---

---

• College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• College of Business and Economics
• College of Education
• College of Engineering
• College of Health and Human Services
• College of Science and Technology
• The Graduate College
• Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering

• College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences CAES
• College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences CAHSS
• College of Business and EconomicsCOBE
• College of Education CEd
• College of Engineering COE
• College of Health and Human Sciences
  CHHS
• College of Science and Technology
  CoST
• The Graduate College
  TGC
• Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering JSNN

---

• Division of Academic Affairs
• Division of Business and Finance
• Division of Human Resources
• Division of Information Technology Services
• Division of Research and Economic Development
• Division of Student Affairs
• Division of University Advancement

• Division of Academic Affairs Academic Affairs
• Division of Business and Finance Business and Finance
• Division of Human Resources Human Resources HR
• Division of Information Technology Services Information Technology Services ITS
• Division of Research and Economic Development Research and Economic Development DORED
• Division of Student Affairs Student Affairs
• Division of University Advancement University Advancement Advancement
• Centers and Institutions

---

Always capitalize proper nouns, months and days of the week. Do not capitalize seasons unless they are part of a title, e.g., Fall Lyceum Series.

When in doubt, do not capitalize; or refer to the Associated Press Stylebook.

Capitalize all words except articles (the, a, an), conjunctions (and, but, or, for, nor, so, yet, if, as, since, when, because), and short prepositions (of, in, on) in headings and the titles of books, plays, lectures, musical compositions, etc., unless they appear at the beginning of the title. Planet of Slums The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Capitalize the official names of departments when used in text. However, do not capitalize the informal name. The professor lectures in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. The professor lectures in the curriculum and instruction department.

Capitalize all conferred and traditional, educational, occupational and business titles when used specifically in front of the name; do not capitalize these titles when they follow the name or when they appear alone. Chancellor John Doe Jane Doe, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs The brigadier general will preside at the banquet.

Do not capitalize words such as university, school, department, office, division, association and conference when they stand alone, even if they refer to a specific, previously identified entity.

Titles standing alone or in apposition The provost is second in command. Mary Brown, professor of nanoengineering, is on sabbatical until next semester.

Names of school or college studies, fields of study, options, curricula, major areas, or major subjects, except languages, unless a specific course is being referred to Dan is majoring in biology with a minor in American history.Jan is enrolled in Ideas and Expressions II this semester.

Unofficial or informal names of departments when used in text Dr. Jones is chairman of the multimedia department.

The words or abbreviations a.m., p.m., baccalaureate, federal, state, government, honors, page and paragraph

Names of seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall), including references to semesters

Plural words that refer to multiple preceding terms that individually would be capitalized The Oaks Faculty House is located at the corner of Dudley and Bluford streets.

---

Refer to the Associated Press Stylebook or The Chicago Manual of Style for specific usages.

---

Spell out and use lowercase letters for names of degrees when referenced generically in running text:

He has earned a bachelor’s degree, a master’s in history and a doctorate.

Capitalize degree abbreviations with periods and set off with commas when following a name:

John Doe, Ph.D., was the guest speaker.

Capitalize the major when it appears as part of the degree:

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

Use lowercase letters when the major follows the word degree:

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering.

---

Academic titles are capitalized when they immediately precede a personal name and lowercased when following a name:

Associate Professor John Doe John Doe, associate professor

When an academic title is used in apposition before a personal name as a descriptive tag, it is lowercased:

The team was led by history professors William Green and Susan White.

The term “professor” should not be used simply to indicate “faculty member.” (Use of “professors” in the example above indicates that Green and White are, indeed, full professors, not just members of the history faculty.)

The forms for A&T titles are vice chancellor “for”; dean “of”; chair or chairperson “of”; professor, associate professor and assistant professor “of”; and instructor “in”—followed by the applicable field or unit.

---

Acronyms (read as a single word, such as AIDS) and initialisms (read as a series of letters, such as HIV) are abbreviations that generally are less cumbersome to use than the complete name of the entity they represent. Avoid coining new ones to address isolated situations.

Generally, acronyms and initialisms are based on the initial letter of the words in the name of the entity they represent and are formed using capital letters without periods. Plurals are formed by adding “s” (e.g., SATs) or “’s” for terms ending in “S” (e.g., SOS’s).

An acronym or initialism is enclosed in parentheses following the first text reference to the complete name for which it stands: The Division of Research and Economic Development (DORED) maintains a balanced and diverse portfolio of basic and applied research programs that are effectively integrated with undergraduate and graduate education.

An acronym or initialism should not be provided if there is no subsequent reference, unless it is better known than the term for which it stands or there is a desire to promote its use.

Acronyms and initialisms commonly understood by the intended audience (e.g., GPA, ACT, SAT with prospective students) can be used on first reference.

The first reference to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in institutional pieces need not be followed by (N.C. A&T) or (A&T) even when used in subsequent references.

---

U.S. Postal Service standards specify the following order for campus addresses:

Individual’s name Unit name North Carolina A&T State University Street Address Greensboro, NC 27411

---

North Carolina A&T State University is an AA/EEO employer and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant institution.

N.C. A&T is an AA/EEO employer and ADA compliant institution.

---

The plurals of alumna and alumnus are alumnae and alumni, respectively. While alumna and alumnae refer specifically to a woman or women and alumnus refers specifically to a man, alumni can be used to refer to both men and women and should be used for the general plural term. “Alums” should only be used as an informal substitute.

These terms can mean persons who have attended or those who have graduated from an institution. Clarification should be made if relevant to the context.

---

Do not use an ampersand (&) in place of “and” in running text, even in the names of units or organizations that use an ampersand. Use the ampersand only in titles of published works, corporate names, course abbreviations and graphic treatments.

No: The College of Business & Economics is the largest academic unit on campus. Yes: The College of Business and Economics is the largest academic unit on campus.

---

The apostrophe replaces missing letters (e.g., doesn’t) and missing numbers (e.g., class of ’71).

The curved (or “smart”) version is preferred.

If use of straight apostrophes is the convention for a website, consistency is key.

---

While the email signature is your digital business calling card, it is also an extension of North Carolina A&T and should reflect the university’s brand. Use these guidelines to be consistent with the university’s brand.

• Be concise. The signature should not exceed six lines.
• Use only the default sans serif font (Calibri), as all email clients do not recognize all fonts.
• The font size is 11 points.
• Email signatures used for university-related messages should include the following basic information (not to exceed seven lines):
  
  
  • ACADEMIC
    
    Name
    Title
    Department
    College | Building, Room
    University Name
    Phone | Email
    Web URL | Social Media (optional)
    
    
  • EXAMPLE - ACADEMIC
    
    Jane X. Smith, PhD
    Professor
    Department of Curriculum and Instruction
    College of Education | Proctor Hall, Room 001
    North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
    000-000-0000 | smithjx@ncat.edu
    www.ncat.edu/ced
    
    
  • ADMINISTRATIVE
    
    Name
    Title
    Office/Department
    College/Division | Building
    University Name
    Phone | Email
    Web URL | Social Media (optional)
    
    
  • EXAMPLE - ADMINISTRATIVE
    
    John J. Jones
    Web Manager
    Office of Development
    Division of University Advancement | Dowdy Building, Suite 000
    North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
    000-000-0000 | jjjones0@ncat.edu
    www.ncat.edu | www.ncat.edu/giving | Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @ncatgiving
    
    

• The approved color for text in the signature is black.
• Be mindful of the length, e.g., long titles, department/office names, etc.
• Only the first line (name) should appear bold. All other type is regular; no italic type.
• Do not include the following in university email signatures, as they may not reflect the university’s position:
  
  

• Religious and political references
• Slogans and quotes
• Images
• URL for personal website(s)
• Personal, non-work-related information
  
  

• The background for university emails is solid white; other background colors and patterns are prohibited.
  

To create an email signature (Microsoft Outlook):

• Open Outlook.
• From the ‘Home’ tab, click ‘New E-mail.’
• From the ‘Message’ tab, click the downward triangle under the ‘Signature’ button.
• Click ‘Signatures …’ and the ‘Signatures and Stationery’ dialog will open.
• Click the ‘New’ button and follow the prompt.
• Enter your signature information in the text field.
• Click ‘OK.’
• Compose a new email to confirm a signature appears.
  

To create an email signature (Microsoft Outlook for Mac):

• Open Microsoft Outlook, go to ‘Preferences’ then ‘Signatures.’ Click on ‘Edit.’
• Enter your signature information in the text field, then close the ‘Signatures’ window.
• Compose a new email to confirm a signature appears.

---

Digital badges are valid credentials of achievement, knowledge, skills or interests that are earned through professional development and other programs. As part of the N.C. A&T email signature, employees may include up to two digital badges, which are presented in the form of digital icons.

The bronze, silver and gold-level badges earned through the Center for Leadership and Organizational Excellence’s (CLOE) AggiesLEAD Digital Badges program are the only digital badges approved for inclusion in the university email signature:

• Business Management
• High Performance Collaborative Leadership
• Ethical Principles; Technology, Innovation and Creativity
• Research and Community Based Scholarship
• Diversity, Inclusion and Global Learning
• Institutional Business Management
• Office Productivity and Process Improvement
• Student Success and Communication
• Health and Wellness
• Teaching and Learning Practices

Digital badge(s) must be used in conjunction with the university’s standard format for email signatures. 

Badge(s) must appear at the bottom of the email signature, below all other elements:

• EXAMPLE 1 - One Badge
  
  Jane X. Smith, PhD
  Professor
  Department of Curriculum and Instruction
  College of Education l Proctor Hall, Room 001
  North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
  000-000-0000 l smithjx@ncat.edu | www.ncat.edu/ced

                

• EXAMPLE 2 - Two Badges
  
  John J. Jones
  Web Manager
  Office of Development
  Division of University Advancement | Dowdy Building, Suite 000
  North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
  000-000-0000 l jjjones0@ncat.edu
  www.ncat.edu/giving | Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @ncatgiving        

                      

Guidelines for including digital badge(s):

• Badge height must be one inch, not smaller or larger.
• When including more than one, badges must appear on a single line/row without other text or graphics on the same line.
• No more than two digital badges may appear with a university email signature.

To place a digital badge in your email signature (Microsoft Outlook):

• Download the digital badge file and save it in a folder on your computer.
• Open Outlook.
• From the ‘Message’ tab, click the downward triangle under the ‘Signature’ button.
• Click ‘Signatures …’ and the ‘Signatures and Stationery’ dialog will open.
• In the ‘Edit signature’ section, click the image button.
• In the ‘Insert Picture’ dialog, select the digital badge file you wish to include and click ‘Insert.’
• In the ‘Picture files’ dialog, go to the image file you would like to use.
• Highlight the image file and click ‘Open.’
• In the Picture dialog, click the OK button. Your image will appear.
• Click ‘OK.’
• Compose a new email to confirm a signature appears.

To place a digital badge in your email signature (Microsoft Outlook for Mac):

• Download the digital badge file and save it in a folder on your computer.
• Open Microsoft Outlook, go to ‘Preferences’ then ‘Signatures.’ Click on ‘Edit.’
• Insert a line space after the last line of type in your email signature.
• Click on the ‘Picture’ icon and select ‘Picture from File ...’ to find the saved digital badge file. ‘Insert’ the image.
• Close the window and ‘Save’ the signature.
• Compose a new email to confirm the badge appears with the signature.

Refer to the previous examples when creating your signature with badge(s). Either is acceptable.

---

For numbers under 10, spell out (one, two, three, etc.).

Use numerals for all numbers 10 or over, including ordinals, e.g., 22nd.

Days of the month should be written in numeric form, omitting rd, th, st and nd.

Use numerals for credit hours, ages, percentages, ratios and degrees.

For consistency within a series, use numerals if more than half of the numbers are 10 or over; otherwise, use number words within a series.

20 hours, 11 minutes, 3 seconds (Note: Midnight and noon should be spelled out and not written as 12 a.m. and 12 p.m.) She purchased fifteen oranges, six bananas, five apples, seven plums and twenty-four lemons last week.

Use hyphens when writing phone numbers.

800-555-1234 336-256-0863

Hours of the day should be written as 1 p.m. or 1:30 p.m.

Do not add a numeral in parentheses after use of a number word.

No: The clerk gave me eight (8) copies. Yes: The clerk gave me eight copies.

Use hyphens to set off fractions when fractions are not available in a particular font: 5-1/2” x 7-3/4”.

---

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degrees. Contact the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of N.C. A&T.

---

N.C. A&T does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. For inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies, contact the Affirmative Action Officer/Title IX Coordinator at titleixcoordinator@ncat.edu.