"What's in a Name?"
What's in a Name?
Case Overview
In this case, set at a fictional liberal arts college, a group of administrators and students on the Committee on Historical Memory meet to discuss their institution’s approach to renaming. The previous academic year, the college released a report detailing its namesake’s connections to slavery and renamed the central administration building. However, some students are now calling for further action—including renaming the school itself. College affiliates are divided, and administrators must weigh what to do next.
What responsibilities do universities have to reconsider whom they memorialize? How should they weigh different stakeholder perspectives? How might different approaches to naming promote or impede belonging on campus?
You can find and download the full case study or the reader theater's script below.
Key Questions You Will Explore
- Higher education institutions serve a diverse range of stakeholders: students, faculty, staff, alumni, the local community, and the broader public. How should we consider the differing needs and beliefs of these various stakeholders when deciding when and how to grapple with the legacies of slavery?
- How should university founders’ beliefs and actions impact their inclusion in university life today?
- How can institutions make changes that help their campuses feel more inclusive without losing important connections to the past, even when that past is harmful?
Hear from the Experts
Why is this issue a real dilemma? Watch short video commentaries to explore the complexities, challenges, and values at stake in this case.
As you watch each video, consider the following questions:
- What resonates with you in this video?
- What questions does this video raise for you?
- How does this video impact your understanding of the dilemmas in the case?
On Renaming
Elyse Martin-Smith, alumn of Harvard University, answers the question: How do naming choices influence people's sense of membership in the university community?
On Telling the Entire Story
Sara Bleich, Vice Provost for Special Projects at Harvard University, answers the question: How can institutions address complex histories of prominent historical figures memorialized on campus?
On Alumni Responsibility
Julia Chaffers, alumn of Princeton University, answers the question: What role can alumni play when questions about naming arise on campus?
Additional Resources
- Learn about the University System of Georgia Board of Regents’ decision (new tab), after review of 3,800 buildings for their connections to controversial figures, ultimately decided not to pursue name changes.
- To explore why some institutions can shift their stance on renaming over time, see these pieces from Princeton University:
- Many universities have considered renaming buildings on their campuses. Learn more about the policies and procedures that different institutions use (new tab) when trying to determine whether renaming is the right step.
- In 2025, Harvard College decided not to rename an undergraduate dorm named for John Winthrop, a colonial governor who supported slavery:
- A research study compared renaming policies and their representation metrics across the US and Canada (new tab). See how different regions compare.
- In Toronto, Canada, Ryerson University will change its name (new tab) due to the connection to residential schools.
Case Reflection Questions
- What do you think the name of an institution means: to those currently on campus, other affiliates, and the wider world? How does the origin of that name affect its meaning?
- All of the characters in the case hold the values of “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” What do those values mean to different characters? How do they influence their beliefs about the possibility of renaming?
- There’s debate in the case about whether renaming a building is a symbolic gesture or a true action. How do you see it?
Are You Hoping to Lead People Through This Learning Pathway?
The Pathway Facilitation Guide provides comprehensive information and guidance for teaching and learning with this learning pathway:
- guidance on customizing your pathway
- best practices for normative case discussions
- detailed protocols for each case
- discussion questions for different audiences
- extension activities for personalized learning
Want facilitation materials and guidance just for this one case? Download the Case Facilitation Guide!
What's Next? Exploring the Other Cases in this Pathway
This pathway contains four additional case studies and supporting materials that explore dilemmas related to institutional entanglement with slavery and the legacies of that entanglement. Click on each case below to learn more.
A group of Harvard University students learn the history of Professor Louis Agassiz, whose research and theories justified the institution of slavery, highlighting the university’s ties with enslavement. Each student grapples with how to react to the University’s complex history and legacy.
What responsibility does the University have to teach this history, and what are our personal responsibilities to learn?
A literature professor faces a tough decision as he plans to teach the English Department’s “Introduction to Literature” course in the fall: should he keep The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the syllabus or swap it for a text like Americanah? He calls together a group of colleagues, and together they weigh the historical and literary value of the Huck Finn against the potential harm it may cause students, as well as the place of postcolonial texts in the literary canon.
How should instructors and institutions think about including work by potentially problematic figures in the curriculum?
This nonfiction case examines the iconography of figures who both served as champions of justice and equity and advocates for expulsion and oppression. These figures have ignited complex discussions as faculty, staff, students, and campus leaders try to determine whether, and if so, how these leaders should be memorialized in the visual culture of the campus.
With an institutional commitment to truth and a more diverse student body, what are the tradeoffs to consider when revisiting monuments for complex historical figures?
An African American college student with South African and Zimbabwean ancestry grapples with whether to apply for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, knowing that its creator and primary funder spread white supremacy and imperialism across the African continent.
Should Cecil Rhodes’s historical legacy impact her decision—and if so, in what direction?
Learning about a topic like the legacy of slavery can be overwhelming. Community Care Resources are available for members of the Harvard community seeking support for mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being.
Want to Learn More?
EdEthics | Legacies and Lessons Video Playlist
Watch our full series of expert commentaries on grappling with complex history in higher education, featuring alumni, scholars, and institutional leaders.
Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative
Explore the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative and their work.
Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Report
Read the 2022 Report of the Presidential Committee on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery.
