Board of Trustees
Capitalize The University of Findlay Board of Trustees as the formal name, but lowercase second references as “the board” or “board of trustees.”
Buildings
All proper names of buildings, such as Virginia B. Gardner Fine Arts Pavilion, should be capitalized.
Classes and Courses
Use lowercase when you refer to classes and courses unless you use the specific (and complete) title or the name carries a proper noun or numeral.
RIGHT: I had a class in public speaking.
RIGHT: I’m taking Public Relations Writing 240.
RIGHT: I’m taking biology, advanced Shakespeare and calculus.
Dean’s List
Always use lowercase: the dean’s list.
Collective Nouns
The collective nouns “faculty” and “staff” are singular nouns. If you wish to use a plural construction, use “members of the faculty/staff” or “faculty/staff members.”
RIGHT: The faculty is represented by the Faculty Senate and the Graduate Council.
RIGHT: Staff members attended the annual benefits fair.
Emeritus/Emeriti
Emeritus – retired, but maintaining an honorary title – male
Emerita – female
Emeritae – female plural
Emeriti – male plural or plural for males and females
Job Titles
Job titles are lower case unless they precede the name.
RIGHT: Assistant Professor of Mathematics Anne Albert spoke to the class.
RIGHT: Ben Sapp, director of the Mazza Museum, gave a museum tour.
WRONG: Anne Albert, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, spoke to the class.
Seasons
Capitalize only when used in a title or as part of a formal name. Use lowercase when these words stand alone.
RIGHT: fall semester, summer program
RIGHT: The program started in fall 1997.
RIGHT: The Fall Faculty Breakfast will be repeated this year.
Semesters
Do not capitalize semesters in text.
Right: Box City takes place during the spring semester; homecoming occurs in the fall semester.
Student Classifications
Do not capitalize “freshman,” “sophomore,” “junior,” “senior,” “postdoctoral fellow” or “graduate student.” But do capitalize as a class designation or formal title.
RIGHT: He’s a senior engineering major.
RIGHT: The Senior Class gift was the clock.
UF Class Year
When alumni of The University of Findlay are mentioned in University publications, class years should be indicated with their full name on the first reference. If the last name has changed since he or she was a student, a maiden name should also be listed so that alumni and faculty reading the name will recognize it. Undergraduate degrees are listed first followed by master’s degrees listed as “M’CY” where CY represents the class year. Professional Doctoral degrees are listed by the abbreviation: Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy), D.P.T. (Doctor of Physical Therapy), and Ed.D. (Doctor of Education) with the class year. Below are examples of different types of listings:
John Smith '15
Doug ’02 and Rebecca (Shell ’01) Jenkins
Rebecca (Shell) Jenkins ’01
Beth Stewart ’06, M’07
Kyle Dresbach, Pharm.D. ’14
Jane Smith ’99, M’01, Ed.D. ’15
Martin Smith, D.P.T. ’15
Jane ’99, M’01, Ed.D. ’15 and Martin D.P.T. ’15 Smith