Gift: $25,000

Funds used to enhance the academic environment of our students and faculty, often merging the special interests of a donor with enrichment opportunities. Funds are invested in the in the university’s endowment pool. Each year, a portion of the earnings is used to fund the program. These funds allow department heads to respond quickly to evolving opportunities in a discipline or to ensure that a department is advancing in its field.

  • Provides ongoing funds to the department head/program director who, with the approval of the dean of the college or school, may use the funds at his or her discretion in support of the most pressing needs of the program
  • May be designated to a college, campus, department or program of a donor's choice

Named Expendable Fund to Support a Program

Minimum Gift: $10,000

Funds used to enhance the academic environment of our students and faculty, often merging the special interests of a donor with enrichment opportunities. The gift can be spent in the year in which it was made, or the donor may specify that a portion of the gift be spent in each year over a period of years specified by the donor. These funds allow department heads to respond quickly to evolving opportunities in a discipline or to ensure that a department is advancing in its field.

  • Provides funds to the department head/program director who, with the approval of the dean of the college or school, may use the funds at his or her discretion in support of the most pressing needs of the program
  • May be designated to a college, campus, department or program of a donor's choice

Naming by Organizations

Corporate, foundation, family or other organization names may be used to name any university facility. As with individuals honored with named facilities, these multi-person groups should also have a positive image and demonstrated integrity.

In the instance of corporate, foundation, family or other organization naming, additional due diligence should be taken to avoid any appearance of commercial influence or conflict of interest or breach of any existing university contracts.

Signage and merchandise reflecting a corporate, foundation, family or other organization must conform to all university signage and trademark guidelines and may not include the organization logo or other components of organization branding. Refer to University Policy 510: Trademark Licensing for more information on merchandise.

Unfunded Naming to Honor an Individual

An honorific naming is reviewed within the context of campus-wide recognition and fundraising plans for university spaces and entities. Generally, proposals for an honorific naming without associated gifts will not be considered for spaces or entities that had been previously identified as gift naming opportunities in fundraising plans.

A proposed honoree shall have achieved distinction in one or more of the following ways:

  • While serving the university in an academic capacity, the individual has demonstrated high scholarly distinction and has earned a national or international reputation in the individual’s field(s) or specialization.
  • While serving the university in an important administrative capacity, the individual has rendered distinguished service that warrants recognition of the individual’s exceptional contributions to the welfare of the university.
  • Although not having served the university as an academician or administrator, the individual has contributed in truly exceptional ways to the welfare of the institution or has achieved unique distinction that warrants recognition (e.g., politicians, university friends, notable alumni, etc.).

Generally, honorific naming is subject to the following waiting periods:

  • One year after retirement or other separation from the university or from elected or appointed office
  • One year after the person’s death, regardless of whether the person had retired or otherwise separated from the university

No commitment for recognition shall be made prior to approval of the proposed name. Any exception is approved by the Naming Committee.

Permanent Memorial Plaques

Requests for permanent memorial plaques will be submitted through the University Naming Committee. After the President’s approval, the plaque design and placement will be approved by the University Sign Committee.

Name Appearance in Signage

Naming will include identification of the name through appropriate signage. Signage installed in the space occupied by the naming opportunity will be designed, fabricated, installed, and maintained in accordance with the university visual identity standards and signage standards. In a new building, architects may make signage recommendations, but the final design must be approved by the University Naming Committee, University Sign Committee and University Marketing and Communications.

Signage reflecting a corporation, foundation, family or other organization must conform to all university signage guidelines and may not include the organization logo or other components of branding.

Initial signage and installation costs are at the university’s expense. If there is a change in company ownership and/or donor recognition name, the signage may be adjusted to the new name. Revised signage and installation costs are at the donor’s expense, provided it meets the approval of the university. If agreed upon, the unit may absorb the cost of the revised signage.

Donor naming signage may only be procured for a named physical asset after:

  1. Approval has been granted by the appropriate governing body.
  2. Signed gift agreement or pledge form and donor recognition signage form has been received.
  3. USU has received 25% of total pledge commitment or an amount agreed upon by University Naming Committee with final approval from University President.

Donor logos shall not be used on any signage exterior to the building or the room. Logos may be used only in specially designated donor recognition areas inside a facility, and must be pre-approved by the University Naming Committee and University Sign Committee. Donor taglines or marketing terms shall not be included in donor recognition names.

Rooms that display non-USU branding may contain extra signage stating:

  "This space is named for [corporation name] to recognize their generous support of Utah State University."

The University Marketing and Communication Team must be involved in and approve the design of any internal room signage containing corporate branding.

Refer to University Policy 510: Trademark Licensing for information on donor logo usage on all additional items including merchandise. 

Creating Agreement or MOU

Any gift to support a naming opportunity must be documented by a formal gift agreement. Gift agreements for highly visible spaces or prominent entities may be complex; therefore, a draft of the proposed gift agreement must be submitted to Senior Director of Advancement Services, who will work with General Counsel for approval. The gift agreement must be approved and signed by the University President, Vice President for University Advancement, Vice President for Business & Finance, and unit administrator BEFORE being presented to the donor for signature. All other physical spaces will adhere to the Gift Agreement policies and procedures contained in the University Gift Acceptance and Crediting Procedures.
Gift Agreements must address the following issues:

  • Gift Information
  • Payment of the Gift
  • Use of the Gift
  • Naming Specifics
  • Duration of Naming
  • Modification of Naming (including removal)
  • Publicity
  • Morality Clause
  • First Right of Refusal
  • Successor
  • Assignment
  • Applicable Law
  • Relationship of the Parties
  • Notice
  • Force Majeure
  • Amendments
  • Severability and Merger

Morality Clause

Utah State University depends on public goodwill to accomplish its educational mission and to attract governmental and philanthropic support. Close association with someone whose name has been badly tarnished can also taint the university’s reputation and impede its success. USU reserves the right to do a search of university and public records to verify that there is nothing in an individual or entity’s history that will discredit the University. 

Clause Verbiage:  

Naming rights are afforded to individuals and entities that have earned and maintained a positive public and private image and reputation. As such, USU reserves the right to rename the [type of university asset] at its sole discretion if exceptional future circumstances arise where the name of the [type of university asset] would bring discredit or reputational harm to USU. As designated herein, a renaming would be recommended by the USU Foundation Board and determined by the USU President, who may consult with the Board of Trustees. In the event of such renaming, this Agreement will terminate, and USU shall have no responsibility to return any portion of the Gift to the Donor. 

First Right of Refusal

If a building or space is significantly renovated and renamed because it has reached the end of its useful life, the original named donors shall be granted first right of refusal for the donation value for the new naming opportunity.

Clause Verbiage:

In the event that Utah State University desires to offer new naming rights to a third party, the current honoree shall have the right of first refusal to such naming rights at the most favorable rates and terms being offered by the university to any prospective purchaser of such rights. The university shall provide written notice to the current honoree of the naming right, rate and term being offered. The current honoree shall have a period of two weeks within which to exercise its right of first refusal to such right, rate and term. In the event that the current honoree declines such offer, or in the event the current honoree fails to respond within such two-week period of time, then the university shall be free to enter into a naming right agreement with a third party.

Successor

The naming agreement may also specify successors to the donor, such as family members or other representatives, who can exercise the necessary consent rights in the event that the donor is deceased or otherwise unable to consent.

Clause Verbiage:

This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their lawful successors.

Duration of Naming

Naming is generally granted for the useful life of the entity or facility unless otherwise specified in the gift agreement. Whenever possible, naming shall be granted for a predetermined fixed term. The facility or program naming agreement shall clearly specify the period of time for which the facility or program will be named. At the end of the term, the name of the facility or program shall expire, but may be renewed with the same or a new name. Naming in perpetuity is possible but at a higher philanthropic scale.

For named spaces or programs without specified duration provisions, the university may deem that the naming period has concluded if the entity’s purpose is no longer practicable, its scope is significantly altered, or if a physical entity is replaced, significantly renovated or no longer habitable.

When the donor’s naming period has concluded, the facility or program may be renamed in recognition of new gifts and the original name will be removed, subject to any specific terms and conditions set forth in the original naming agreement. The university shall consult with the donor if possible, or the donor's immediate heirs, if practicable, to determine an appropriate way to recognize the original naming gift.

Stewardship Strategy

Once a gift agreement for a naming opportunity is signed, the development director and unit leadership shall work with the Stewardship and Donor Engagement office to determine the best avenue for recognition according to the Stewardship and Donor Engagement procedures. Recognition should be meaningful to the donor and could include leadership acknowledgments, public announcements, recognition events, etc. The Stewardship and Donor Engagement office will assure donors are consistently acknowledged and recognized. Stewardship events, including publicity, groundbreakings, ribbon cuttings, etc., shall be coordinated with the Stewardship and Donor Engagement office. Stewardship and Donor Engagement should be consulted before plans are discussed with the donors.

Tracking Named Spaces

Because of the long-term historical significance of the recommendations of the University Naming Committee and the decisions of the University President, USU Foundation Board, and USU Board of Trustees, the results of each naming decision shall be documented by the University Naming Committee and such documentation shall be retained in the University Archives. Additionally, namings involving gifts, alumni and/or donors are recorded, along with any documentation, on the honoree’s permanent record in the University Advancement database that serves as the alumni and donor database of record for the university.

Any changes to namings must be updated in this record.

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