IOWA CITY Iowa
The president pro tem of the Iowa Board of Regents wants to limit the use of corporate names on university buildings.
Regent David Miles said he will offer his plan to the board when it meets on Wednesday. He detailed his plan to other board members in an e-mail on Monday.
He said colleges should not be named after a corporation unless there is a compelling commonality of missions and goals. Then it could be considered on a case-by-base basis, Miles said.
“We should say whether we routinely expect and encourage corporate naming of colleges or whether we want it as an exception,” he said. “My view is it should be the exception.”
The regents already are scheduled to discuss changes in the naming policy, but the proposal would not rule out naming colleges or buildings at the state’s universities after a business, corporation or a commercial product.
The regents discuss the naming policy in September after the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa considered a $15 million gift from the Wellmark Foundation to name the college for Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Faculty rejected the idea and Wellmark withdrew its offer.
The board instructed its staff to draft more guidelines, increasing scrutiny given to naming proposals.
Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazetteonline.com/
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