Name Game

Herman B Wells gave 62 years of visionary service to IU and now a library stands on the campus in his name. So who is Bill Godfrey?\nThe All-University Committee on Names recently recommended the attachment of his name to a building in the Kelley School of Business. Pending approval by the IU board of trustees, the school's Graduate and Executive Education Center will be renamed the William J. Godfrey Graduate and Executive Education Center. The board will vote on various matters Friday afternoon.\nIf approved, the decision would reflect a relatively modern trend of attributing building names to benefactors.\nBill Godfrey graduated from IU in 1964 and received his MBA from the Kelley School of Business in 1968. An acclaimed entrepreneur risen from humble beginnings, Godfrey has expressed gratitude to IU in the past.\nAccording to an e-mail from the Committee on Names, Godfrey more recently pledged $5 million to a charitable remainder trust, and agreed to establish a second $5 million trust, a portion of which would eventually be assumed by an endowment. The IU Foundation Executive Committee agreed to forgive $5 million of a $13 million construction-based loan if the building would be dedicated in honor of Godfrey's contributions. An additional $13 million to $15 million, constituting the remainder of his estate, would be used for need-based scholarships in the Kelley School of Business. \n"It is a confidential issue and process," said IU Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Terry Clapacs. "We can't comment on any recommendation until it works its way through."\nClapacs chairs the roughly 200-person cross-sectional committee, which is responsible for recommending names for buildings, and denied comment on the Kelley building naming. Still, the board of trustees reserves the ultimate decision in namings involving donors or historically significant individuals.\n"We try to preserve a certain tradition and sense of history," Clapacs said. "Certainly, in the end, the trustees have the final say."\nRobin Gress, secretary of the board of trustees, explained that varying circumstances influence the way in which a building is named. She helped write the current naming policy and stressed that many ideas emerge for recommendation and approval depending on the significance of a structure. \n"Generally a decision is not made only because a particular person donated money over the years," Gress said. "Specific discussions are required and long, deep deliberation."\nHowever, Godfrey's estimated contributions are substantial. Even Clapacs admitted that more buildings are being named for the sake of benefactors. \n"In the past, the state paid for many of the buildings, but today gifts are needed more often because there just isn't the state funding," Clapacs explained. "I think there is still a balance, but more buildings and spaces have been named in recognition of gifts in recent history."\nAn abundance of buildings dotting the Bloomington campus, especially the older pilings in the section of campus known as the "Old Crescent," were named for historically significant figures, not benefactors.\nOwen, Wylie, Kirkwood and Ballantine are the names of men who, collectively, were referred to as "the Sages of the Sixties." \nRichard Owen was a commandant in the Union Army during the Civil War who became known for his kind treatment of Confederate prisoners. A replica of a statue that Confederates erected in honor of his kindness stands in the Indiana Memorial Union. When the war ended, he began teaching natural science at IU until 1879.\nAndrew Wylie was the first president of IU. The building with his name, however, honors both him and his cousin, Theophilus, who taught at IU from 1837 to 1895.\nDaniel Kirkwood was a professor of mathematics and world-renowned astronomer. Outside of Bloomington, he also has regions in the asteroid belt named after him -- the "Kirkwood Gaps." \nElisha Ballantine came to IU as a mathematics professor in 1854, and he later became the chair of the Languages Department, vice president, and, for a time, acting president.\nThe names of these buildings and many others recognize individuals and their notable work done at IU. To be sure, IU has not abandoned recognition of practices consisting purely of good merit.\nDedicated in June, the Herman B Wells Library honors a man who some consider to be the most influential IU leader of the 20th Century. \nStill, money undoubtedly factors into the naming process. The dedication of the multi-disciplinary science building as Simon Hall followed a $9 million contribution from the Simon family. \nHowever, Gress maintains that the naming process remains a thoughtful one. \n"It would be shortsighted to look at everything in terms of money," Gress said. "This institution has been in place for 180 years and will be for many years to come. It takes the entire community to consider the role or significance of a building. These structures are part of our identity"