He outlined his proposal in a letter to Barhorst’s successor, Jack Daniels III.
“I understand that the college is facing a budget shortfall and I have a proposal that will help alleviate that situation. I propose to purchase the naming rights to the newly constructed welcome center at the Truax Campus for $100,000.00. As such, the new name shall be: MADISON COLLEGE WELCOME CENTER. The name change shall occur by November 15 of the current year with the stipulation that I take physical possession of the discarded letters, BETTSEY L. BARHORST, that are currently used in the display.”
In an email to the Cap Times, Peterson called the Welcome Center a “decadent display of self-promotion,” at the expense of area taxpayers. Ideally, he says, the Welcome Center’s name should be “functional, not personal.”
But, he points out, if it is to be named after an MATC leader, why should it be Barhorst, whose seven year tenure, was relatively short when compared to her predecessors?