UDAR CREATIVE

Use these bias-free terms whenever possible.

• alum/alums — preferred
• alumna — Singular feminine, women only. Avoid if possible.
• alumnus — Singular masculine, men only. Avoid if possible.
• alumni — Plural, men and women. Use alum/alums if possible.

• Alum of the Year (for both men and women)
  
• John Doe, the Smith Distinguished Professor of Anthropology; the professorship holder
  
• the Guggenheim Fellowship/the fellowship; the Guggenheim fellow/the fellow
  
• the John Jones Chair in Russian Literature/the Jones Chair/the endowed chair/the chair
  
• MacArthur Fellowship/MacArthur “genius” award or “genius” grant/MacArthur fellow
  
• the Mary Smith Distinguished Professorship in Anthropology/the Smith Distinguished Professorship/the distinguished professorship/the professorship
  
• Vladimir Nabokov, the Jones Professor of Russian Literature/the chairholder
  
• the Nobel Prize in physics/Nobel laureate/Nobel Prize winner

Lowercase common nouns, even those that refer to specific areas within the university, when used in a general sense.

• board, campus, center, college, committee, department, institute, office, program, school, trustee
• The university was founded in 1868.
• The board voted to increase tuition.
• The college will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year.

Capitalize these words only when they are part of a title.

• The College of Chemistry will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year.
• The University of California Board of Regents voted to increase tuition.

Lowercase subsequent references.

• The College of Chemistry will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year. The college relies on donor support to maintain its excellence.

If “the” is formally capitalized in the name of a campus entity, e.g., The Bancroft Library or The Lawrence Hall of Science, we prefer to follow AP style and lowercase “the” in running text, e.g., “A benefit will be held for the Lawrence in November.” However, if a unit insists that you retain the capitalization in running text, follow their lead.

Informal — Chancellor Rich Lyons

Formal (e.g., gala invitations) — Chancellor Richard K. Lyons. Never use Chancellor Rich K. Lyons.

Grad year — You can include Chancellor Lyons’ grad year when it makes sense, such as an alum reunion or commencement. Do not use it in projects such as a thank-you letter, holiday card signed by the Lyons family, or donor-specific event. If you are unsure, email or for events managed by ERMC in UDAR.

• Chancellor Rich Lyons ’82 (most cases), Chancellor Richard K. Lyons ’82 (formal)

Years and degrees

For undergraduates, we list their years but not degrees. We list both the degrees and years for graduate student alums.

• Undergraduate— Jane M. Doe ’62; John N. Doe of the Class of 1955 or the Class of ’55
  
• Graduate — Jane M. Doe M.B.A. ’90; John Smith Ph.D. ’19
  
• More than one Cal degree — John N. Doe ’55, M.B.A. ’60
  
• Name with suffix — John Doe Jr. ’60 (A comma does not precede Jr. or Sr.)
  
• Cal grad with a non-Cal M.D. — Phillip M. Levin ’60, M.D.
  
• Pairs — John ’56 and Jane ’58 Harrison (John and Jane graduated in different years.); Bob and Ann ’02 Chavez (Only Ann is an alum.); Bob ’02 and Ann ’02 Chavez (Bob and Ann graduated the same year.)
  
• Decades — We don’t use a possessive apostrophe in decades, e.g. ’80s, not ’80’s. The Classes of the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s will hold a reunion.

Current students

If possible, include class years for people who have not yet graduated. You may ask them directly what year to list, or use CADS for honor rolls and the like.

When referring to a class

Capitalize class when referring to a specific class. The Class of 1984, the Classes of 1990-2000.

Parent years

Parent years refer to when a Cal parent’s child graduated. When they are required, e.g., donor listings, list the parent’s name, followed by P. and the child’s grad year in parentheses. Include a short footnote in print and digital pieces that says the “P.” refers to Cal parents. Here are some different use cases.

• Parent only — Erin Walker (P. ’10). Erin’s child graduated in 2010.
  
• Alum and parent — Eric Walker ’92 (P. ’10). Eric graduated in 1992, and his child in 2010.
  
• Parent has several children who went to Cal — Dennis Wong (P. ’97, ’01, ’04). Dennis has three children who graduated in 1997, 2001, and 2004.
  
• Couples
  • Both are alums — William ’67 (P. ’02 ) and Maria ’68 (P. ’02) Robinson. William graduated in 1967 and Maria in 1968. Their child graduated in 2002.
  • Only one is an alum — Victor R. M.B.A. ’67 (P. ’02) and Camilla (P. ’02) Jones. Victor received an M.B.A. in 1967, but Camilla did not go here. Their child graduated in 2002.

Prior to 1930

Write out the full year for alums who graduated before 1930 to avoid confusion about which century the degree was awarded.

• Incorrect: Distinguished alums include former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren ’12, J.D. ’14.
• Correct: Distinguished alums include former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren 1912, J.D. 1914.

Sequence

In a sequence of courses with a single title and course description, repeat the complete number of the sequence.

• Incorrect: Chemistry 12A-B-C or Chemistry 12ABC
• Correct: Chemistry 12A-12B-12C

Capitalization

Capitalize a course’s official designation, but do not italicize. Enclose the description in quotes if it differs from the official designation. Professor Jones teaches Biology 101, “An Introduction to Biology.”

Capitalization

Do not cap bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate when referred to in general terms. She earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

Initials and periods

Use periods with no spaces — A.B., B.A., B.S., C.Mult., C.Sing., D.Eng., Dr.P.H., Ed.D., J.D., J.S.D., LL.M., M.A., M.A.T., M.Arch., M.B.A., M.C.P., M.D., M.Eng., M.F., M.F.A., M.I.D.S., M.J., M.L.A., M.L.I.S., M.P.H., M.P.P., M.S., M.S.W., O.D., Ph.D.

Licenses and associations do not take periods — CPA, LCSW, AAAS, IEEE, ASLA

Many UC Berkeley schools and colleges exclude periods from degrees. Whichever style you choose, be consistent within the document.

Capitalize disciplines only when referring to specific courses or departments. I’m studying biostatistics, although my favorite course is Anthro 2, “Introduction to Archaeology,” in the Department of Anthropology.

It’s OK to use Department of Anthropology on first reference and anthropology department in subsequent references.

Lowercase majors and minors, but capitalize proper names. She majored in linguistics and minored in Asian studies.

• emerita (singular feminine adjective, women only) / emeritus (singular noun, men or women) / emeriti (plural noun)
• chancellor emerita (singular feminine adjective) / chancellor emeritus (singular masculine adjective) — Chancellor Emerita Carol T. Christ reflected on her tenure. The chancellor emeritus was honored.
• professor emerita (singular feminine adjective) / professor emeritus (singular masculine adjective) — Professor Emerita of Mathematics Mary Jones, Professor Emeritus of English John Smith
• professors emeriti (plural adjective) — The department’s faculty includes six professors emeriti.

Capitalize full titles when they precede personal names.

• Dean Mary Taylor met with the college’s professors to discuss a new admissions policy.
• The award was presented by Chancellor Rich Lyons.

Lowercase titles when used generally, including chancellor, or when following a name.

• The chancellor awarded $1 million in discretionary funds to student services.
• Jane Doe, vice chancellor for university development and alumni relations, announced the campaign’s goal.

Titles following a personal name may be capitalized in invitations, programs, and other event collateral.

Do not capitalize occupational titles preceding a name.

• Several people contributed to the report, including attorney James Smith.

Do not use Dr. in academic titles unless the professor prefers it for honor rolls or similar listing. Generally, the title Dr. is only used at the beginning of names of those who are medical doctors.

Do not use the abbreviation Prof.