Communication Style Guide
Marketing & Communications

Fort Lewis College offers a personal, hands-on education shaped by place. Our messaging should highlight what makes FLC distinct—affordability, faculty mentorship, and real-world learning in an inspiring setting.

Every FLC story should reinforce these themes, ensuring that messaging resonates with students, families, and the broader community:

• Value and return on investment → A high-quality education that remains affordable.
• Accessibility and support → Programs, resources, and services that remove barriers for students.
• Faculty-taught experience → Direct mentorship from professors, not teaching assistants.
• Place-based purpose and passion → Learning enriched by the Four Corners region.

The way we communicate shapes how people perceive Fort Lewis College. This section outlines how to maintain a consistent voice while adjusting tone appropriately for different audiences.

FLC’s voice is:

• Welcoming & supportive → Emphasizes belonging and a student-centered approach.
• Professional but accessible → Even formal messages should use plain, engaging language.
• Community-focused → Reflects the relationships between students, faculty, and Durango.
• Active & confident → Avoids passive voice to make writing more direct and engaging.

Tone: How we adapt to different audiences

Tone can shift based on audience and context while still aligning with FLC’s voice.

Write with clarity and structure

Some readers will skim, while others will read every word. Use clear headings and structured content to help all audiences navigate information easily.

Lead with key information

Place the most important point at the beginning of paragraphs, sections, and pages.

Use active and direct language

Write in the active voice to create a clear and engaging tone.

Examples:

• Passive: “Scholarships are offered to students who qualify.”
• Active: “We offer scholarships to help qualified students reach their goals.”
• Passive: “Campus tours are available every week.”
• Active: “Explore our campus with weekly tours led by current students.”

Be concise and specific

Avoid unnecessary words and vague phrases.

• Wordy: "The program offers a wide variety of different options for students who want to pursue studies in various fields."
• Concise: "The program offers options for students across many fields."
• Vague: "Our college has many resources available to help students succeed."
• Specific: "Our Academic Hub provides tutoring services to support students at every stage of their studies."

Maintain consistency

Follow the copy patterns and style points outlined in this guide.

• Inconsistent: "Contact the Admission Department" vs. "Reach out to Admission" vs. “Connect with Admission Office”
• Consistent: "Contact Admission"

• People-first language: “Students with disabilities,” not “the disabled.”
• Gender-neutral: Use “they/them” if gender is unknown. Refer to “first-year students,” not “freshmen.”
• Communities of color: Prefer “underrepresented communities,” not “minorities.”
• Tribal affiliations: Ask individuals how they prefer to be identified (e.g., “Ben Yazzie, a citizen of the Navajo Nation”).
• LGBTQ2S+: Use “LGBTQ2S+” for broad references; confirm personal preference if identifying a specific individual.

Use inclusive, bias-free words. If unsure about a term, refer to the Conscious Style Guide.

• FLC follows WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.
• Provide alt text for all meaningful images.
• Include captions or transcripts for videos and audio.
• Check color contrast with a tool like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker.
• Employees can access FLC’s digital accessibility course in Canvas.

Courses

• Capitalize and italicize formal course names (e.g., Introduction to Biology).
• Italicize and use sentence case for lecture or presentation titles (e.g., “Exploring Marine Environments”).
• Use numerals when referring to course numbers (e.g., “Philosophy 209,” “History 6”).
• For generic references, use lowercase (“She studied world history.”).

Degrees

• Use an apostrophe in “bachelor’s degree” and “master’s degree,” but not in “Bachelor of Arts” or “Master of Science.”
• “Associate degree” is correct (no possessive).
• Abbreviations: AP Style uses B.A./M.A./Ph.D., but FLC may omit periods (BA, MA, PhD). Confirm usage based on context.
• Preferred form → “She holds a doctorate in psychology” (instead of “She has a Ph.D. in psychology”).
• Doctoral degrees → Use “Ph.D.” in formal listings but prefer “doctorate” in sentences.
• Courtesy titles → Avoid “Dr.” unless referring to a medical doctor.

Departments, majors, and programs

• Verify spelling of names, class years, and stats with the Registrar’s Office.
• Capitalize official program names → “He’s a Geology major,” “She’s studying Native American & Indigenous Studies.”
• Use lowercase for generalized fields → “She’s interested in geology.”
• Capitalize “Program” only if it’s part of the official title → “The Native American & Indigenous Studies Program” vs. “the criminal justice program.”
• Options & concentrations → Mention only if relevant (e.g., “Business Administration – Finance option”), never “Finance major.”
• Reference alumni graduation programs as Jane Doe (Geology, '23), and do not add minor or certificate unless necessary.

Professors, faculty, and specific staff titles

• Use the official rank: “Associate Professor,” “Assistant Professor,” etc.
• Capitalize before a name → “Associate Professor Jane Smith.”
• Lowercase after a name → “Jane Smith, associate professor of Biology.”
• No courtesy titles → Avoid “Dr.,” “Mr.,” or “Ms.” except in quotes, formal addresses, or when referring to a medical doctor.
• Advisor (not adviser) → FLC preference.

• Month names → Always spell out (e.g., “January 10, 2025”), even when paired with a date (AP abbreviates some).
• Time format → “3 pm” (not “3 PM” or “3:00 pm”).
• Date formatting → Use cardinal dates (“June 25,” not “June 25th”).
• Time ranges → Use an en dash (–) with spaces (“1:30 – 2 pm”).
• Seasons → Lowercase unless part of an official title (“The course runs in the spring,” vs. “Spring 2024 Semester”).

• Spell out: For external audiences, avoid abbreviations like “EBH” or “SU.” Use the building’s full name on first reference (“Education & Business Hall,” “Student Union”).
• Academic/residential buildings: Typically named “Name + Hall,” e.g., “Noble Hall,” “Berndt Hall.” Some exceptions: “Student Union,” “Skyhawk Station,” “Dale Rea Clocktower.”
• Donor-named locations: First reference: “Joe & Clela Busby Amphitheater.” Second reference: “the amphitheater.”
• Ray Dennison Memorial Field: Not “Dennison Stadium.” Second reference can be “Dennison Field.”
• Department & office names: “Financial Aid Office,” not “Office of Financial Aid.” “Admission Office,” not “Admissions Office.”
• SkyCard: Not “Skycard” or “Sky Card.”
• SkyCash: Not “Sky Cash.”
• SkySteps: One word with a capital “S” in the middle.
• Skyhawk vs. Skyhawks: “Skyhawks” for teams/groups, “Skyhawk” for an individual athlete.
• Skyler: The mascot’s name is “Skyler the Skyhawk,” spelled with an “e.”
• “The Fort”: A casual nickname that can appear in quotes or informal references, but is not an official brand name. Do not use “Fort Lewis” alone except in sports stories or quotes. The student web portal is spelled “theFort,” not “TheFort.”

• Oxford comma → Always used (“Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics”).
• Em dashes → No spaces around them (e.g., “We celebrate students—particularly first-years—for their perseverance.”).
• Ampersands → Only used in official names (e.g., “Education & Business Hall”), not general text.
• Titles of works → Italicize books, magazines, newspapers, and journals. Put articles, chapters, and presentations in quotes.