University of the South Vice-Chancellor Reuben Brigety and Board Chair Reid Funston have announced the formation of an ad hoc committee authorized by the University’s Board of Regents to consider the names and stories behind buildings, monuments, and places on the Domain. “The committee’s work follows the path that the Board of Regents and the University laid out in September 2020 of evaluating our past while affirming who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Brigety and Funston.

The work of the Names and Places Committee will support the Regents’ plan for evaluating the University’s past ties to the Confederacy. The committee, made up of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members, will identify naming principles and practices and ensure that there is an appropriate balance between the contribution of the namesakes and the values of the University. The committee is co-chaired by the Rev. Dr. Gene Manning, T’01, and Professor Deon Miles.

The committee will work over the course of the academic year with a goal of providing a naming framework and recommendations to the Board of Regents next summer. They will be learning more about the University’s history and will be gathering input from various University constituencies to inform their work.