3359-20-05.7. Publications and promotional materials

(A) Internal publications.

(1) Internal publications are those materials which are not distributed in whole or part to the general public or off-campus. Internal publications include exams and other classroom materials, meeting notices and minutes, notepads and forms, and other materials which contain information solely for the university's internal audience.

(2) As a general rule, notices of meetings of committees, faculties, clubs, honoraries and the like should not be individually duplicated but should be included in the university's "Calendar of Events," "UA Live," and or "E-mail Digest."

(3) All internal publications, as well as their typesetting and printing, are handled through printing services except when university equipment cannot handle the printing. All other internal documents including publications which are larger than thirteen inches by seventeen and one-half inches or will cost more than three hundred and fifty dollars are referred to the purchasing department which awards the job to a commercial printer as determined by the lowest and best bid.

(4) Under the university regulations (and in accordance with Ohio law) the university can assume no liability for printing expenses except those incurred through the purchasing department.

(B) Internal publication documents.

(1) "The University of Akron Events" is maintained on the university of Akron web page for public events, meetings, important dates, and deadlines.

(2) "The University of Akron Chronicle" is published monthly during the regular academic year and is distributed to full-time members of the university faculty. It contains the minutes of the faculty senate and other official information regarding university matters.

(3) "The University of Akron Directory of Faculty and Staff" is published annually at the beginning of the fall semester. It contains office locations, phone extensions, and e-mail addresses of faculty and staff members and, if the individual has authorized release, home addresses and phone numbers. The directory is published by the office of university communications and marketing, in conjunction with the departments of human resources.

(4) "E-mail Digest" is a weekly news feature, distributed electronically to faculty and staff each Friday by the department of internal communication. It is also posted on the web for retirees. Items will be accepted for publication only when the university is directly involved in the activity through participation, sponsorship, or partnership with one of its recognized organizations, colleges, or departments. The university reserves the right to edit or to refuse to run any submission for any reason. "E-mail Digest" is not, nor is it intended to be, a public forum or a limited public forum.

(5) "ZipMail," a compilation of announcements from student groups, is distributed electronically to students every Friday by the department of student life. Items will be accepted for publication only when the university is directly involved in the activity through participation, sponsorship, or partnership with one of its recognized organizations, colleges, or departments. The university reserves the right to edit or to refuse to run a submission for any reason. "ZipMail" is not, nor is it intended to be, a public forum or a limited public forum.

(C) External publications, advertising, and news releases.

(1) External publications are distributed in whole or part to the general public or to other off-campus constituencies, including alumni. External publications include, but are not limited to, all stationery, business cards, flyers, brochures, certificates, posters, booklets; any pieces describing institutes, conferences, academic programs; and other promotional literature which bears the university's name. Such publications must be processed by the office of university communications and marketing. While suggestions in format and content are encouraged from the client, this department establishes all guidelines and has ultimate responsibility for the design and copy of the finished product.

(2) The primary mission of the office of university communications and marketing is to protect and manage the image of the university among external audiences, and to aid in the university's enrollment management efforts. Thus, the department works closely with the president's office and student affairs (admissions) to set priorities. The office of university communications and marketing also works with individual colleges, institutes and departments on projects as determined by the strategic mission set by the president. Those projects which cannot be handled directly by the office of university communications and marketing will be handled by outside resources that have been approved in advance by the office of university communications and marketing. These resources include freelance writers, designers, advertising and public relations agencies, video production firms, web designers and other creative resources.

(3) The office of university communications and marketing is responsible for established policies and standards concerning:

(a) The university logo and seal and other trade and service marks on printed and electronic materials, with the exception of athletics marks, which are overseen by the department of athletics.

(b) The university identity system--including environmental and all print and electronic graphics, stationery, and business cards.

(c) Certificates, including formal degrees, certificates for course completion, or of appreciation.

(d) Review of copy to be included in printed or electronic materials, to ensure consistency of the messages being conveyed.

(e) Design elements of the publication (type, ink, paper, color, illustrations, photographs).

(f) Specifications for printing.

(g) Production and placement of university news releases.

(h) Production and placement of university advertising, excepting classified and yellow pages advertising. Advertising for individual colleges, institutes, and departments which cannot be handled directly by the office of university communications and marketing should be approved by the office of university communications and marketing prior to placement.

(4) Exceptions to guidelines for the use of the logo and other aspects of the identity system are considered individually by the director of university communications and marketing. It is the responsibility of the client or originating department to meet these general procedural requirements:

(a) Before starting any publication project which is meant for any external audience, including alumni, meet with university communications and marketing staff to ascertain the project's purpose audience, content, and planned distribution, as well as creative resources requirements.

(b) Allow at least four to six weeks lead time for production, longer if the project is large.

(c) Provide an appropriately signed requisition when requesting services being provided through university communications and marketing.

(d) Requests for use of particular creative resources will be honored only if the resource is approved in advance by university communications and marketing and is deemed appropriate for the project by university communications and marketing staff. The use of non-approved resources, or suppliers, is prohibited.

(e) Allow additional time if extensive approvals and corrections are possible at any stage of production.

(5) It is the client's responsibility to approve finished art and copy. Costs resulting from reprints to correct errors are charged to the responsible department/client. A sign off sheet provided at the time of proofing details the responsibility/liability of the department/client for the content and design of the document.

(6) There is no charge to the client or originating department for services performed by the office of university communications and marketing. The cost for outside creative services such as copywriting, design, video production, and web design, will be estimated prior to starting any project and will be the sole responsibility of the client. Printing, whether completed by printing services on campus or an outside vendor, also will be charged to the originating department.

(D) Academic publications.

Individuals wishing to publish textbooks, workbooks, or other similar publications may do so through commercial publishers. Individuals, groups, or departments wishing to publish learned journals or other periodicals may do the same. However, when university funds, whether from a departmental budget or from an outside grant to the university are to be used to pay for such publications, dealings with any commercial printer must originate with the purchasing department and must be handled according to established university purchasing procedures.

(E) University press.

(1) The purpose of "The University of Akron Press" is to support intellectual inquiry through the publication of scholarly and creative works.

(2) The director of "the University of Akron Press" shall be selected for the position by the president or the president's designee. The director shall report to the senior vice president and provost and chief operating officer.

(3) The editorial board of "The University of Akron Press" shall be composed of nine faculty members and the director (ex-officio). The terms of the faculty members shall be three years, except that the initial appointments shall be made for staggered terms so that one third of the faculty members will rotate from the board every year. The terms of the editorial board members may be renewable. The editorial board shall be selected by the president or the president's designee.

(4) General charge and guidelines.

(a) The editorial board of "The University of Akron Press" shall advise and consult with the director of the university press on the general publishing program of the press and shall seek to maintain the highest standards of excellence for all publications which bear the imprint of "The University of Akron Press."

(b) The following guidelines are established to enable "The University of Akron Press" to publish scholarly books of high quality, and to publish them well:

(i) The editorial board shall approve in advance all books and other publications published under the imprint of "The University of Akron Press."

(ii) The emphasis of the press is on the publication of new scholarship. However, the press also occasionally publishes textbooks, manuals, and other synthetic works, as well as translations, anthologies, field guides, reissues of out-of-print works, and books intended for a general, non-scholarly market; such works shall be consistent with high standards of scholarship, and shall be vetted by senior scholars in the same manner as original scholarly work, but judged by criteria that are appropriate to the genres.

(iii) Whereas any non-university of Akron manuscript may be rejected by the press staff without recourse to the editorial board, a university of Akron faculty author has the option of insisting on an outside report, and the further option of appealing an adverse decision by the press staff to the editorial board. These faculty options apply only to book-length works of original scholarship, not to dissertations, reports, compilations, conference proceedings, edited works, translations, and the like.

(F) University publications

(1) "The General Bulletin" is the official catalog of the university and is distributed through the admissions office.

(2) "The Graduate School Bulletin" contains requirements for admission and graduation and the programs of advanced study offered by individual colleges and departments.

(3) "The School of Law Bulletin" is published annually. It contains requirements for admission and graduation and the programs of study offered by the school of law.

(4) "The Buchtelite" is published twice a week during the fall and spring semesters by the students of the University. It contains campus news, announcements, and items of general interest to students and faculty.

(5) Scholarships, fellowships, and awards at the university are listed in a booklet distributed by the office of student financial aid and employment and the department of development.

(6) "The Tel-Buch", published annually, is the student yearbook of the university. It is distributed to those who were classified as full-time students during the preceding academic year.

(7) Akron magazine is published two times a year by the office of university communications and marketing and distributed to alumni and other friends of the university. The magazine chronicles recent events and trends on campus, profiles people of interest, and offers news about alumni.

(8) Other publications that are necessary to support institutional goals as articulated by the president are produced through the office of university communications and marketing.

(G) Licensing and merchandising program.

(1) In 1986 the university started a licensing program to legally register the university seal, logos and policies which control the way the registered marks and university name are used. The program will promote more use of the name and logos by manufacturers and retailers while protecting the use. The licensing program is administered through the office of university communications and marketing. Any use of the university name and/or logos on any type of item other than publications should be cleared through the office of university communications and marketing.

(2) The university's merchandising program is designed to manage the placement of university merchandise in appropriate venues, for purposes of both sales and image of the university. The program is administered by the department of athletics.

Replaces: 3359-20- 05.7

Effective: 2/1/2015
Promulgated Under: 111.15
Statutory Authority: 3359
Rule Amplifies: 3359
Prior Effective Dates: 01/27/89, 07/20/90, 05/22/91, 09/16/96, 11/24/01, 06/25/07, 11/08/07, 05/30/09, 05/23/13