Trinity is seeking to sell the naming rights to areas of campus in a deal which will earn €1 million over the first five years. College will appoint consultants to identify individuals or organisations willing to participate in the deal, which would see them pay €200,000 a year in exchange for the “name plate”.
Speaking to the Irish Times, College has said that the location of the “name plate” has not been confirmed but ruled out the Long Room, Front Square and the new €70 million business school, which is currently under construction. The spokeswoman noted that many lecture theatres have been named after individual donors.
Campus also contains buildings such as the O’Reilly Institute named after Sir Anthony O’Reilly and the Martin Naughton Institute named after the Glen Dimplex founder. “The practice would be in keeping with the majority of Irish and international university campuses. Should the naming of a location proceed it would be done with care and attention to the values of the college campus and community.”
General secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT), Mike Jennings, has said that the deal “is embarrassing”. He continued: “It is really a shameful reflection on the state of this country that our higher education establishments have to sell themselves in this way.”
