University Committee on Naming Honors
The University Committee on Naming Honors reviewed and made recommendations regarding contested historic names associated with buildings, spaces, programs, scholarships, and other celebratory titles that honor individuals.
President Announces Follow-Up Decisions Based on Committee Report
The faculty, staff, alumni, and student members of the University Committee on Naming Honors analyzed the legacies of individuals whose names are honorifically recognized and elevated in spaces across our campuses, with the goal of deepening our understanding of the lives of those whom we celebrate at Emory.
After actively evaluating the recommendations of the committee, consulting with experts, and considering the perspectives of Emory students, faculty, staff, leadership, and alumni, President Fenves announced additional decisions about the names reviewed by the committee.
Emory Libraries Naming Honors Research Guide
Emory Libraries has developed a research guide for the names reviewed by the Committee on Naming Honors. The guide provides a number of resources on the life of and times of select individuals that help to contextualize the university’s recent examination of its named spaces and programs.
Emory to Rename Campus Spaces and Professorships
Emory University President Gregory L. Fenves will rename campus spaces and professorships honoring Robert Yerkes, a psychologist who vigorously supported eugenics, and L.Q.C. Lamar, who was a staunch defender of slavery.
The Committee’s Charge
Serving in an advisory capacity to the president, the University Committee on Naming Honors examined new historic names and reviewed contested historic names of buildings, spaces, programs, scholarships, and other celebratory titles that honor individuals. Furthering work done by previous committees and using as a guide the “Proposed Principles for Bestowing Naming Honors at Emory University,” developed by the Task Force on Legacies, the committee was authorized to:
- review historic names associated with buildings, spaces, programs, scholarships, and other honors that have become contested. It may conduct historical research on names submitted for review and evaluate the appropriateness of the reviewed names of buildings, locations, named professorships, and other honorific titles; and
- conduct research on potential new names submitted for evaluation.
The committee submitted its report to President Fenves on May 8, 2021.
Read the Final Report
Committee Membership
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Fred Smith Jr. | Committee Chair and Associate Professor of Law, Emory School of Law |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Dabney P. Evans 98PH | Assistant Professor of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health; Director, Center for Humanitarian Emergencies |
| Allison Collis Greene | Associate Professor of American Religious History and Director of the Master of Theological Studies Program, Candler School of Theology |
| Jill Hamilton | Associate Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing |
| Daniel LaChance | Winship Distinguished Professor in History, 2020–2023, Emory College of Arts and Sciences |
| Carlton Mackey 05T | Director, Ethics and the Arts and Associate Director, Ethics and Servant Leadership, Center for Ethics; Adjunct Faculty, Department of Film and Media, Emory College of Arts and Sciences |
| Carolyn Meltzer | Executive Associate Dean, Faculty Advancement, Leadership, and Inclusion; Chair, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences; William Patterson Timmie Endowed Professorship, Emory School of Medicine |
| Giacomo Negro | Professor of Organization and Management; Goizueta Term Chair, Organization and Management, Goizueta Business School; Professor of Sociology (by courtesy), Emory College of Arts and Sciences |
| Salmon Shomade | Associate Professor of Political Science, Oxford College |
| Name | School |
|---|---|
| Gabrielle Buchbinder 21B | Business |
| Adaora Ede 21N | Nursing |
| Samantha Lanjewar 24G | Laney Graduate School |
| Ronald Poole II 23C | Emory College |
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Danny Ballon | Graduate Division of Religion |
| Kim Neal | Department of History |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Darlene Berry | Executive Administrative Assistant, Office of the Provost; Administrative Support |
| Melissa Daly | Assistant Vice Provost and Chief of Staff; Liaison to Office of the Provost |
| Anjulet Tucker 00C 09PhD | Director of Presidential Initiatives and Special Projects; Liaison to Office of the President |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Laura J. Hardman | Trustee Emerita |
| Joshua Newton | Senior Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement |
| Darlene Berry | Executive Administrative Assistant, Office of the Provost; Administrative Support |
| Melissa Daly | Assistant Vice Provost and Chief of Staff; Liaison to Office of the Provost |
| Anjulet Tucker 00C 09PhD | Director of Presidential Initiatives and Special Projects; Liaison to Office of the President |
| Philip Wainwright 85G | Vice Provost, Global Strategy and Initiatives |
