1.18 - KCKCC Naming Rights, Opportunities, and Recognition Policy

Purpose

This policy sets forth guidance to administration, staff, volunteers, and donors of Kansas City Kansas Community College (the “College”) and its Foundation for gift naming opportunities, and the recognition of major monetary and nonmonetary gifts, or exceptional service to the College or the community.

Policy Statement

Recommendations for the naming of a facility, program, endowed chair, scholarship, or event are to be submitted to the Foundation Director in writing. Information should include the gift purpose, gift amount, payment terms, proposed name, details of exceptional service, and any other pertinent information. The request goes to the President and Cabinet for review. The final authority for name recognition approval rests with the College Board of Trustees (BOT).

The naming of a college facility, program, endowed chair, scholarship, or event must be consistent with the College’s role as a public trust and is appropriate when:

• a donor has provided a significant contribution to the benefit of the College, or
• the College chooses to honor an individual or organization based on their character, service, or other merits.

Naming Eligibility – Distinguished Service

Facilities, programs, or events may be named for an individual who has provided distinguished or meritorious service to the college. Such an honor may be considered for any organization or individual, either alive or deceased, who has significantly and positively impacted the College in its pursuit of fulfilling its mission. Naming opportunities granted for distinguished service shall consider, as appropriate, the support of college faculty, staff, and students, as well as the support of the community.

Naming Eligibility – Gift

Each naming opportunity granted in exchange for anything of economic value shall be subject to a written agreement between the College Foundation and the donor. By making a significant gift to the College or its affiliated Foundation, donors may be offered the opportunity to select the name of a facility, program, endowed chair, scholarship, or event.

Opportunities for naming rights will be evaluated and updated as campaigns are planned over time. The College Foundation will maintain a current list of facilities, scholarships, programs, endowed chairs, and events available for naming.

1. Minimum Gifts

Naming eligibility may be recommended based on receipt of a substantial gift or pledge by a donor. A “substantial gift” may be pre-determined, as in endowed scholarship minimums, or is a majority of the project, program, endowed chair, or event cost (51% or more). If not a majority of the cost, the amount is considered substantial and is integral to project completion as determined by the College BOT. The minimum gift requirement for a naming opportunity will be set by the Foundation Board, in collaboration with the College President, with final approval by the College BOT.

2. Naming Criteria

The College will judge the acceptability of potential naming gifts based upon one or more of the following criteria:

• The naming gift’s usefulness and inspirational value to the student body
• Its physical or aesthetic enhancement of the campus
• Its contributions to the heritage and reputation of the College
• Its compliance with the stated fundraising campaign purpose

3. Permanence of Naming

When a College facility, program, endowed chair, or event has been named by the College BOT, it is the College’s intent to continue to use the name as long as the facility, program, endowed chair, or event remains in use and serves its original function, or as otherwise may be provided for in the written agreement between the parties and as subject to Kansas statutes that exist now or may exist in the future.

When the use has changed such that the named facility must be demolished, substantially renovated, or rebuilt, the College may retain the use of the name, name another comparable facility, or discontinue the use of the name. Discontinued or greatly modified programs, endowed chairs, or events may be handled in the same manner. Such decision shall be made by the College BOT.

When provisions, as specified in the written agreement between the parties for a naming gift or in the written conditions statement for a distinguished service naming allow for a name on a facility, program, endowed chair, or event to be changed or removed, such decision shall be made by the College BOT.

4. Name Removal

College naming opportunities shall bear only the name of individuals or entities that exemplify the attributes of integrity, character, and leadership consistent with the values of the College and its Foundation. In the event these attributes are not maintained by the donor/honoree, the College BOT reserves the right to remove the donor/honoree’s name from a physical space, program, department, unit, event, or other named entity at any time.

Gift/Pledge Agreements

Each capital or endowment gift that qualifies as a naming opportunity must be accompanied by a written Gift/Pledge Agreement that has been approved and signed by the donor or the donor’s designated representative. The agreement will specify the purpose of the gift and full receipt of cash or assets that can be converted to cash immediately. If the naming gift entails a multi-year pledge payment, the schedule for such payments must also be detailed.

Naming gift opportunities for non-physical assets (e.g., endowed funds, chairs, professorships, fellowships, etc.) may be secured by confirmation of a documented, multi-year pledge. Naming of the selected purpose will not be confirmed until the pledge is fulfilled unless an exception is granted by the College BOT. In the event a donor’s pledge is not fulfilled, the naming opportunity may be forfeited.

Pledges for named endowment gifts must be completed within a maximum of five years from the initial pledge date. For endowment pledges that do not reach the minimum funding level within the stated five-year period, the donor or their representative will be consulted to determine the most appropriate course of action. This may include a pledge extension or the transfer of the donated funds to an account stipulated by the President and approved by the BOT.

Naming or Renaming Existing Buildings and Interior Spaces

Existing buildings that are currently named but do not recognize a particular benefactor and are not subject to earlier restrictions may be subject to renaming by action of the College BOT.

Unnamed internal spaces within existing buildings are eligible as naming opportunities occasioned by a significant gift to the College and approval of the College BOT.

Recognition of Donors

The specific amount of a donor’s proposed gift may be maintained as a confidential matter between the donor, the College and its Foundation to the extent allowed by Kansas law; however, the College and its Foundation may wish to publicly announce a gift in the interest of encouraging other prospective donors to make similar commitments. Such gift announcements will be made only after securing the permission of the donor and offering the donor an opportunity to review the announcement.

Signage used to recognize a donor shall be determined by the College and its Foundation to be consistent with all other branded signage in use at that location and/or consistent with similar signage used throughout the College’s locations and buildings.