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Academic Titles Classes, Names, and ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú

Academic Titles

President Gregory P. Crawford

On first reference, use full formal title: President Gregory P. Crawford. For subsequent references, President Crawford or the president are acceptable. Never use "Crawford" as a standalone reference.

Dr. Renate Crawford

On first reference, use full formal title: University Ambassador Dr. Renate Crawford. For subsequent references, Dr. Crawford is acceptable. Never use "Crawford" as a standalone reference.

When listed jointly with President Crawford, choose an acceptable format based on the type of communication. Generally, all communications should use both full titles. However, small-scale marketing materials have greater flexibility to use the acceptable shortened titles.

• President Gregory P. Crawford and University Ambassador Dr. Renate Crawford.
• President Crawford and Dr. Crawford.

Provost

On first reference, use full formal title: University Provost Elizabeth Mullenix. For subsequent references, Provost Mullenix or the provost are acceptable. Never use "Osborne" as a standalone reference.

administration

Capitalize and spell out formal titles such as chair, provost, vice president when they stand alone or precede a name. Lowercase elsewhere.

• ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Chair John Doe
• Jane Doe, vice president of marketing, held a meeting today.
• John Doe, associate provost, met with students.

Office of the President (Executive Cabinet)

Follow guidance in titles (general)

Office of the President (Staff)

Follow guidance in titles (general)

college dean

Capitalize and spell out full formal title when it stands alone or precedes a name:

• College of Computing and Engineering Dean John Doe.

When used in a sentence, the full title always follows the name and is lowercase, unless the title is part of a proper noun. Also, include the department of which the dean is a faculty member:

• Jane Doe, dean of the College of Creative Arts and professor of Theatre, is hosting a seminar.
• John Doe, dean of the Farmer School of Business and the Mitchell P. Rales Chair in Business ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉúhip, approved the curriculum updates.

For subsequent references, Dean Doe or the dean are acceptable.

doctor (title)

Follow AP Style. Do not use "Dr." before the names of faculty who hold other types of doctoral degrees other than a medical degree. If mention of degrees is necessary to establish someone's credentials, it is preferable to use a clarifying phrase:

• Jane Doe, who holds a doctorate in mathematics, led the research team.

In a list, headline, profile, biography, or standalone reference: Jane Doe, Ph.D.

In many cases, for clearer context, it is better to specify a faculty member's area of expertise outside of their doctoral degree. For instance, "John Doe, an expert in racial psychology..." provides more information than listing academic credentials.

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú's Editorial Guidelines for courtesy titles extend to visiting guests or dignitaries who also hold doctoral degrees other than a medical degree.

Beloved figures and notable ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú alumni:

professor (title)

Follow AP style. Never abbreviate.

Lowercase before a name, but capitalize "Professor Emeritus" as a conferred title before a name. Drop "professor" in subsequent reference, unless part of a quotation.

• Jane Doe, professor of Chemistry, held class virtually; Doe recorded the class for future research.
• professor Doe
• Professor Emeritus Jane Doe

professorships

Use full name and title on first reference. Drop title in subsequent reference, unless part of a quotation.

• Melissa Thomasson, chair and Julian Lange Professor of Economics, addressed the department.
• Po-Chang Chen, Endres Associate Professor Fellow and associate professor of Accountancy, started class Wednesday.
• Jim Friedman, White Family Associate Clinical Professor and associate clinical professor of Entrepreneurship, created the course.

titles (general)

When it stands alone, place title before the name and capitalize the full title.

• Associate Professor John Doe
• Dean Jane Doe

When used in a sentence, the title always follows the name and is lowercase, unless the title is part of a proper noun.

• John Doe, professor of Biology, released final grades.
• Jane Doe, dean of the College of XX, holds open office hours.
• Jane Doe, associate provost, met with the executive cabinet.

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Academic Classes, Names, and ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú

academic degrees

While ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú offers an A.B. (the traditional Latin translation of artium baccalaureus), follow AP Style and use Bachelor of Arts.

Use: bachelor's, master's. Also: an associate degree (no possessive).

If mention of degrees is necessary to establish someone's credentials, the preferred form is to avoid an abbreviation and instead use a phrase:

• John Doe, who has a doctorate in psychology, spoke at commencement.
• John Smith, who holds a master's in engineering, recently graduated.

Use an apostrophe in bachelor's degree, a master's degree, etc., but there is no possessive in Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science.

See entry for "academic degrees" for additional information.

academic classes (first-year, sophomore, junior, senior)

In general context, lowercase all references: first-year class, sophomore class, junior class, senior class. Capitalize only when the class is part of a formal event, group, or committee.

• The Senior Class Committee; First-year Composition

alumni

Follow AP Style. Do not use "alum" in any context.

Use alumnus (alumni in the plural) when referring to a man who has attended a school. Use alumna (alumnae in the plural) for similar references to a woman. Use alumni when referring to a group of men and women.

• The ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú alumna recently created an international technology company.

When referring to the graduation year of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú alumni, follow the format: John Smith '78. The same rule applies to expected future graduation years for currently enrolled students.

For exceptions, please see the Gender Neutral Terms section.

books, films, and other works

Use quotation marks around titles.

collegewide

One word, not two, and not hyphenated.

Similar examples: campuswide, citywide, statewide, nationwide, worldwide.

course titles

Follow the course listing in the . On first reference, list the full course name and number: BUS 104 Computational Thinking. On subsequent references, the course number is acceptable: BUS 104. If a course is cross-listed in dual divisions at the undergraduate level, include both divisions.

• IMS/MKT 419 Digital Branding

If a course is cross-listed at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, include both course numbers.

• ART 432/532 Painting V

If a course is cross-listed in dual divisions at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, there is no need to include both levels and divisions. Select the appropriate course that references a specific program.

• ENG 411/511 Visual Rhetoric or IMS 411/511 Visual Rhetoric

coursework

One word, not two, and not hyphenated.

debt-free

If it's modifying a noun like degree or college, it's hyphenated. It doesn't get a hyphen if it's not acting as an adjective.

• You can graduate from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú debt free.
• Does a debt-free degree sound too good to be true?

first-generation student

Hyphenated in all references.

first-year

Prefer first-year student to freshman.

grade point average

No periods. GPA, not G.P.A.

healthcare

One word, not two.

Similar example: childcare

Honors College

Use the official title: Honors College. Subsequent references can refer to it as Honors. Anytime Honors is used in a sentence to identify an Honors College aspect, capitalize it.

• Honors housing, Honors courses, Honors paths

Defer to the Honors College for additional guidance on programs, titles, events, etc.

in-person

If it's modifying a noun, it's hyphenated. It doesn't get a hyphen if it's not acting as an adjective.

• Classes are attended in person.
• ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú offers both virtual and in-person class options.

lectures

Capitalize the name of a lecture series. The titles of individual lectures go in quotation marks. Follow AP style for composition titles.

• "How Your Observations Can Lead to Amazing Discoveries"

majors and minors

Capitalize the names of both majors and minors.

• She has a major in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Finance.

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú's Tuition Promise

Use possessive, always capitalized.

name references

Always use a person’s first and last name the first time they are mentioned in a story.

In a news story, refer to a person by last name, but less formal pieces can use first name if desired (communicating with students, newsletter, social post). If it makes it easier to follow along in a story, use the first name if several people have the same last name.

Do not use titles such as Mr., Mrs., or Dr. unless they are part of a direct quotation.

When using quotations, use the (last name of person + said) rather than (said + last name of person). This gives the quote more power because it is tied immediately to the person. However, you can use (said + last name of person) if it’s followed by the person’s title (said John Doe, director of the program).

semesters

Lowercase in all references: spring semester and fall semester

spring break

Lowercase in all references.

study abroad

Lowercase in all references.

Summer Scholars Program

Capitalize in all references. Program participants are called Summer Scholars. The Summer Scholars Program is a two-week summer experience for high-achieving high school students who will be juniors or seniors the following fall.

Summer Term and Winter Term

Official names. Capitalize in all references.

Undergraduate Summer Scholars (USS) Program

Capitalize in all references. Program participants are called Undergraduate Summer Scholars. The Undergraduate Summer Scholars Program is a nine-week summer research program for current ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú undergraduates.

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