Caltech: Caltech Approves New Names For Campus Assets And Honors

Press release from California Institute of Technology:

November 08, 2021

The Caltech Board of Trustees, in accord with recommendations from President Thomas F. Rosenbaum, the Committee on Naming and Recognition (CNR), and the Ruddock House Renaming Committee, has approved the following names to replace those on campus assets and honors that previously memorialized individuals affiliated with the eugenics movement:

In a message to the community on Monday, November 8, Rosenbaum, holder of the Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and professor of physics, said that the changes "underscore our continuing commitment to cultivate a thriving, supportive, and inclusive community of scholars."

This move follows the previously authorized renaming of what was the Linde + Robinson Laboratory as the Ronald and Maxine Linde Laboratory for Global Environmental Science. It also comes after the completion of a series of legal and procedural steps. This included efforts by Institute leadership to connect with at least one descendant, sometimes multiple descendants, of the donors who were previously memorialized through established gift agreements and actions taken in the courts of California to remove any such naming requirements. On April 9, 2021, Caltech filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court petitions seeking to remove naming restrictions and, on August 27, 2021, the court granted Caltech's petitions, allowing the Institute to proceed with renaming.

The new names reflect the recommendations put forth by the Committee on Naming and Recognition in its December 2020 report as well as with the more recently convened Ruddock House Renaming Committee, which was established to advise on renaming the undergraduate residence. All assets that will carry the name of a new individual honor someone who both reflects the Institute's values and aspirations and had a direct connection to and impact on the Caltech community.

Information on the new names and the individuals they honor follows:

The Institute is updating the names of all relevant assets online, and, as Rosenbaum noted to the community, will commence the process to replace all physical building signage while at the same time "continuing to record Caltech's history in all its dimensions and tell its story fully."

"I am grateful to the many members of the Caltech community who have come together to exchange ideas, deliberate about Caltech's past, and seek a future that reflects our highest ideals," Rosenbaum said.

This press release was produced by California Institute of Technology. The views expressed here are the author’s own.