About the Committee on Naming
The Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC) Committee on Naming provides advice to the Board of Trustees with regard to the naming of programs, positions and spaces at Princeton. The Committee also considers significant questions or concerns about names or iconography on the University campus and, when appropriate, makes recommendations to the Board about renaming and/or changing campus iconography.
The Committee was established for an inaugural three-year term in 2016, informed by the recommendation of the Woodrow Wilson Legacy Review committee report “to develop a process to solicit ideas from the University community for naming buildings or other spaces not already named for historical figures or donors to recognize individuals who would bring a more diverse presence to the campus.” In September of 2019, the CPUC approved the extension of the committee for an additional three years. In 2022, the Committee on Naming became a standing committee of the CPUC.
The Committee’s naming-related responsibilities are described in the University’s Policy on Naming of Programs, Positions, and Spaces. These responsibilities include:
- recommending to the Board of Trustees names for any programs, spaces or positions referred by the Board to the Committee; and
- providing advice to the Board of Trustees about any proposed names that may be referred by the Board to the Committee; and
- proposing names or historical events that are consistent with the standards outlined in the naming policy.
In April 2021, the Board of Trustees adopted the report and recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee on Principles to Govern Renaming and Changes to Campus Iconography. The report called for a “clear, inclusive, and rigorous process” to consider questions about renaming and changing campus iconography and identified an important role for the Committee in this process. More information is available on the Ad Hoc Committee website.