Naming Committee reaches decision

By Karen Harrington
Special to the Northern Light

The University of Alaska Anchorage Naming Committee reached their decisions for renaming several university buildings.

“I am pleased with the results. Mission accomplished,” said Irfan Ahmed, committee chair and assistant professor of marketing.

The committee’s list of recommendations has received final approval from the chancellor’s office.

The decision to rename campus buildings came after an investigation discovered general confusion among first-time visitors. Similar building names and a lack of road signs made locating the proper building a challenge.

Committee guidelines for selecting the new names include omitting the word center, minimizing similarity in names, using concise titles and avoiding acronyms and compass directions.  For example, The Lucy Cuddy Center will become Lucy Cuddy Hall and the Campus Center will be renamed Student Union.

Annie Route, director of Campus Life, located in the Campus Center, sees the change as a positive one.

“I’ve been asked many times by new students ‘Is this the University Center?’” Route said.

She will hold meetings with student volunteers at Campus Life on how they can help implement this change.

Eventually, buildings will be named after significant donors and others who have made substantial contributions to the university. Nominations for individual considerations are reviewed by the Board of Regents according to its policy.  

Buildings that currently honor a person, such as the Sally Monserud Building, will retain their names.  

In the meantime, building names will reflect their purpose. For example, Building K, which houses the administrations and programs of the School of Nursing and School of Education, will be renamed the Professional Studies Building.

All student housing buildings will remain unchanged since residents voiced no concerns or complaints about their current names when approached.

“It will only be an issue if we add more buildings,” said John Dede, committee member and director of marketing and communications. Currently, three of the buildings have compass directions – North, East and West Halls.

One area of concern, though, is campus publications and databases.  Summer and fall schedules will print without the new information. However, the official campus map, printed in June will include the changes.

Dede said he expects the period of transition to take about a year. The university will have additional signs to ease confusion.

New signs for the buildings are being made by Architectural Graphics, Inc. Full building names will appear at main entrances with abbreviated versions at other entrances.

The first part of the sign installation will begin this spring when road, kiosk and parking signs to help first-time visitors will be created.