Jay P. Greene, Brian Kisida and Jonathan Butcher, all of the Manhattan Institute, have done an interesting study showing a decline in the naming of public schools after U.S. presidents and other celebrated figures, most of them dead.

Rather, schools now tend to be named after natural features — mountains, rivers and so on.

We agree that this is troubling. Students should have role models, and naming a school after a distinguished public figure whose work is generally regarded as having made life better helps to perform the civic mission of public education.

(Then there are Rhode Island and some other jurisdictions, where buildings and other public facilities are named after living politicians even before history has had a chance to sort out whether they are worthy of respect!)

Meanwhile, at America’s public and private colleges and universities, we have another naming pathology. While such institutions used to mostly name their buildings after such distinguished personages as alumni who became governors, presidents, famous scientists, etc., now almost everything is named after rich people who basically pay the college president to put their names on a building, preferably in very big letters.

This is a very narcissistic age in much of society. Giving college kids the impression that the only thing that really counts is getting rich is not good.

And it gets ridiculous — it seems as if everything down to restrooms must be named after some fame-seeking contributor.

It’s all about “development” as the institutions seek to finance more and more frills in the madcap competitive world of higher education.