Our Brand

Always lowercase. Use figures and the $ sign in all cases, except casual references or amounts without a figure:

The book cost $4. Dad, please give me a dollar.

For amounts more than $1 million, use up to two decimal places: The budget is $2.24 million. For amounts less than million, use figures: $5, $150,000.

Use % symbol instead of “percent.”

Use “and” except:

• “&” can be used in advertising, social media, web alerts, etc., to meet a character count.
• In signage, use "+" when character count is limited.

Hyphens -

Use for phone numbers on most marketing collateral/tactics, or to manually hyphenate an adjectival word: 407-582-1000; state-of-the-art

EXCEPTION:

On formal collateral material such as stationery, phone numbers do not include hyphens: 000 000 0000

En Dash –

• Use an en dash when typesetting a duration of time or a range; use a single space on either side of the en dash. On Macs, use the option key, then the hyphen (-) key. Microsoft Word automatically corrects a hyphen to an en dash if it has spaces on either side.

Monday – Friday, 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.

(Academic years are an exception: 2025-2026)

• Also use when introducing a piece of related content (similar to colon usage).

Saturday – Dance Performances

Sunday – Music Performances

• Use En dash when attributing a quote.

 “Who steals my purse steals trash.”

    – Shakespeare

Em Dash —

Use an em dash when typesetting a pause, or emphasis of a statement; with one space on either side of the em dash. On a Mac, type an em dash by holding down the shift and option keys while pressing hyphen (-). In Microsoft Word, two hyphens between two words without spaces (e.g. word–word) will autocorrect to an em dash.

• I have a favorite punctuation mark — the em dash.

In advertising and marketing materials, no space is used before or after an em dash

• I have a favorite punctuation mark—the em dash.

Omit protocol at the start of a Valencia College web address, such as http://www. This is unique to Valencia College and can result in broken links if used with other URLs.

If an internet address within the body of a paragraph falls at the end of a sentence, use a period. If it falls at the end of the last sentence in the paragraph, it does not use a period.

If the internet address is being used as a call to action, do not use a period after the URL; use a colon before.

Visit our website: valenciacollege.edu

If an address breaks between lines, split it directly after a slash or a dot that is part of the address, without an inserted hyphen.

Avoid URLs that are particularly lengthy and complicated unless essential to guide the reader to a particular document. Find or request a shorter vanity URL at valenciacollege.edu/shorturl

When writing for or proofreading text by President Plinske, certain exceptions are made to our style guide. These include:

• Use the Oxford comma

In general, avoid alphabet soup. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms that a reader would not quickly recognize.

Because programs may share acronyms, i.e., English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and Employee Assistance Program (EAP), always spell out on first reference the term being abbreviated and add the acronym:

• Intensive English Program (IEP)

For a list of Valencia College terms and acronyms,  visit valenciacollege.edu/acronyms

Abbreviate months (Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec., Jan. and Feb.) for billboard and digital display ad copy.

Do not abbreviate months in languages other than English.

Any degree descriptor that assigns a timeframe for completion.  

• Can be completed in as little as two years (A.S. degree)
• Earn in two years as a full-time student (A.A. and A.S.)
• Can be completed in as little as one year (Technical Certificate)

In advertising and marketing materials, numbers may appear in numeric form as needed for space/brevity.

DO NOT use “two-year degrees” or “four-year degrees.” Instead, use:

• associate degree(s)
• Associate in Arts
• Associate in Science
• Associate in Science in Nursing
• bachelor’s degree(s)
• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Applied Science
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Examples of when to use an apostrophe:

• bachelor’s degree(s)
• He earned his master’s.

Use periods whenever abbreviating the following degrees:

• A.A., A.S., B.S., B.A.S.

Do not use periods when abbreviating these degrees:

• ASN
• BSN

Capitalize formal degree names:

• Associate in Science in Engineering and Technology

Lowercase program names when not part of formal degree name:

• He/She earned an associate degree in engineering and technology.

Lowercase certificate programs, unless writing about a specific certificate:

• Career Certificate
• Manufacturing Certificate 
• Technical Certificate

For dual degrees, hyphenate when used as an adjective.

• dual-degree

Hours should be formatted for screen readertechnology:

Remove the periods from “a.m.” and “p.m.” so the screen reader does not say  “period.” Replace the dashes with “to” or “and” so the screen reader does not say that word.

• Friday: 8am to 2pm
• Saturday and Sunday: Closed

 When adding a call to action (CTA) and link:

• Make the hyperlink name clear and concise enough to convey the purpose of the link
• You can note URLs if they’re short (valenciacollege.edu)
• If linking to a file, note it in parathesis, like (PDF).
• Keep text sentence case.
• Avoid using the word “link” within a link. Doing so makes hyperlinked copy meaningful and not redundant. No need to say, “click here”, either.
• Don’t capitalize each letter in a CTA (Reads as “V,I,S,I,T” for VISIT). Applies to text in general, too.
• Don’t make it a sentence. Keep it as brief as possible.
• Use a hyperlink, like: valenciacollege.edu/future-students/

Examples:

GREAT

Orlando’s a great city to live with a cat. Find cats in Orlando.

Orlando’s a great city to live with a cat. Visit cats.com

Orlando’s a great city to live with a cat. Find cats in Orlando (PDF).

NOT GREAT

Orlando’s a great city to live with a cat. Link to find cats in Orlando.

Orlando’s a great city to live with a cat. Find cats in Orlando:www.cats.com/fostermomsrule&563

Orlando’s a great city to live with a cat. FIND CATS NOW.

IN COPY:

Spell out numbered streets nine and under: 325 Sixth Ave.; 3012 50th St.

Spell out or use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd., St., Pkwy., etc., with a numbered address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Without a number, an address must be spelled out and capitalized: Pennsylvania Avenue.

Always use figures for an address number: 9 Morningside Circle.

Spell out and capitalize First through Ninth when used as street names; use figures for 10th and above: 7 Fifth Ave., 100 21st St.

Abbreviate compass points used to indicate directional ends of a street or quadrants of a city in a numbered address: 222 E. 42nd St.

Do not abbreviate if the number is omitted: East 42nd Street.

Campus Locations (use as single line):

Valencia College Accelerated Skills Training – Downtown Campus, 300 Pittman St., Orlando, FL 32801

Valencia College Advanced Manufacturing Training Center, 1099 Cross Prairie Pkwy., Kissimmee, FL 34744

Valencia College Downtown Campus, 601 W. Livingston St., Orlando, FL 32801

Valencia College East Campus, 701 N. Econlockhatchee Trl., Orlando, FL 32825

Valencia College Heart of Florida United Way Center for Accelerated Training, 3437 W.D. Judge Dr., Orlando, FL 32808

Valencia College Lake Nona Campus, 12350 Narcoossee Rd., Orlando, FL 32832

Valencia College Osceola Campus, 1800 Denn John Ln., Kissimmee, FL 34744

Valencia College Poinciana Campus, 3255 Pleasant Hill Rd., Kissimmee, FL 34746

Valencia College School of Public Safety, 8600 Valencia College Ln., Orlando, FL 32825

Valencia College West Campus, 1800 S. Kirkman Rd., Orlando, FL 32811

Valencia College Winter Park Campus, 850 W. Morse Blvd., Winter Park, FL 32789

ON FORMAL STATIONERY (Letterheads, Business Cards, Envelopes) AND ALL MAILING

Formats for Full Mailing Address:

Valencia College academic Advisors are referred to as “Student Success Coaches.”

Alma mater is the term used to describe the relationship of a school to its alumni: “My alma mater is Valencia College.”

Use alumni or VC grads when referring to a group of men and women who have attended Valencia College.

Use alumnus (alumni in the plural) when referring to a man who has attended the school.

Use alumna (alumnae in the plural) for similar references to a woman.

Use alum/alums to avoid the Latin gender inflection, or to be gender-inclusive.

Use recent graduate to refer to someone who has graduated from Valencia College within the last five years.

Use graduate to refer to a person who has graduated or is about to graduate (or completed or is about to complete) from Valencia College with a degree or certificate.

Use legacy alumnus/alumna to refer to a Valencia College graduate who now works at the college.

Use former student to refer to someone who was enrolled in a Valencia College degree or certificate program but did not graduate/complete.

Use a closing single quote mark when shortening years: ’91, ’09

When writing about formal grades, use an apostrophe: A’s, B’s

 Always initial capitals.

Use figures and capitalize Building when used with a figure: Building 6

Do not spell out building numbers.

On charts, maps and forms, you may abbreviate Building to Bldg.

Example Headline

• Indent bullets from headline.
• Increase paragraph space between bullets when copy wraps to multiple lines.
• Use filled circle bullets.

Because not all campuses have the same food services, dining choices are referred to as:

• Food and snack options, ie., vending machines
• Pounce Café (on East, West and Osceola campuses)
• Café (located at the School of Public Safety)

"Cafeteria" is in place on many forms of wayfinding signage, accompanied by an international symbol for "restaurant." We retain the term to aid in wayfinding and use the formal name, i.e., “Pounce Café” when entering the space.

Other options are referred to as:

• Pop-up Kitchens
• Food Trucks
• Smart Markets
• Starbucks

• Never use “bookstore” or “book store.”
• “Campus Store” is always initial caps.
• Never add “s” to “Store.” Plural is “Campus Store locations.”

The official name has a forward slash (“/”) between “Teaching” and “Learning.” Do not use “and” in the name of the center.

DO use “and” in “Teaching and Learning Academy.”

When writing security alerts, X posts, search ads, etc., adhere to character count guidelines. Unless otherwise noted, these counts include spaces.

• “Valencia College West Campus” is 28 characters, not 25.

A course is a set of classes that lasts the entire length of a term or program. A class is a single meeting of a course or program. 

Class: When you arrive in class, you’ll need to find a seat.

Course: You are enrolled in a history course. 

Capitalize and spell out the formal name: Valencia College or East Campus.

Lowercase plural combinations of campuses: East and Osceola campuses.

Lowercase when used independently:

The college; He was on campus.

Uppercase when referring to a specific campus:

He was on West Campus. She was on the Lake Nona Campus.

NOTE: The word "Campus: must always follow Lake Nona when referring to that campus.

NOTE: Because a VC location must have a library to be considered a campus, we refer to 10 convenient locations, not 10 campuses.

There is no hyphen for words which end in –wide. Examples: collegewide, citywide, statewide, nationwide, worldwide.

IN A SERIES:

In general, Valencia College does not use Oxford commas in marketing materials. When writing marketing copy, use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series: The flag is red, white and blue. He would nominate Tom, Dick or Harry.

Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series, however, if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction: I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.

Use a comma also before the concluding conjunction in a complex series of phrases: The main points to consider are whether the athletes are skillful enough to compete, whether they have the stamina to endure the training, and whether they have the proper mental attitude.

PLACEMENT WITH QUOTES: Commas always go inside quotation marks.

IN DATES: Separate words from words and numbers from numbers with commas.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

To add the correct spelling of commonly misspelled words (“Plinkse,” Plinks,” “Pilnske,” and “Plinski,” in place of “Plinske”) take the following actions on your desktop, laptop and any other devices you may use when writing on behalf of the college:

• In Word, go to preferences (top right under the main word drop down) and click auto correct. In that section, add all the misspelled instances individually into the “Replace” section. Add the correct spelling into the “With” section. You can also do this by typing the incorrect spelling, right clicking on the word and then clicking on the “add to autocorrect” section. Select the right spelling if it’s on the list, if not – click into auto correct options and follow the same steps. 
• In PowerPoint, go to preferences (top right under the main word drop down) and click auto correct. In that section, add all the misspelled instances individually into the “Replace” section. Add the correct spelling into the “With” section. 
• Under tools, then preferences, click on the tab for substitutions. add all the misspelled instances individually into the “Replace” section. Add the correct spelling into the “With” section.
• In Outlook, go to settings (top left) and click auto correct and click auto correct. In that section, add all the misspelled instances individually into the “Replace” section. 

 To add a word to your dictionary:

• In Word, right click and add the correctly spelled name to your dictionary.
• Click on tools, then spelling and grammar, then personal dictionary. Add the correct spelling to your personal dictionary. 

In most writing, the use of contractions is encouraged. The brand voice should achieve a conversational tone and the use of contractions contributes to this effort.

In some cases, formality is preferred, as in academic efforts.  

Capitalize when an integral part of a name: Orange County, Osceola County

Lowercase plural combinations: Orange and Osceola counties

Capitalize the names of months in all uses. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Spell out when using alone, or with a year alone.

When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas.

• January 2016 was a cold month. 

When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas.

• His birthday is May 8, 2001
• Feb. 14, 2013, was the target date.
• She testified that it was Friday, Dec. 3, when the crash occurred.

Do not abbreviate months in languages other than English.

When writing about academic lists, uppercase all words: Dean’s List and President’s List.

When referring to a Valencia College alumna/alumnus in sentence form, the proper order is (name), (degree) (major if any)

• Jane Doe, who has an associate in arts degree, showed us her short film.

When referring to a Valencia College alumna/alumnus/alum who earned a degree in a specific area, the proper order is (name), (degree/certificate) (year of graduation/completion):

• Jane Doe, A.S. in Business Administration ’08

If more than one degree was earned at Valencia College, both are referenced with the most recent appearing first:

• Jane Doe, B.A.S. ’10 and A.S. ’08

When referring to a Valencia College alumna/alumnus/alum in press materials/editorial formats, the proper order is (name), (degree) (year of graduation/completion):

• Jane Doe, A.S. ’08

If degrees of equal levels were earned at Valencia College, (i.e., A.A. and A.S. in Audio Technology and Sound Production) the degree that best correlates with the editorial purpose should be referenced:

• John Smith, A.A.’07, guest-conducted the Orlando Opera’s production of “La Boheme” on December 8, 2020.
• John Smith, A.S. in Audio Technology and Sound Production ’07, co-produced the recent recording of “Orlando Opera in Concert.”

Use lowercase except for words that are proper nouns or adjectives: the department of history, the history department, the department of English or the English department.

Use uppercase when department (or center or office) is part of the official and formal name: Valencia College Testing Center.

Lowercase the department whenever it stands alone. Do not abbreviate department in any usage.

Avoid acronyms when possible. A phrase such as the department is preferable on second reference because it is more readable.

Use figures and spell out inches, feet, yards, etc., to indicate depth, height and width. Use the apostrophe to indicate feet and quote marks to indicate inches (5’ 6”) only in very technical contexts.

Dimensions are listed length first, then width, then height, then depth, i.e., 14” x 11” x 4” x 2”

Do not treat in all caps. Use uppercase/lowercase (camel case) in all instances.

DirectConnect is one word. DirectConnect to UCF® requires the registration mark [®]. No periods in UCF.

Guarantee statement and disclaimer for DirectConnect to UCF®:

• DirectConnect to UCF® guarantees* Valencia College graduates admission and a smooth transition to UCF.

*Consistent with university policy.

In general, lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, etc., when they indicate compass direction; capitalize these words when they designate regions.

He drove west. The Northeast depends on the Midwest for its food supply.

For external use, the governing board of the college is referred to as:

• the Valencia College District Board of Trustees (upon first reference)
• “the board” or “the trustees” thereafter

The campus’ formal name is:

• UCF Downtown and Valencia College Downtown

The formal name of the campus should be used primarily when communicating with external parties (for example, the City of Orlando) and upon first reference in joint press releases.

In addition, each institution has agreed to refer to the campus by its respective name when communicating solely to its audiences. However, the unique, integrated partnership should still be mentioned. For example, when Valencia College references the campus as “Valencia College Downtown,” it includes in its immediate description “the campus that Valencia College shares with UCF.” Similar treatment is expected of UCF’s naming and description of the campus to its stakeholders.

As secondary references to the project, both

institutions may use “the downtown campus” as an identifier.

Both institutions are encouraged to refer to their students at this campus as “downtown students,” rather than UCF or Valencia College students.

Use in all references for electronic mail.

The Juice

• The Valencia College collegewide employee newsletter
• “The” is always capitalized
  
  

Supervisor Segment

• The Valencia College newsletter for supervisors and deans
  
  

Faculty Insight

• The Valencia College newsletter for faculty and deans

Use sparingly and never in a headline.

The graduation year of an alumna/alumnus/alum can be shown in full or abbreviated.

• John Smith ’84
• John Smith 1984

The full graduation year is used in sentence form, and an abbreviated year is used in list/descriptor form:

• Becky Jones, a 2009 graduate of Valencia College, won an Oscar.
• Oscar winners include: Becky Jones ’09, Bill Jackson ’11 and Bob Hill ’07.

Preferred hashtags include #PumaProud for programs and college-related posts, and #VCGrad when posts feature graduating students or alumni.

Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters.

Capitalize an article – the, a, an – or words of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last word in a title.

Use numerals for all numbers except in casual uses: hundreds

If a quote is used in a headline, use single quote marks around it: ‘We Will Win,’ Predicts Mayor

Headlines are sentence case in advertising and marketing materials. For the Valencia College website, page titles use initial caps and subheads are sentence case.

One word except for a single AST program:

Health Care Specialist

Avoid the use of jargon — the special vocabulary and idioms of a particular class or occupational group. Include an explanation of any words likely to be unfamiliar to most readers.

When used as a verb, use two words: Log on to the site

When used as a noun, use one word: You will be assigned a login

Capitalize the initial letters of the name but do not place it in quotes or italics. Lowercase magazine unless it is part of the publication’s formal title: Harper’s Magazine, Vitae magazine

When you use the official name for a degree or program, capitalize the subject, but not the word “program.”

• Dance Performance
• Engineering Technology program

Informal names for programs should not be capitalized.

• the dance program
• our engineering programs
• dance major
• Studying engineering technology

Degree pathways are not “degrees in,” but rather “degree pathways in” the specialization. Since degree pathways are not formal degree titles, they should be lowercase.

•  Associate in Art degree pathway in architecture

When referring to the Valencia College engagement hub, use “in MyVC,” not “on MyVC.”

Use as an abbreviation for number with a figure to indicate position or rank: Valencia College was ranked No. 1 in the nation.

In general, spell out one through nine: The Yankees finished second. He had nine months to go.

Spell out at the start of a sentence: Fifteen students were admitted.

Use figures for:

• Numbers 10 and above
• Academic course numbers: Philosophy 101
• Addresses: 210 Main St.
• Spell out numbered streets nine and under: 5 Sixth Ave.
• Ages: a 6-year-old girl
• Dates, years and decades: Class of ’66, the 1950s. For the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, 9/11 is acceptable in all references.
• Dimensions to indicate depth, height, length and width
• Millions, billions, trillions: Use a figure-word combination. 1 million people
• Rank: Valencia College was ranked No. 1 in the nation (Note abbreviation for “Number”)
• Temperatures (except zero)

Hyphenate when serving as an adjective describing a noun: the on-campus computer lab.

Separate into two words when used as a noun: The event will be held on campus

Format:

407-582-1507, ext. 6

EXCEPTION:

Formal pieces such as business card or letterhead: 407 582 1507

The use of the possessive for programs, faculty, and students, i.e., Valencia College’s graduating class, may be construed as being Valencia College-centered, not student-centered. (Think “they’re ours” compared to “we serve them.”) For that reason, minimizing the use of “Valencia College’s” or “VC’s” is encouraged, but not prohibited. If rewriting to avoid using the possessive will result in copy that is too bulky, long or awkward, use the possessive.

Examples:

• Valencia College’s programs ­– use instead, “the programs at Valencia College,” or “Valencia College programs.”
• The college’s students – use instead, “the students at Valencia College,” or “Valencia College students.”
• VC’s staff – use instead, “the staff at VC,” or “VC staff.”

The possessives “Valencia College’s” or “VC’s” are not used in advertising and marketing materials.

The mascot of Valencia College is the Puma. To avoid trademark infringement, be sure to always write “Pumas” or “Pumas” with an initial cap “P” followed by lowercase letters. Don’t use “PUMA,” “PUMAS,” or “PUMAs”. Other mascot use guidelines can be found at valenciacollege.edu/mascotuse

The Valencia College mascot may be referred to as “Purrcy,” or “Purrcy the VC Puma.”

At the request of students when the mascot was being developed, Purrcy is not gender-specific.  When using a pronoun to refer to Purrcy, use “them/they/their.”

Guidelines for mascot usage can be found at valenciacollege.edu/mascotuse

Do not use in Q and A formats, i.e.,

The Juice: When did you decide to attend Valencia College?

NOT

The Juice: “When did you decide to attend Valencia College?”

Use to identify composition titles: “Of Mice and Men”

Placement with other punctuation:

• The period and the comma always go within the quotation marks when using a direct quote:

Examples of usage in quoted text: 

• “I have no intention of staying,” he replied.
• “I do not object,” he said, “to the report.”
• Franklin said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”
• A speculator said the practice is “too experimental".

The dash, semicolon, question mark and exclamation point go within the quotation marks when they apply to the quoted material only. They go outside when they apply to the whole sentence.

• Do you watch, “The PBS News Hour?”
• I can’t believe you don’t watch “The PBS News Hour”!

Use figures and capitalize room when used with a figure: Building 6, Room 215.

Do not abbreviate Room.

Salutations

When writing a letter or email, capitalize the first letter of each word in a salutation: Dear Students, Dear Valencia College Graduate, Dear Prospective Honors Student, Dear Colleague, Dear Dr. Smith

Whenever possible, use student’s first name in the salutation: Dear Michael

For broad-reaching, informal correspondence to current students, you may use: Dear Pumas

Closings

In correspondence with stakeholders, you can use a traditional closing (“Sincerely,” “Yours,” “With Appreciation,” etc.) or you can use “With Puma Pride".

School break sare initials caps in calendar or title block:

• Winter Break
• Spring Break
• Thanksgiving Break
• Labor Day Weekend

In body copy or media, use lower case:

• winter break
• spring break

In body copy or media, when the break includes a national holiday, initial cap the holiday and lowercase “break,”“weekend,” etc.

• Thanksgiving break
• Labor Day weekend

Collectively, use “The Schools at Valencia College” for first reference, and “the Schools” thereafter.

Individually, use the full name of the School for first reference, and “the School” thereafter.

• School of Allied Health
• School of Arts, Entertainment, and Design
• School of Biological and Physical Sciences
• School of Business
• School of Engineering, Technology, and Advanced Manufacturing
• School of Health Sciences
• School of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts
• School of Nursing
• School of Public Safety, Legal Studies, and Education
• School of Speech and Languages

NOTE: For Schools with three industry sectors in the name, use the Oxford comma (place a comma after the last word before “and”).

Use “term,” not semester.

Lowercase spring, summer, fall, winter and derivatives such as springtime unless part of a formal name: Fall Convocation

Initial cap terms:

• Spring 2024
• Fall Term

The qualities demonstrated by successful Valencia College students can be found at valenciacollege.edu/6ps

All one word

All one word. Description can be found at valenciacollege.edu/skillshops

We translate using the Puerto Rican dialect of Spanish

Use informal language vs. formal

Don’t translate Valencia College or any official names

We do not translate the word “college” into Spanish; it remains "college" in English

• Use “inscríbete” instead of “registrar.”
• Use “asequible” when referencing affordability .
• Use “recinto” for “campus.”
• Use “comunidad” for “neighborhood” or “community.”
• Use “localidades” for “locations.”
• Use “escuela secundaria”for high school

Use theater by default and when talking generally about the theater (building). Black Box Theater

Use theatre:

• as a general term to convey a form of artistic expression. “He is in the theatre department.”
• When it’s part of a building’s name. “Shubert Theatre.”
• When it describes a genre, i.e., “musical theatre,” “dance theatre,” “story theatre.”

• Use figures except for noon and midnight. Use a colon to separate hours from minutes: 3:30 p.m.
• a.m. and p.m., NOT am and pm, or AM and PM.
• Avoid redundancies such as 9 a.m. in the morning or 10 p.m. at night.
• VC Public Relations and Org. Comm. use noon vs. 12 p.m.
• VP Public Relations uses midnight vs. 12 a.m.
• Org. Comm. uses 11:59 p.m. or 12:01 a.m. vs. midnight or 12 a.m.
• For a time range, use an en dash with spaces on either side: 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

EXCEPTION:

For web readability, format as follows with no space, no periods and capital letters: 11:30AM

Apply to the titles of books, computer games, movies, songs, radio and television programs, lectures, speeches and works of art:

• Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters.
• Capitalize an article – the, a, an – or words of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last word in a title.
• Put quotation marks around the names of all such works except the Bible and books that are primarily catalogs of reference material.
• Names of most websites and apps are capitalized without quotes: Facebook, LinkedIn

When writing about Valencia College employees, only use their titles as they appear in the Human Resources database.

When to Keep it Casual 

Use first-name or first/last-name basis for:

• Colleague-to-colleague emails and texts that aren’t related to board or student issues. (NOTE: All Valencia College employees are considered colleagues)
• Valencia College name tags (first/last)
• Face-to-face with students, at the discretion of each professor
• External communication related to recruitment of potential students

Formal

For formal circumstances, the use of an academic abbreviation (i.e., Ph.D or Ed.D) is preferred over a courtesy title (Dr.).

Use an academic abbreviation for:

• External correspondence not related to recruitment of potential students
• Stationery
• Email signatures
• Public relations/media releases
• Communication with/related to local, state, federal government
• Formal communications with students/parents
• On websites (the website is designed to pull from official HR databases)
• On business cards (and Faculty/Staff Signage that utilizes a business card)
• Signage for select senior administration

Spell out formal titles when they precede a name: 

• President Kathleen Plinske
• Dean Jorge Jones

Lowercase in other uses:

• Kathleen Plinske, president of Valencia College 
• Jorge Jones, dean of social sciences
• the president
• She is the director of development.

Abbreviate certain titles when used before a full name: Gov., Mr., Mrs., Rep., etc.

You may use Dr. in first reference before the names of individuals who hold a doctoral degree. Do not continue the use of Dr. in subsequent references.  

After a full name, set off the abbreviation of a degree or a title by commas: John Snow, Ph.D.

EXCEPTION:

Business cards and name tags don’t use Dr., degree or credentials.

UnionWest is one word with a capital W.

Abbreviation – U.S. (use periods)

Abbreviation – USA (no periods)

UCF is allowed on first reference for a local audience (marketing purposes only).

For a non-local audience, use full name on first reference.

Not Valencia Foundation

“Valencia” is not an abbreviation of “Valencia College.” NEVER use just Valencia.

ALWAYS use full name for first reference in all written materials, including public relations and marketing materials (internal and external), presentations, speeches, etc.

Students at Valencia College can choose from a variety of clubs and organizations to enrich their college experience. 

For second reference, “VC” or “the college” can be used, generally only in less formal copy, i.e., social media posts.

When referring to Valencia College students, faculty and staff, use the following:

• Valencia College students/faculty/staff
• Pumas (this may not resonate with alumni unfamiliar with the new mascot)
• Valencians
• DO NOT use the term “Valencia College family.”  Use “Valencia College community” instead.

·      

Refer to as “VC EDGE,” not “Valencia EDGE.

“EDGE” is all caps.

“VC EDGE,” not “the EDGE.”

• Refer to VCentials as “a free resource for food staples and other necessities.”
• Never refer to VCentials as a “food bank” or “food pantry.”
• Find VCentials locations at valenciacollege.edu/vcentials

The official name of the culinary facility located on the downtown campus.

Do not use an apostrophe when writing about a certain time period: 1990s, 2000s

Hyphen in year-end, but no hyphen in yearlong

Use a closing single quote mark when shortening years: ’91, ’09, John Smith ’13