BOZEMAN – Buildings at Montana universities will no longer be named after politicians.
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports that the Montana Board of Regents voted Friday to end the practice of naming places or programs after political candidates or statewide officeholders. The regents also moved to give the public earlier notice of name changes and a greater opportunity to weigh in.
Several at Montana State University protested last year when the university sought to name a new auditorium the Gianforte School of Computing after an $8 million donation from Greg Gianforte, who was at the time a Republican gubernatorial candidate. Students opposed his stances on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender discrimination.
The University of Montana drew protests when it asked to rename its law school after a $10 million donation from Great Falls attorney Alexander Blewett II with only 48 hours of public notice.