Naming Opportunities at Minnesota State Community and Technical College Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to develop College-wide guidelines for gift naming opportunities and service recognition naming opportunities at Minnesota State Community and Technical College.

Policy

Significant gifts benefiting the College will provide opportunities for donors to designate the name of a facility, unit or other item in honor of the donor or another person.

In order for the College to properly administer funds, each gift must be accompanied by a gift agreement that has been approved by representatives of the donor, the appropriate College Foundation director and the College campus administration that is to benefit from the gift.

Naming opportunities involving corporations must include a determination if the contribution is a gift (tax deductible) or a sponsorship (non-tax deductible).

The amounts listed are minimums. Gift amounts must be approved by the College president and the Office of the Chancellor prior to discussion with any donor. Any exceptions to these guidelines must be approved by the president of the College and the Office of the Chancellor.

The College retains the right to remove a name from a facility or structure if the donor acts in a way that would bring dishonor to the College or if the donor does not fulfill the amount of the pledge. The College president, in consultation with the appropriate College Foundation board president, has the authority to remove the name. All donors must be made aware of this policy, and the information must be reviewed by the College representative and appear on the signed Gift Acceptance form.

Naming Buildings

(20-year suggested duration for all naming)

• New building with 100 percent private funding: minimum donation of 50 percent of the construction cost
• New building with private funding component: minimum donation of 50 percent of the private fundraising goal or 30 percent of the total cost of construction
• Existing building: minimum donation of 75 percent of the fair market value
• Renovation of existing building: 75 percent of renovation costs

Note: Naming opportunities involving buildings must be approved by the president before the proposal is delivered to a prospective donor with the recommendations of:

• The vice president for advancement
• The campus designee or other appropriate vice president and/or dean/director

 

Naming Other Physical Facilities
(20-year duration, minimum amounts)

• Auditorium (with 150 or more seats) $300,000
• Auditorium (with less than 150 seats) $50,000
• Commons (large) $50,000
• Commons (small) $30,000
• Conference Room (large, prominent) $25,000
• Conference Room (small) $10,000
• Faculty Offices $10,000
• Laboratory $100,000
• Library $100,000
• Lobby (main) $150,000
• Lobby (lesser) $100,000
• Smart Classroom $30,000
• Other Classroom $25,000
• Outside Gathering Areas $40,000
• Video-Based Learning Classroom $75,000
• Benches, fountains, outdoor plantings, other outdoor structures or areas: Cost of project plus $5,000 to the Campus Foundation to maintain structures
• Memorial for an M State student, staff or college friend: New project cost only; Current structure memorial costs to be determined by the M State president and campus designee
• Student-generated projects: New project costs only
• Miscellaneous areas: To be determined by the College president and the campus designee

Notes:
1. Naming opportunities for spaces within a building should be defined by the campus designee and approved by the president.
2. Naming opportunities such as benches, fountains, works of art, plantings or other structures will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Approval must be granted by the president to ensure consistency across the College.
3. Funding amounts will be based on location, structure and function. Gift funds must cover the entire cost of structure or installation and, if significant ongoing costs will be incurred, an endowment sufficient to cover these costs also will be required.

 

Academic or other Major College Units - Minimum Endowment

• Program-Division Name: $1,000,000 (Some programs may require a higher amount; these will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.)
• College-wide Center/Institute: $1,500,000 (Some may require a higher amount.)

Notes:
1. Any private gift associated with the naming of any of the above units should be of a level that will transform the very nature of the unit involved, enabling that unit to reach a level of excellence that would have been extremely difficult using state or College funds alone.
2. The gift should be in the form of an endowment, and income from the endowment should be used to provide a margin of excellence for the unit involved and should not replace state funds previously made available to that unit.

Responsibility

Campus designee

• Discuss naming proposal with campus Foundation director and board.
• Develop naming fund raising plan in collaboration with Foundation staff.
• Develop naming fee proposal for President’s Cabinet.
• Submit naming fee proposal to vice president of advancement .
• Implement naming plan with Foundation board if plan is approved.

Foundation Director

• Collaborate with the campus designee on naming opportunities on the campus.
• Coordinate approval for proposed projects with Foundation board.
• Coordinate naming funding campaign.
• Complete the Gift Receipt form(s) and submit to the College
• Advancement Office in Fergus Falls for processing.

VP of Advancement

• Assist campus designee and Foundation directors with determining naming costs and processes
• Review all naming fee proposals and submit to President’s Cabinet for review.
• Communicate naming costs and circumstances to campus and Foundation leadership.
• Seeks presidential approval for acceptance of gifts and grants.

President

• Give College approval to all naming proposals.
• Submit facility naming proposals to the Office of the Chancellor.

References

Minnesota State system Board Policy 6.8 Naming Buildings, Sites and Common Areas

Minnesota State system Board Procedure 6.8.1 Naming Buildings, Sites and Common Areas