What does it take to get your name on a University building?

Ever wondered what it takes to have a University building named in your honor?
It’s probably not as hard as you think.
All you need is a couple million dollars lying around that you wouldn’t mind donating to the University.
Take New York real estate developer and alum Stephen M. Ross, who gifted the University its largest donation ever, a grand sum of $100 million.
In return, the University Board of Regents renamed the Business School in his honor.
Luckily for you, it doesn’t take a $100 million donation to name every new University building, according to the University’s policy for the naming of facilities, spaces and streets.
“New facilities may be named for a donor or donors for contributions of 50 percent or more of the fundraising goal for the facility or 33 percent or more of the anticipated project cost, whichever is greater,” the policy states.
Bob Groves, the University’s associate vice president for development, said University officials stay in touch with affluent alumni in the hopes that they will make a contribution to their alma mater.
“We are constantly in contact with alumni that we hope will support the University financially,” he said.
But not all alumni have the resources to make the kind of donation that would warrant a namesake building.
“It’s a pretty rare circumstance,” he said. “There aren’t that many people that can make gifts of that magnitude.”
And having millions of dollars doesn’t necessarily cut it.
“We cannot present this as an opportunity to a donor unless we consult with the regents the possibility to put their name on it,” Groves said.
There are also other ways to get your name affixed to a University building. The theatre in North Campus’s Walgreen Drama Center, for example, was coined The Arthur Miller Theatre in 2006 to honor the late playwright and alum’s influential work.
“People can be recognized for their overall contributions to society and the University,” Groves said.