UK's Thelin: Unfinished Business in Campus Building Name Game

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 27, 2017) — As universities across the country confront controversial symbols and monuments on campus, the University of Kentucky's John Thelin speaks out on this issue — specifically the naming of buildings — in a recent Inside Higher Ed opinion piece.

"All this attention to monuments means that history matters on the American campus," Thelin writes, examining both the removal and preservation of controversial names on campus buildings.

He notes that higher education institutions face "unfinished business in some other areas of heritage and representation in their campus monuments," such as naming buildings to honor women and focusing intently on distinguished and inspiring figures.

Thelin is a professor in the UK College of Education's Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation and an expert in higher education history.

His full piece, "The Campus Buildings Name Game: Unfinished Business," is available here.