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Memorial

Section:200
Section Title:Executive
Policy Number:476
Policy Name:Memorial
Approval Authority:Board of Trustees
Responsible Executive:President
Responsible Unit:Office of the President
Date Adopted:January 27, 2006
Date Revised:February 15, 2006; February 28, 2006; April 12, 2010; February 16, 2012, June 25, 2018; July 2024*

Policy

*Non-substantive amendments.

Policy

The College will memorialize the deaths of active and past members of the College, current students and graduates (as known), active and past members of the Board of Trustees, active and past board members of the Ramapo College Foundation, active members of the Foundation’s affiliated associations, and other individuals as designated by the Board of Trustees or the President’s Senior Leadership Team.

Reason for Policy

To set forth policy and procedures for governing the memorialization of individuals in a consistent, respectful and lasting tribute.

To Whom Does The Policy Apply

To any member of the community.

Related Resources

Procedure 476: Memorial

Contacts

Office of the President

Procedure

In order to coordinate memorialization efforts that reflect the values of the College, be life-affirming and serve the mission, memorials will be limited to new plantings and/or monetary contributions for endowments or for student scholarships.

Annually, in recognition of those to be memorialized, the College will arrange for a planting honoring those who have died during the previous fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). Under the direction of the Office of the President, a ceremony will be conducted at the planting site.

No individual or group of individuals is permitted to place or erect any other form of memorial or structure in a College building or upon College grounds without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

Plantings

Each year the Office of People Operations & Employee Resources forwards the names and designated status of employees/retirees; Student Affairs – students; Institutional Advancement – donors and Board of Governors; President’s Office – Trustees who died during the previous fiscal year, to the Office of the President to forward to the President’s Senior Leadership Team. The approved list is returned to the Office of the President for record keeping purposes.

The Department of Facilities Management shall procure a planting of a type selected by a qualified landscape architect or arborist and arrange for its planting in a designated campus setting in accordance with an approved landscaping plan. The Department of Facilities Management, or the Office of the President, shall also arrange for the fabrication and installation of a bronze (or bronze-type) plaque with the names of those being memorialized arranged by classification, i.e., board members, faculty, staff, students, friends/supporters.

An annual ceremony shall be conducted at the planting site, weather permitting. TheCollege shall publicize the event and provide notice of the ceremony to family members of the deceased.

Endowments and Gifts

Memorials in the form of endowments or contributions to student scholarships shall be in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Ramapo College Foundation Board of Governors.