SUNYIT Style and Usage Guide
academic degrees
When spelled out in body text, degree names are lowercase. When abbreviating them, use the following:
B.A.
B.S.
MBA
Ph.D.
Abbreviations of two words (Bachelor of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy) employ periods; abbreviations of three or more words do not, as in: MBA (Master of Business Administration).
Examples: He received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering technology. His friend earned a B.S. in biology. Now, each graduate is pursuing a master’s degree in a different field.
Note: master of science in computer science, master’s degree in computer science, master’s in computer science; NEVER “master’s of science in…”
academic departments
Lowercase when used informally, especially in body text; uppercase renderings (i.e., title case) for more formal usages and other necessary exceptions, such as spreadsheets.
SUNYIT’s academic administrative structure consists of seven departments, each headed by a chair. The departments are: business management; communication & humanities; computer information sciences; engineering, science & mathematics; engineering technologies; nursing & health professions; and social & behavioral sciences.
In an event invitation:
The Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences invites you to attend a reception honoring our graduates on May 5.
academic and position titles
Generally, titles are uppercase before a person’s name, lowercase after a name. First reference to those persons with academic titles should include the title after the name; on second reference, the last name should be used—not Dr. Smith, Professor Smith, Provost Smith, etc. In most cases, abbreviated academic degrees after a person’s name are to be avoided; exceptions include more formal documents and those in which such distinctions are desirable for emphasis.
The students met with Vice President for Administration James Jones.
The students met with James Jones, vice president for administration.
Marcia Conrad, associate professor of psychology, met with the students. Conrad described the meeting as productive.
The diversity and quality of SUNYIT’s scholarly community are evident; of the more than 80 full-time faculty, 80% hold doctoral or terminal degrees:
Jane Adams, Ph.D. in History
Robert Brown, MFA in Visual Design
(etc.)
Note that titles in such a list are capitalized.
alma mater
Latin for “nourishing mother,” this lowercase term is sometimes used to refer to the college or university from which a person has been graduated.
Those who graduated from SUNYIT in the 1990s have fond memories of their alma mater.
alumnus, alumni, alumna, alumnae
When referring to a male graduate, use alumnus; the plural for male graduates is alumni. When referring to a female graduate, use alumna; the plural for female graduates is alumnae. For a group of graduates containing both men and women, use alumni.
a.m., p.m.
In body text, use lowercase and periods. Exceptions may be made in the design of posters, flyers, etc. Use noon and midnight; do not use 12 p.m., 12 a.m., 12 noon or 12 midnight.
In body text, avoid the use of both a.m. and morning or p.m. and evening/night to describe the time of day; “6 a.m. in the morning” is redundant.
annual
A first-time event is not a “first annual event.” The word annual may be used to describe any event that is being held, or has been held, for two or more consecutive years.
auditorium
Kunsela Hall Auditorium is incorrect. The name is “Kunsela Lecture Hall.” Using “the auditorium” or “Kunsela Hall auditorium” (lowercase a) on second reference is acceptable.
bachelor science, bachelor’s degree
Use lowercase. See “academic degrees”
board
Generally lowercase unless part of a formal name.
The alumni board met Tuesday. The new academic program will launch a professional advisory board. SUNYIT’s Alumni Association Advisory Board is a volunteer organization.
building names
Uppercase when the formal name is used (the Campus Center), lowercase when the usage is general (library, residence halls, etc.). Named buildings, except on occasions when the naming history is described, may be indicated as follows:
Donovan Hall, Kunsela Hall, Cayan Library (or “the Cayan Library”).
William R. Kunsela Hall bears the name of SUNYIT’s second president.
Special cases:
* The newest addition to the campus consists of a single “technology complex” comprising two parts: the Center for Advanced Technology (CAT) and the Computer Chip Commercialization Center (Quad-C). On first reference, until such time as a formal name is designated, the project should be referred to as follows:
The new SUNYIT technology complex will be completed in 2013. The building will include the Center for Advanced Technology (CAT) and the Computer Chip Commercialization Center (Quad-C)
* Although commonly referred to as the “Facilities Building” or simply “Facilities,” the actual name of that building is the “Service Center.”
* The field house completed in 2011 bears the name “Wildcat Field House.” On second reference, “the Field House” is preferred. Referring to the building as an “athletic center” is incorrect.
campus location
SUNYIT was founded to serve “Utica-Rome,” the U.S. Census Bureau’s official name for the metropolitan area in which it was established. The Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) “Utica-Rome” has been part of SUNYIT’s legal name since its founding in 1966. The campus is located entirely in Marcy, N.Y., a town that is part of the Utica-Rome MSA. Marcy is adjacent to Utica and about ten miles from Rome.
campus mailing address
Although the campus is located in Marcy, N.Y., SUNYIT’s main U.S. Postal Service mailing address is: 100 Seymour Drive, Utica, NY, 13502. Mailing addresses for residential students are at: http://www.sunyit.edu/mailroom/addresses.
capitalization
Generally, it is best to avoid the historical tendency to over-capitalize—especially in body text. In more formal usages (annual reports, for example), exceptions may be made. For more, see “academic degrees,” “academic departments,” and “academic and position titles.”
chair
The head of a department, board, etc., should be referred to as the chair (unless the entity has established a different title for contractual or other reasons). Do not use chairman or chairperson.
college name
First reference: State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome (SUNYIT); Second reference: SUNYIT. In speech and in text, the acronym is rendered in capital letters, SUNYIT, and is pronounced: SOO-nee-eye-TEE. In website addresses, use all lowercase letters: www.sunyit.edu. When written, the full name is used with “the” and the short-form name, SUNYIT, is not:
Colleges in the Mohawk Valley include the State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome (SUNYIT). SUNYIT is located in Marcy.
Avoid: SUNY IT, SUNY-IT, the College, the Institute, SUNY Tech, SUNY Utica, SUNY Utica/Rome, etc.
commencement
Lowercase when in body text; uppercase for formal usages, programs, etc.
dates
Use numbers without “st,” “nd,” etc.
Faculty, staff and students are invited to attend a reception planned for Thursday, March 21, in the Campus Center.
For more, see “month, year”
days of the week
Do not abbreviate in body text.
departments, divisions, units
Lowercase in body text and when used informally. In some instances, uppercase may be desirable for more formal usage or for clarity.
decades
Use an s to describe decades and centuries, as in: the 1980s, the 1600s. Do not use an apostrophe (1960’s)
e-mail
Officially called “SUNYIT Email” on the website, the campus e-mail system is available via a home page link or at: http://email.sunyit.edu. Addresses are typically firstname.lastname@sunyit.edu and/or username@sunyit.edu. Note that in body text, “e-mail” is preferred.
faculty, staff
These terms are generally plural; in effect, “the faculty” is synonymous with “members of the faculty,” so the following is correct:
The faculty are an important part of SUNYIT.
In those instances where the writer prefers to use faculty (and/or staff) as a singular entity, the usage should be consistent throughout the document or publication in question.
fall semester
The names of the seasons are lowercase in body text; in tabular forms, lists, spreadsheets, etc., title case (Fall 1999 Semester) may be used.
freshman, freshmen
The word freshman can be used as a noun (Bill Jones, a freshman, signed up for classes early.) or as an adjective (The freshman class is the largest in SUNYIT’s history.)
The word freshmen is plural (All of the freshmen came to convocation.) Compare:
freshman orientation
orientation for freshmen
Gannett Gallery
This is the name of the gallery space first established in Kunsela Hall in 1985.
Internet
Uppercase.
majors
The names of majors and academic programs are generally lowercase, especially in body text; uppercase renderings (i.e., title case) are fine for more formal usages and other necessary exceptions, such as spreadsheets.
month and year
A comma is not needed to separate the month and year when they are used without a specific date. Commas are used after the day of the month and after the year when the complete date is referenced.
Construction began in May 2001. The building was dedicated on June 21, 2002, at a ceremony attended by hundreds of alumni.
name
First reference: State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome (SUNYIT); Second reference: SUNYIT. In speech and in text, the acronym is rendered in capital letters, SUNYIT, and is pronounced: SOO-nee-eye-TEE. In website addresses, use all lowercase letters: www.sunyit.edu. When written, the full name is used with “the” and the short-form name, SUNYIT, is not:
Colleges in the Mohawk Valley include the State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome (SUNYIT). SUNYIT is located in Marcy.
Avoid: SUNY IT, SUNY-IT, the College, the Institute, SUNY Tech, SUNY Utica, SUNY Utica/Rome, etc.
president, professor, provost
See “academic and position titles”
room names, numbers
In body text, lowercase the names of rooms unless they are formally named.
Meetings will be held in the admissions conference room in Kunsela Hall, the Student Center’s multipurpose room, and Cayan Library’s Mele Room.
Uppercase room and its abbreviated form, Rm., when used with a specific number.
The class meets in Donovan Hall, Rm. G152.
seasons
The names of the seasons are lowercase in body text; in tabular forms, lists, spreadsheets, etc., title case (Spring 1999 Semester) may be used.
The freshmen will arrive for the fall semester on Sunday.
spring semester
The names of the seasons are lowercase in body text; in tabular forms, lists, spreadsheets, etc., title case (Spring 1999 Semester) may be used.
SUNYIT
First reference: State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome (SUNYIT); Second reference: SUNYIT. In speech and in text, the acronym is rendered in capital letters, SUNYIT, and is pronounced: SOO-nee-eye-TEE. In website addresses, use all lowercase letters: www.sunyit.edu. When written, the full name is used with “the” and the short-form name, SUNYIT, is not:
Colleges in the Mohawk Valley include the State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome (SUNYIT). SUNYIT is located in Marcy.
Avoid: SUNY IT, SUNY-IT, the College, the Institute, SUNY Tech, SUNY Utica, SUNY Utica/Rome, etc.
telephone numbers
Either 315-792-7100 or (315) 792-7100 is acceptable.
SUNYIT’s main published number is 315-792-7100. To reach University Police from an on-campus location, call ext. 7222.
titles
see “academic and position titles”
vice president
This title is not hyphenated. See “academic and position titles.”
web, Web
In body text, since this is a noun referring to the World Wide Web, the word may be capitalized. However, the term and its related coinages: website, webpage, etc., are now more often rendered in lowercase. Internal consistency is key—if the writer prefers Web (perhaps for historical reasons, the usage must continue throughout the document, publication, etc. On SUNYIT’s website, the lowercase usage is the standard.
years
To describe decades and centuries, the preferred usage is: 1980s, the 1600s. Do not use an apostrophe (1960’s)
