Article written before the completion of the Education Builiding

Price of a Name: Watson School Taps Private Sponsors

Having your name on the sky-lit atrium at UNCW's new school of education: $750,000.
Helping train the teachers of tomorrow: Priceless.

The new home for UNCW's school of education isn't built yet. But well-heeled supporters can ensure that when the 80,000-square-foot building is finished in 2004, their names - or a loved one's - are on the lecture hall, student lounge or even the building itself.

Last week, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington's trustees approved a plan that prices more than 50 naming opportunities in the building.

Naming buildings after donors is nothing new at UNCW. But this is the first time the university has itemized a building room by room in advance of gifts, said Ty Rowell, the vice-chancellor for university advancement. "This is the most proactive and refined approach we've used," Mr. Rowell said. Bond money will pay the $18 million cost of erecting the building. The money given for naming opportunities will fund scholarships and the building of the North Carolina Teacher's Legacy Hall, a museum-like hall of fame honoring educators from all over the state, said Cathy Barlow, the dean of the school.

The Watson School is already the third-largest producer of teachers in the state, she said. With state-of-the-art technology and facilities coming, the school figures to grow more, she said. Scholarships are key to bringing in top people, she said. The items available for naming at a price range from information kiosks for $10,000 to the building itself, which comes in at $4 million. Prices were set comparing standards used at similar institutions but were a challenge to determine, Mr. Rowell said "It's much, much more of an art than a science," he said.

With the plan approved just last week, only one of the more than 50 items has been named. The Betty Stike education lab, which will provide low-cost tutoring, bears the name of an influential teacher who retired in the 1980s. John Stike said he was approached by the school and agreed it was an excellent way to honor his mother, a lifelong teacher who worked for UNCW for decades and who still lives in the area.

But even big bucks won't get a name on the building if it's not appropriate, said Barbara Tarka Leonard, the education school's director of development. CliffsNotes probably won't end up on the wall. With tough times on Wall Street, raising the money is a challenge for a school that has teachers as alumni, Dr. Leonard said. But she said she was confident of finding companies, alumni and members of the public to invest in education.

By Sam Scott. Copyright 2002, Wilmington Star-News Inc. Reprinted with permission.
Published Aug. 7, 2002.