A New York judge has denied a college's petition to add benefactor Joan Weill to its name, citing the will of the founding donor.
Paul Smith's College President Cathy Dove announced the ruling on the Adirondack college's website Wednesday. It was made by a Franklin County state Supreme Court judge.
The college's board of trustees voted over the summer to rename the college Joan Weill-Paul Smith's College in exchange for a $20 million donation from Weill, wife of Wall Street billionaire Sanford Weill.
The plan drew the ire of alumni who said it set a bad precedent for charitable giving.
The college was established by the will of J. Phelps Smith. He stipulated the college be "forever known as Paul Smith's College of Arts and Sciences" to honor his father.
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