Purpose:
The purpose of this policy is to define institutional publications and an approval process for both external and internal publications.
Scope:
The policy applies to all faculty, staff, and student organizations at any DSCC location. The Institutional Publications policy derives from Tennessee Code Annotated, Sections 12-7-106 through 12-7-108 and the rules and regulations of the Tennessee Board of Regents Higher Education Publications Committee. This policy addresses external and internal publications and associated approval processes.
Policy:
Institutional Publication
The DSCC Institutional Publications policy shall define publications generally that is designed to represent the College in any capacity externally or internally.
- External Publications
- External publication shall be defined generally as an institutional publication prepared by college personnel or student organization that is distributed externally to populations outside the college through print, electronic, or social media platforms.
- All external publications are required to have a publication number. Specific examples include the following:
- Catalogs
- Application for admission
- Brochures, posters, calendars, pamphlets, fliers, etc., promoting cultural or athletic events
- Alumni and developmental solicitation materials
- Seminar and workshop registration forms, brochures, etc.
- Research project reports (if generally distributed)
- Financial documents provided to parties outside the institution
- Purchasing requests for bids
- Purchase orders
- Employment applications
- Placement forms
- Financial aid applications
- Agricultural brochures and pamphlets
- Campus telephone directories
- Employee benefits booklets, posters
Other publications which must have a publication number but are not, as a rule, produced for the general public are:
- Campus, college and department newsletters
- Faculty handbooks
- Employee training manuals
- The Office of Marketing & Public Relations will ensure that an Affirmative Action/EEO Employer statement and a Tennessee Board of Regents Institution statement appear on all external and internal publications as well as electronic publications (such as a website), video and/or audio productions. Placement of the publication number and AA/EEO and TBR Institution statements should be consistent, based on the design of the publication, and should be at the bottom of newspaper ads and single page publications and on the back of multiple page publications.
- Once an external institutional publication is given approval, it shall not be altered or modified without the approval of the Vice President of Advancement and External Affairs or the President.
- All requests for external institutional publications such as press releases, logo design, graphics, images, photography, social media posts, or review of drafted publications shall be sent to the Office of Marketing & Public Relations through the IssueTrak portal for design or review of content and design to ensure that the institution is accurately represented; that the principles of good practice have been followed; and that where appropriate, the publication is coordinated in style and design with other college publications.
- IssueTrak Requests should be submitted at least three weeks in advance of the publication due date when possible.
- All requests or drafts must be reviewed and approved by the immediate supervisor and vice president with all verbiage, requested photo/graphic or type of image requested prior to submitting an IssueTrak Request.
- The Coordinator of Marketing and Public Relations and the Vice President of Advancement & External Affairs will conduct final publication review.
- The Office of Marketing & Public Relations will maintain a log of publications which will
include publication number and date. In addition, that log will include:
- Name of publication
- Department requesting publication
- Purpose and brief description of publication’s content
- Contact person’s name
- Audience
- Delivery method
- Vendor (if printing outside the institution)
- PO/Business authorization
- Quantity/audience number
- Purpose/Contents
- All institutional publications must maintain a consistent brand in campus publications as shared in the Marketing and Publications Branding and Style Guide.
- Internal Publications
- An Internal Publication shall be defined generally as any institutional publication prepared by college personnel or student organization that is distributed internally to populations inside the college through print, electronic, or closed group pages via social media platforms. Specific examples include the following:
- Work processing forms (*work orders, requisitions, transfer vouchers, voucher authorizations, vehicle requests, personnel action forma and similar documents)
- Research project reports (if printed for distribution solely to institutional officials or the sponsoring agency)
- Research survey instruments and classroom testing instruments
- Instructional materials, workbooks, laboratory manuals, even if sold on consignment at a campus bookstore
- Personnel and fiscal policy manuals
- Tickets for cultural and athletic events (whether distributed externally or internally)
- Grade reports
- Student newspapers or yearbooks
- Meal tickets
- Traffic citations
- Internal memoranda
- Letters or other forms of correspondence
- Invitations
- Computer report formats
- Forms originating from sources other than Dyersburg State Community College
- All Internal Publications should follow the Office of Marketing & Public Relation’s branding guide when preparing publications.
- All Internal Publications must be reviewed by college personnel’s immediate supervisor and vice president if required. Student organizations must have all Internal Publications reviewed by the organization’s faculty/staff advisor.
- Should a department or organization need the Office of Marketing & Public Relations to design/create a publication, the rules should follow the defined process for external publications listed above to submit a request. In this case, the immediate supervisor and vice president should approve the request with all verbiage, requested photo/graphic or type of image requested prior to submitting an IssueTrak Request. In this case, the Coordinator of Marketing and Public Relations and the Vice President of Advancement & External Affairs will conduct final publication review.
- All institutional publications must maintain a consistent brand in campus publications as shared in the Marketing and Publication’s Branding and Style Guide.
Compliance:
All faculty, staff, and student organizations are responsible for following the DSCC Institutional Publications Policy. Persons found to be in violation of this policy will be subject to disciplinary action.
Definitions:
Institutional Publication: defined generally as one that is designed to represent the college in any capacity and of which copies will be distributed off-campus to any group or population.
Publication Number: a number identifier that is assigned to a publication when it is published.
External Publications: any institutional publication prepared by college personnel or student organization that is distributed externally to populations outside the college through print, electronic, radio, or social media platforms.
Internal Publications: any institutional publication prepared by college personnel or student organization that is distributed internally to populations inside the college through print, electronic, or closed group pages via social media platforms.
Revision History:
Policy written 06/20/22 and approved by Administrative Council via an email vote.
Note: The policy may be later updated/revised to conform with a forthcoming Tennessee Board of Regents’ system-wide policy.