SUBJECT: Naming Buildings and Facilities and Building Plaques
The following policy shall apply to all institutions and area vocational- technical schools governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents.
A. Naming Buildings and Facilities
1. General Statement
The naming of buildings, facilities, grounds, and organizational units of institutions for individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to society is an honored tradition of higher education. The prerogative and privilege of such namings on the campuses of the Tennessee Board of Regents System are vested in the Board. Authority to name identifiable sub-units or components of buildings and facilities, however, is delegated to the institution president or area school director, subject to the criteria and process set forth below.
The purpose of this policy is to establish the criteria and process for such namings in the System.
This policy applies to all buildings of the institutions and area vocational-technical schools governed by the Board. It also applies to other facilities, grounds, and organizational units which the institution or school wishes to dedicate in the name of an individual or group. Buildings designated by their general purpose or function are not subject to this policy. .
2. Criteria
In general, individuals and groups for whom buildings are named must have made a significant contribution to the field of education, government, science, or human betterment. To preserve the integrity of all buildings named in the System, this honor must be reserved for individuals of recognized accomplishment and character; no building may bear the name of an individual convicted of a felony. With respect to the naming of buildings on a particular campus, special consideration shall be given to:
1. The historical significance of the contribution of the individual or group to the institution or area school;
2. The association of the individual or group with the building to be named;
3. Any financial contribution of the individual or group to the institution or area school; and
4. State, regional, national, or international recognition of the individual's or group's contributions and achievements.
A given surname may be assigned to only one building on a specific campus.
3. Process
The institution president or area school director shall charge a committee to consider and make recommendations for the naming of a building. The committee shall be comprised of student, faculty, and administrative representatives; other representatives of the campus community may serve on the committee, as deemed appropriate by the president or director.
The committee shall consider all suggested namings which satisfy the criteria cited above. Any individual or group associated with the institution or area school may suggest a name for consideration by the committee.
The committee shall submit a report to the president or director, which includes a recommendation for the naming, documentation of all suggestions considered, and justification of its recommendation.
For namings which require Board approval, the president or director shall submit his or her recommendation, along with the committee's report and any additional supporting information deemed appropriate, to the Board through the Chancellor.
No publicity shall be given to the recommendation for naming until it is considered by the Board. For namings not subject to Board approval, the president or director shall determine and make known the naming in the manner deemed most appropriate.
4. Dedication Ceremony and Plaque
Upon approval of the naming by the Board, an appropriate dedication ceremony may be planned and conducted by the institution or area school.
The institution or area school also may erect a dedication plaque or comparable marking upon approval of the naming by the Board. The plaque may be separate from the building plaque provided by State regulations. In addition to the individual or group for whom the building is named, the dedication plaque should identify the institution president or area school director, the Chancellor, and the Chairman of the Board at the time the naming was approved.
B. Building Plaques
An institution or school may affix a building plaque to a new or newly renovated building or facility. All building plaques must comply with Tennessee Board of Regents guidelines adopted pursuant to this policy and State Building Commission policy on building plaques. This section shall apply to any new or newly renovated building or facility.
Source: TBR Meetings, April 13, 1973; September 30, 1983; June 28, 1985; March 21, 1986; September 18, 1992