President Graham turned the naming of the building over to Xavier faculty, staff and students. Dave Johnson, executive director of Xavier’s Dorothy Day Center for Faith & Justice, and Ryan Alleman, president of Xavier Student Government, were tasked with overseeing the process to solicit names for the whole complex, the greenspace outside, and the mezzanine inside. Over 140 names were submitted and were narrowed down to 18 choices by a diverse group of students. Then, faculty, staff and students voted from among seven options for the complex, six for the greenspace and five for the mezzanine. The results were submitted to Fr. Michael Graham, Xavier’s president, who reviewed them.
"One of the great things about the naming of this new building has been the involvement of the student body,” says Alleman, the student government president. “When President Graham charged us with this task, we knew two things were important to him: that the name of the complex represent Xavier's Catholic heritage, and that the student body be involved in the decision. The end result, I hope, is a set of names that the entire Xavier Community will embrace."
The name Bishop Edward Fenwick Place was unveiled at Xavier’s Founders’ Day event September 22, 2011.