In 1940, in the year Saionji passed away, Ritsumeikan University made an arrangement to designate Kinmochi SAIONJI, who contributed greatly to its establishment and to the education it provided later on, as the 'founder' (however, perhaps from his principle of life, there was a page in his will that read 'do not inscribe my biography' and 'do not create a monument for me' along with 'do not designate me as the founder of Ritsumeikan').
西園寺が没した昭和15年（1940年）に立命館大学は、創立とその後の教育に大きく貢献した西園寺公望を立命館大学の「学祖」と取り決めた（但し、西園寺の美意識からか彼の遺言には「余の伝記を記すべからず」「余の碑を作るべからず」とともに「余を立命館の学祖とすべからず」の項があった）。