By Tommy O’Neill
When students walk into their dorm on campus, many of them don’t take the time to stop and think about where the building’s name came from.
The name of the newest dorm building on campus, Blazer Hall, became official when it was added to the exterior of the building right above the front entrance to match the other four dorms.
Ultimately, most campus buildings are named in recognition of a significant donation to the school.
Nancy Gillece, vice president for institutional advancement, helps monitor Hood’s budget. Renovations, scholarships and faculty support are all included in the budget and total up to $50 to $60 million.
In her office, Gillece has a white shirt displayed up on the wall that says, “Let me name a building after you,” which she has had for many years. Shirts just like that one are given to the people who donate to the school.
Within the Board of Trustees, the Naming Committee considers those who’ve donated large amounts to the school for naming opportunities for campus buildings, spaces and other significant programs. The committee recommends proposed names to the Institutional Advancement Committee for consideration before submission to the full board for final approval.
As of June 2021, a fundraising campaign led by the Board of Trustees raised around $51.2 million, which will be used toward student scholarships, library renovations and the expansion of the Delaplaine School of Business.
The construction of Blazer Hall was not a part of the campaign, instead being financed by the college itself. Hood took out a loan to get the funds to construct this new dormitory.
Students at Hood like to joke that if they donated $10 or $20, then they would end up taking the slot to have their last name on Blazer Hall. “Oh, no! Really a donation of $10 or $20 does help us out considerably in the long run. If they want to give that amount of money, they won’t get their name on anything, but it would truly help us out,” Gillece said with a laugh.
To get a name on a new building at Hood, it would take a donation of around a third of the total construction cost. For a building the size of Blazer Hall, it would require around $7 million get your name on the building.
“If someone were to come up and give their name and offer that kind of money, we would gladly put their name on the building,” Gillece said.
Past benefactors for campus buildings have taken years to donate. Usually, they spend time working alongside the Board of Trustees first. Plus, the construction process and putting the donated money into the right spots takes a large amount of time to plan.
“Donations don’t come often enough,” Gillece said with a smile. “It’s very challenging to name a building because it takes a great deal of resources. That’s why we have these policies,” Gillece said, flipping through the naming policies packet she pulled out from her desk. Within it contains a detailed list of required policies that the Board of Trustees must follow in order to name buildings.
Because there was not a donor that gave the required amount, the students who lived in the “New Building” the first year received an email survey to vote on a name for the building from provided options. The students ultimately decided on Blazer Hall.
“Will Blazer Hall be Blazer Hall forever? I don’t know,” Gillece said. “It depends on if we get a donor or not for the building sometime soon.”
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