Style Guide -- Capitalization

UC Style Guide

Capitalization

References To Utica College

When referring to Utica College, always capitalize "College". This rule also applies when using "the College" in place of the full name:

• Everyone knows that the College holds Commencement every spring.
• Have you ever visited Utica College?

But:

• We are a college known for our excellent academic programs.

Rule of thumb: When you can easily substitute "Utica College" for the word "college", always apply the initial capital. When in doubt, use the full name. 

Also:

• The abbreviated form of Utica College is

  UC

  (capitalized initials). No periods should be used with this abbreviation. 
  
  

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Titles

Capitalize titles when they appear before a name:

• Professor Emeritus of Music Louis Angelini
• Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Mark Kovacs
• Adjunct Instructor of Biology Harvey S. Cramer

When titles appear after a name, do not capitalize:

• Dr. Louis Angelini, professor emeritus of music
• Mark Kovacs, director of alumni and parent relations
• Harvey S. Cramer, adjunct instructor of biology

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Academic Departments

Except in the case of language departments, do not capitalize names of academic departments or divisions when they begin with the subject:

• chemistry department
• English department
• arts and sciences division

But when they do not begin with the subject, use the following convention:

• Department of Chemistry
• Department of English
• Division of Arts and Sciences

College Offices

When referring to UC offices, capitalize "Office" and place it first:

• The Office of Marketing and Communications
• The Office of Graduate and Extended Services

Not:

• The marketing and communications office

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Board of Trustees

Capitalize Utica College Board of Trustees. When referring to individual members of the Board, follow these rules:

• She has been a trustee for three years.
• It was Trustee Susan B. Doolittle '71 who visited the building site.

Specific Features of UC Curriculum

Capitalize (as proper names) specific features of our own curriculum:

• Cooperative Education Program
• Three-Year Degree Program
• Honors Program

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Committee / Program

Capitalize when part of a formal name:

• Graduate Studies Committee
• House Appropriations Committee
• Young Scholars Liberty Partnership Program

However, when referring to programs in the abstract, do not use the initial capital: 

• That is a baccalaureate program.
• UC has added a number of graduate programs.
• We should form a committee to study that.

Seasons

Do not capitalize seasons of the year when they stand alone, but always capitalize divisions of the academic calendar and events of the collegiate year:

• Family Weekend takes place in the fall, as does Homecoming Weekend.
• You know that spring is the season for Commencement.
• UC offers classes during Fall Semester, Spring Semester, Wintersession, and Summersession. 
• My first semester at UC was Fall 2005.

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Classes

Do not capitalize freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior when referring to individuals, but always capitalize names of organized entities:

• Sara is a junior this year.
• Frank is a member of the Class of 1990.
• She's in the Junior Class.

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Degrees

Do not capitalize names of academic and honorary degrees:

• bachelor of arts
• doctor of humane letters
• master of science
• bachelor's degree
• master's degree

Also note:

• He received his doctorate.
• He received his Ph.D.

While we recognize that different institutions follow different protocols when indicating a degree by its initials, UC style calls for utilizing periods where appropriate (no spaces). Examples:

• B.S.
• M.B.A.
• Ed.D.

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Regional References

When using the terms New York state or central New York, only capitalize "New York" unless the phrase is part of a formal title:

• The Central New York Community Arts Council (CNYCAC) has many members.
• Utica College is located in central New York.
• New York state has many beautiful lakes and streams.
• UC participates in the New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association. 

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Internet References

When referring to the World Wide Web, capitalize the "W" in Web. Web site is expressed as two words, with a lower case "s" in site:

• I love surfing the Web.
• Be sure to visit our Web site.

Internet should also be capitalized:

• How did the Internet come into being?
• The company maintains a major Internet portal.

The term e-mail, however, is expressed with a lower-case "e" (and includes the hyphen).

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