Name a University Property, Program, or Facility in Recognition of a Gift

• Guarantees all relevant senior administrators have been notified and agree with the naming proposal
• Contacts the Office of Gift Policy Administration and Donor/Fund Stewardship for assistance with the creation of the naming request, including a draft letter of request to the UC San Diego Chancellor or UC President  (see items 3 and 4 below). This letter requires the highest level administrator’s signature (vice chancellor, dean, etc.).

The Development Officer works with the Office of Gift Policy Administration and Donor/Fund Stewardship to draft a letter requesting UC San Diego Chancellor approval. This approval is required for streets, roads, portions of buildings, small outdoor areas, other minor assets, and single-campus programs or facilities. The letter should include:

• The name of the facility where the namings are located
• A brief description of the spaces to be named (patient rooms, performance rehearsal suites, etc.)
• How the naming gift levels are appropriate
• Assurance the request to name has been vetted and approved by appropriate campus and department administration and senior development officers
• Assurance the request is within campus policy and guidelines
• A grid or list of the spaces and the appropriate naming gift minimums with the proposed name of the space
  • Example: interior naming sample list (PDF)

The development officer submits the draft letter and grid/list for Donor/Fund Stewardship for review, obtains appropriate signatures on the final letter, and forwards it to Donor/Fund Stewardship along with relevant gift documents.

The Development Officer works with Office of Gift Policy Administration and Donor/Fund Stewardship to draft a letter requesting UC presidential approval. This approval is required for land reserves, major centers of activities, other highly visible assets, and major or multi-campus programs or facilities.

The letter should include:

• Proposed name of the facility, program, or space
  • Namings for an individual require an official full name (e.g. John J. Smith Hall), but can be commonly known by a shortened version (e.g., Smith Hall)
• Description of the facility, program, or space
• Description of the size and importance or the space or program
• Proposed cost and funding sources
• Rationale for why the amount is reasonable:
  • Are there comparable facilities or programs on campus?
  • What percentage of the gift is construction cost?
  • Is funding available from other sources?
  • Are there comparable facilities or programs at other institutions, if none exist at UC San Diego?
• Summary of gift terms
• Donor information
• A list of administrators who have been notified and approve of the proposal
• Honoree information (if relevant)
  • If honoree is someone other than the donor, include the  honoree's written approval of the name

• Prepares a draft depending on the needed approval level:
  • If chancellor-level approval is required, a draft letter is prepared.
  • If presidential-level approval is required, an Item for Action is drafted.
  • Note: The draft includes many of the items from the letter of request, but can be more detailed because it will serve as the historical record.
• Seeks pre-review of the Item for Action by the UC Office of the President (UCOP) for presidential-approval namings
• Drafts a concurring opinion with the vice chancellor for External and Business Affairs' signature
• Submits all relevant documentation to the chief of staff at the Chancellor’s Office, who then submits items to the Campus Naming Committee for review

• Evaluates the naming proposal for consistency with the university's role as a public trust and ensures a broad campus perspective with regard to naming activities
• Forwards naming recommendation to the chancellor

Reviews the recommendation of the naming committee and then:

• For chancellor-level approval, issues a letter with a decision on naming proposal (in this case, steps 6 and 7 do not apply.)
• For presidential-level approval, issues a recommendation letter and forwards it and the Item for Action to UCOP for presidential review.

After the chancellor issues a recommendation letter for presidential-level approval, Gift Policy Administration and Donor/Fund Stewardship submits these items to UCOP:

• Electronic naming file
• Gift agreement and/or list of donors
• Supporting documents
• Item for Action

Obtains presidential approval and notifies the Office of the Chancellor

• The formal letter of approval will be routed to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for External and Business Affairs for distribution to all required parties.

Notifies Physical Plant Services and Campus Planning of approved names

Keeps central historical files for all gift-related namings

Works with involved parties to coordinate a public announcement. Public announcement can be made only after names are approved by the chancellor or UC president as authorized by approval level and UCOP policy.