This article presents research that draws attention to the intensification of co-branding within elite US graduate colleges of business and education. A robust set of descriptive data collected and analyzed according to a content analysis strategy is used to develop an initial understanding of the trend of naming of colleges and academic units in recognition of individual leadership, private sector funding, and philanthropy. The patterns underpinning this trend that are revealed through this research are considered in the context of the academic capitalist knowledge/learning regime. The findings of this study illustrate how co-branding has become a pronounced, but surprisingly overlooked set of market-oriented activities that further link the post-secondary academy with the private marketplace. The article concludes with a set of questions that encourage further research on the potential policy implications and organizational outcomes of the co-branding trend. (Contains 7 figures, 4 tables and 4 notes.)