Please Note: The college will be closed December 25, 2024 – January 1, 2025 for the holiday break.
Responsibility for Maintenance: President; Onondaga Community College Foundation
Date of most recent changes: June 15, 2020
I. Policy Statement
This policy sets forth requirements for the naming of Onondaga Community College (OCC) Facilities or Programs, as defined below. The OCC Board of Trustees (Board) shall approve all naming rights at the College upon recommendation by the College President and with input from the Onondaga County Executive.
Facilities or Programs may have “Honorary Names,” which include the names of individuals, groups and/or entities (collectively, “Honorees”), and they may also have “Functional Designations” as a part of their name. College facilities will ordinarily be designated with functional names that are reasonably descriptive of and will identify the principal activity or purpose of the facility as determined by the College in its discretion. Persons proposing an Honorary Name for a Facility or Program must establish that the Honoree meets one or more of the following criteria:
- The Honoree shall have rendered outstanding academic and/or professional service to the College.
- The Honoree shall have contributed in his/her/its/their own name, or in another name, funds to the College or to the Onondaga Community College Foundation (Foundation) equivalent to or greater than the gift amount for the Facility in question as established by the Board. The Board may, but shall not be obligated to, establish such gift amounts based upon factors including but not limited to the age, size, location, original cost and maintenance cost of Facilities.
- The Honoree shall have rendered extraordinary service to, and/or have significant historical or special social importance to, the College, the County of Onondaga, the State of New York or the United States of America.
- No person shall be eligible for naming rights while holding elected public office.
II. Reason for Policy
This policy is designed to ensure that naming arrangements are entered into only under appropriate circumstances after due consideration of all relevant facts.
III. Applicability of the Policy
Members of the Board, as well as all College employees responsible for Development activities, should be familiar with this policy.
IV. Contacts
| Subject | Office Name | Title or Position | Telephone Number | Email/URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initiation of naming proposals | Onondaga Community College Foundation | Executive Director | (315) 498-2225 | l.j.noce@sunyocc.edu |
V. Definitions
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Facility | OCC buildings, wings of buildings, recreational fields, plazas, roadways, walkways, quadrangles, classrooms, seminar rooms, lecture halls, laboratories, interior portions of buildings, service facilities, pocket parks, patios, steps, and other similar facilities. |
| Program | A structured and coherent course of study or student support program with clearly defined objectives. |
| Functional Designation | The purpose of a College facility, often contained within a name, such as "gym," "lab," "classroom," etc. |
| Honorary Name | Names of individuals, groups, and/or entities affixed to a College facility or program. |
| Honoree | Refers to an individual, group, and/or entity being honored. |
VI. Procedures
The Board, upon recommendation by the College President and with input from the Onondaga County Executive, is responsible for reviewing and approving Honorary Names and/or Functional Designations of Facilities. The Executive Director of the Foundation, shall initiate proposed naming opportunities with the College President. Proposed names should be held in strict confidence during the review and approval processes.
The Foundation shall be responsible for implementation of any formal agreement deemed necessary in connection with the implementation of an Honorary Name. The agreement may set forth any and all pertinent terms and conditions regarding Facility naming rights, including without limitation the duration of the naming commitment, the College’s right to terminate (if any), and the right to designate alternative Facilities in satisfaction of the naming obligation under exigent circumstances.
When a Facility is named for an Honoree, it is expected that there will be suitable ceremonies of formal dedication and that appropriate plaques and signs will be installed and will be maintained to recognize the Honoree.
Changes to Honorary Names and/or Functional Designations of Facilities require the approval of the Board, with input from the Onondaga County Executive.
The President shall have authority to implement further procedures for the implementation of this policy in particular cases.
Approved by OCC Board of Trustees April 3, 2006
Updated and approved by the President June 15, 2020