Like universities around the country, the University of Richmond is working to develop consistent guidance for naming buildings, spaces, professorships, and programs. The effort is led by the Naming Principles Commission, a group including faculty, staff, students, alumni, and trustees.

The commission is completing a robust schedule of listening sessions with faculty, staff, students, and alumni. As of Oct. 22, more than 300 members of the University community had participated in one of the sessions.

The commission’s work is also being informed by a survey conducted by the international research firm, the Gallup Organization. In October, Gallup sent an email to all alumni, students, faculty, staff, and parents encouraging participation in a confidential survey regarding naming decisions. Gallup will send a unique link to access the survey in reminders it will continue to email until the survey is closed on Nov. 19.

“Your contact information and individual responses will never be released outside of Gallup without your permission and will not be revealed by Gallup,” the email said. “The survey results will only be reported in the aggregate.”

Gallup will share the results with the Naming Principles Commission, which will use the results to help inform their recommendations for creating consistent guidance for naming decisions. The Commission expects to share top-line results from the survey sometime in the spring semester. The Commission intends to also provide its recommendations to the Board of Trustees in the spring.

“It is important that the Commission hear the views of as many members of the University community as possible,” wrote commission Co-Chairs Christy S. Coleman and John A. Roush, in a message sent earlier this semester. 

“A key element of our work will be to ensure robust opportunities for the University community to provide its perspectives to inform the Commission’s recommendations,” Coleman and Roush wrote in an email to the entire Spider community. In addition to participation in the survey and the listening sessions, members of the University may also contact the commission at https://president.richmond.edu/university/naming-principles/contact.html.