Draft AD03 Naming of University Assets, Academic Entities and Honorific Recognition replaces 21.09 Naming VIU Faculties, Departments, Physical Assets, Groups and Teams.
The purpose of this policy is to establish the principles, governance framework, and approval authorities for naming, renaming, and honourific recognition of Vancouver Island University academic entities, assets, and places of institutional significance.
About the policy consultation
Consultation on the draft policy is now closed. The consultation ran from August 19 until 4:00 p.m. on September 2, 2026. Input received during the community consultation will help inform changes to the proposed policy. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback.
Policy information
The new draft policy moves away from policies that simply describe donor recognition and towards a policy that governs all university naming decisions, whether or not philanthropy is involved. VIU has a Donations and Gifts policy which governs gifts; the Naming Policy governs only naming. The new policy focuses on principles and recognizes five types of naming including functional naming, honorary naming, philanthropic naming, Indigenous naming, temporary or sponsored naming, and renaming and revocation. It provides principles for these categories and leaves operational considerations to a procedure.
Documents for review
Thank you for participating!
The policy consultation is now complete. The next step is for this policy to will go through the Board of Governors approval process. The policy may be updated based on the feedback received. The Policy Office may also make minor changes to formatting/wording for consistency. Consultation feedback and policy changes will be outlined in the consultation report. The consultation report will be provided to the Board of Governors and posted on this policy page.
We anticipate this draft policy will be provided to the November 26, 2026 Board of Governors meeting for approval. Check back on the AD03 naming policy page for updates as this policy moves through the policy approval process.