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University policy regarding voluntary gift support, including naming opportunities.

  1. Policy statement. The president of the university shall be responsible to provide overall leadership for voluntary gift support and other philanthropic and development initiatives at Kent state university. Furthermore, the president, or designee, shall be responsible for the oversight of all fundraising campaigns as well as all other duties and responsibilities related to the naming of facilities and endowments as provided for in this rule.
  2. Definition. For the purposes of this policy, “facilities” means any university property owned by the university including but not limited to buildings, structures, roads, and other similar features and structures of a permanent natures (including but not limited to water features, fountains, statues, and clock towers).
  3. Implementation. The board delegates to the president of the university the right to establish the minimum levels of support required for all naming opportunities. The president may delegate this authority to the vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement, but reserves final approval over any revisions to such minimum levels of support. 
    1. Naming of facilities. At all times and in accordance with paragraph (G)(2) of rule 3342-2-02 of the Administrative Code, the board of trustees reserves the right of final approval for the naming of any facilities at Kent state university. To this effect, all potential donors will be informed that the naming honor is subject to review and/or approval by the board of trustees as provided for herein.
      1. The final approval of the board of trustees is required prior to the execution of any honorific (non-donative) related naming agreements for facilities.
      2. Consistent with paragraph (C)(1) of this rule, the final approval of the board of trustees is required prior to the execution of any philanthropic (donative) related naming agreements for facilities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the board of trustees delegates to the president of the university the authority to approve such philanthropic naming opportunities with a total value/cost under one hundred thousand dollars.
        1. In the event of an approval by the president as provided for in paragraph (C)(1)(b) of this rule, the president shall notify the board of trustees of such naming opportunity no later than the next board meeting after the final written agreement is executed.
      3. All agreements under this policy must be in writing and approved as provided for in this rule prior to any transaction in furtherance of the gift. Without such approval, no written agreement or transaction shall be considered final by either the university or donor.
    2. Naming of endowments.
      1. The president reserves the right for the final approval for the naming of any endowments at Kent state university. Minimum levels of support are required before an endowment is fully funded and can be allocated under the donor's or designee's name. Funds may be established with a one-time gift or predetermined payment plan (with such plan not to exceed 5 years unless otherwise approved by the vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement).
      2. All agreements under this rule must be in writing and shall be approved by the president prior to any transaction in furtherance of the gift. No written agreement as provided for in paragraph (C)(2)(a) of this rule shall be considered final by either the university or donor until such agreement is signed by the president.
    3. Naming of academic administrative structures. The board of trustees reserves the right of final approval for the naming of any academic administrative structures created or existing in accordance with rule 3345-2-03.1 of the Administrative Code, including but not limited to: colleges, schools, departments, centers and institutes.
    4. Other naming opportunities. The president reserves the right for the final approval for naming opportunities associated with administrative, faculty, student and programmatic support as provided for in rule 3342-5-13.2 of the Administrative Code.
      All agreements under this rule must be in writing and shall be approved by the president prior to any transaction in furtherance of the gift. No written agreement as provided for in paragraph (C)(3) of this rule shall be considered final by either the university or donor until such agreement is signed by the president.
  4. Powers reserved. The board of trustees further reserves the right to make final determinations in situations where the university must reexamine a facility that is currently named as a result of a previous philanthropic gift. Such situations include but are not limit to decisions whether to eliminate certain naming options, to remove a donor's name from a facility when gift intent cannot be fulfilled, or in other circumstances at the board’s sole discretion where removal of said name is deemed to be in the university's best interests and is not otherwise specifically prohibited by the donor agreement. The president reserves a similar right with regard to named endowments.
  5. Responsibility. The vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement shall be responsible for the development, implementation, and administration of all university gifts for naming of university facilities and endowments and may adopt such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out this responsibility, as delegated by the president.
Policy Effective Date:
Feb 23, 2022
Policy Prior Effective Dates: 
11/10/1997, 2/12/2007, 6/1/2007, 10/5/2012, 3/1/2015, 04/01/2016
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