A-Z Style Book

A

Advisor

Use advisor, not adviser.

Abbreviations & Acronyms

• Use full names of schools, programs, etc., on first reference and shortened names on subsequent references.
• Exceptions include long names that cannot be shortened. Use full name first, then abbreviation in parentheses, and abbreviation thereafter.
• Universally known acronyms (e.g., FBI, SAT, GPA) do not need to be spelled out.
• See Research Institutes and individual school and college entries for more guidance.

Academic Titles

• Capitalize "Professor" and "Dean" when used as titles before a name.
• Lowercase when used descriptively or after a name (unless part of an endowed chair).

Addresses

Use figures for numbered addresses. Abbreviate Ave., Blvd., St., and directional cues (e.g., N.W.) when used with a numbered address.

Alt Text

Include custom alt text for images to describe the subject for screen reader users. Alt text should be detailed and clear.

Alumni

• Alumnus: man (singular)
• Alumni: men; or a group of men and women
• Alumna: woman (singular)
• Alumnae: women (plural)
• Alum: gender-neutral (singular)
• Alums: gender-neutral (plural)

In publications, include degrees and years in parentheses with a right-hand curly apostrophe: 
Sally Smith (BS ’96); Bob Jones (BA ’98, MBA ’99); John Johnson (attd. 1993–95); Frank Albright (Hon. PhD ’01)

Ampersand

Use only if part of an entity’s official name.

Awards

Capitalize full formal names of awards. Use lowercase “award” on subsequent mentions.

B

Board of Trustees

Capitalize when referring to DU’s governing body. Lowercase “board” when used alone.

Boettcher Scholars

See Scholarships and Fellowships for more information.

Buildings & Facilities

Capitalize formal names on first reference. Some names may be shortened on subsequent references, retaining capitalization for proper nouns.

• Ammi Hyde Building
• Anderson Academic Commons, the Academic Commons, the library
• Anna and John J. Sie International Relations Complex, the Sie Complex
• Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy, the Sié Center
• Boettcher Center
• Buchtel Bungalow
• Buchtel Memorial Tower
• Burwell Center for Career Achievement, the Burwell Center
• The Cable Center
• Carnegie Green
• Campus Green (between Sturm Hall and the Frank H. Ricketson Jr. Law Building)
• Centennial Halls, Halls
• Centennial Towers, Towers
• Chamberlin Observatory
• Chester M. Alter Arboretum, Alter Arboretum
• Clarence M. Knudson Hall, Knudson Hall
• Columbine Hall
• Community Commons
• Craig Hall
• Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports & Wellness, the Ritchie Center
• Barton Lacrosse Stadium
• Benjamin F. Stapleton Jr. Tennis Pavilion, Stapleton Tennis Pavilion
• CIBER Field at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium or University of Denver Soccer Stadium (Soccer Stadium subsequent references)
• Coors Fitness Center
• Diane Wendt Sports Fields
• El Pomar Natatorium
• Gates Field House
• Hamilton Gymnasium
• Joy Burns Arena
• Magness Arena
• Pat Bowlen Training Center
• Williams Tower
• Daniels College of Business, the Daniels College, Daniels (Do not use DCB)
• Dimond Family Residential Village
• Driscoll Green
• Driscoll University Center
• Evans Memorial Chapel
• Facilities Service Center
• Fisher Early Learning Center
• Frank H. Ricketson Jr. Law Building
• Frontier Hall
• F.W. Olin Hall, Olin Hall
• Harper Humanities Gardens
• Iliff School of Theology
• International House
• John Moye Hall
• Johnson-McFarlane Hall, J-MAC
• Joy Burns Center
• Katherine A. Ruffatto Hall, Ruffatto Hall
• King Lee and Shirley Nelson Residence Hall, Nelson Hall
• Margery Reed Hall, Margery Reed
• Mary Reed Building, Mary Reed
• Mass Communications Building
• Merle Catherine Chambers Center for the Advancement of Women, the Chambers Center
• Nagel Art Studios
• Nagel Hall
• Physical Education Building
• Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts, the Newman Center
• Joy Burns Plaza
• June Swaner Gates Concert Hall
• Elizabeth Eriksen Byron Theatre, the Byron Theatre
• Frederic C. Hamilton Family Recital Hall, Hamilton Recital Hall
• Trevorrow Hall
• Williams Recital Salon
• Shwayder Art Building
• Sturm Hall
• University Hall (formerly Old Main)
• University Technology Services Building

C

Campuses

• City Campus: The University of Denver is housed on a 125-acre site in the University Park neighborhood.
• Mountain Campus: The James C. Kennedy Mountain Campus is situated on 720 acres of wilderness in the Colorado Rockies.

campuswide

Chair and Vice Chair

Use chair and vice chair instead of chairman, chairperson, chairwoman.

Chamberlin Observatory

Cherrington Global Scholars program 
See Scholarships and Fellowships for more information.

Classes

Class of 2019, but the classes of ’90–’99.

co-curricular 
Not cocurricular

Colleges

• College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS): Use full name on first reference and CAHSS on subsequent references.
• College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM): Use full name on first reference and NSM on subsequent references.
• College of Professional Studies: Formerly University College. Use full name on first reference and “Professional Studies” on subsequent references. Do not abbreviate to CPS.
• Colorado Women’s College: Ceased operations in 2021. Acknowledge the name when referring to alumni and faculty.

Smith is an enthusiastic alumna of the Colorado Women’s College, having earned her degree in 1969.

Commas

See Oxford comma for more information.

Commencement

Capitalize when referring to DU’s ceremonies. Lowercase when referring to ceremonies at other universities.

He gave the commencement address at Harvard.

Committee Names

Lowercase generic committee names: buildings and grounds committee, budget committee, search committee.

Capitalize only those committees with distinctive formal names: the Colorado Committee on Higher Education Reform.

Convocation

Capitalize when referring to DU’s fall ceremonies. Lowercase other references.

co-requisite

Course Titles

Capitalize the full, formal title of a course. Do not place titles in quotation marks. Lowercase casual references to classes.

He loved his Introduction to Air Pollution Science class but really disliked photography.

coursework

Latin Honors

Always lowercase: cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude.

curriculum, curricula

D

Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science

On second reference, use the Ritchie School.

Daniels College of Business

On second reference, use Daniels College or Daniels.

Dates

• Use Arabic figures, without st, nd, rd, or th.
• Abbreviate months longer than five letters when used with specific dates. Never abbreviate March, April, May, June, or July.
• Use commas before and after the year when a phrase includes month, day, and year.
• Use a comma after the day and after the date when including a day of the week.
• Do not use a comma with the date when no year is mentioned.
• Do not use a comma and do not abbreviate the month when referring to just the month and year.

Degrees

• Do not capitalize formal names of academic degrees in general text.
• Casual references require an apostrophe: bachelor’s degree, master’s degree.
• Use formal titles when referring to specific degrees.
• Do not use periods in degree initials: BA, JD, MFA, PhD.
• Degrees used as part of a person’s identity should follow their name and be offset by commas.
• List degrees and years after first reference for alumni.
• If no degree was earned, list years of attendance only.

Note: Deviations from this list should be verified with the Office of the Registrar, x2284.

The Denver Difference

Capitalize “The” when using the name of DU’s capital campaign.

In 2024, The Denver Difference was launched.

Departments and Offices

• Capitalize when used as a formal name.
• Lowercase informal references.
• Proper nouns are an exception.
• Capitalize department names that also describe subject matter when referring to the department itself.
• Lowercase when referring to the subject matter.
• Use full name on first reference for centers and institutes; lowercase “center” or “institute” on subsequent references.
• KIHA may be used for Knoebel Institute on Healthy Aging on subsequent mentions.

For verifying formal names, consult the Departments A-Z Directory at du.edu.

Examples:

• Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures
• Office of Undergraduate Admission (not Admissions)
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice

Dorm or Dormitory

DU uses the term “residence hall” for students’ living quarters.

Dr. Prefix

Do not use “Dr.” in front of faculty names. Use degree initials after the name in formal publications.

Refer to faculty and staff by full names or last names. First name use of students and alumni is allowed on second reference.

Erin Jones, PhD, has been a tenured professor at the University of Denver for twenty years.

See Names for more information.

E

Emerita, Emeritus, Emeriti

• Matt Jones, professor emeritus of computer science
• Lynn Davis, associate professor emerita of French
• DU honored its professors emeriti at the luncheon.

Endowed Chairs and Professorships

Capitalize the full name of the chair or professorship.

Ved Nanda held the Thompson G. Marsh Professorship.

Modified usages incorporating a lowercase chair or professorship are acceptable on second references.

The Marsh professorship is a great honor.

F

Faculty

The word “faculty” is a collective noun, singular in form but referencing a group of individuals.

Use with a singular verb if emphasizing action as a unit.

The law school faculty embodies the University’s emphasis on the public good.

Use a plural verb if emphasizing faculty members individually.

Faculty from the political science department are quoted in recent news reports about the election.

fieldwork

first-year student: Use instead of “freshman” in all cases except athletics.

Founders Day

Founders’ Fellows: See Scholarships and Fellowships for more information.

Four-Dimensional Experience, 4D Experience

Use Four-Dimensional Experience on first reference and 4D Experience on second reference. Do not use a dash between the 4 and the D.

The Four Dimensions are intellect, well-being, character, and purpose. Action words may be used before the Dimensions when needed: Deepen Intellect.

Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management

Use the Burns School on second reference.

Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management

Use the Knoebel School on second reference.

G

Gender-Specific Language

Avoid gender-specific language when possible or when gender is unknown.

Opt for neutral nouns and pronouns instead: they or the student.

Use male or female only when referring to the sex of an individual or animal.

Graduate Schools

• Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Use full name on first reference and GSPP on subsequent references.
• Graduate School of Social Work: Use full name on first reference and GSSW on subsequent references.

H

Hashtags

Use camel case format for accessibility: #UniversityofDenver rather than #universityofdenver or #UNIVERSITYOFDENVER.

Hocktoberfest

Annual pre-game Homecoming event; not Hocktoberfestival or HocktoberFest.

Homecoming

Capitalize when referring to DU’s fall event.

Honors/honors

• Lowercase cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude.
• Capitalize Honors when referring to the University Honors Program, its students, projects, and classes.
• Lowercase honors when referring to departmental achievements.

Sally, who is an Honors student, takes a demanding course load each quarter.

Sarah Hamm earned honors in biology.

J

James C. Kennedy Mountain Campus

Situated on 720 acres of wilderness in the Colorado Rockies. Use KMC or “the mountain campus” on second reference.

Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs

Renamed in 2025 from the Josef Korbel School of International Affairs.

Use Korbel, Korbel School, or Josef Korbel School on second reference. Do not use acronyms like JKSIS or GSIS.

K

KMC: See entry for James C. Kennedy Mountain Campus.

L

Living and Learning Communities

The acronym LLC is acceptable on second reference.

M

Morgridge College of Education

Use “Morgridge College” or “Morgridge” on second and subsequent references.

Mountain Campus

See entry for James C. Kennedy Mountain Campus.

N

Names

Refer to faculty and staff by full names or last names. First name use of students and alumni is allowed on second reference.

Kelsey Kris developed this innovative research methodology in collaboration with her mentor, Erin Jones, PhD. Kelsey also submitted a research paper edited by Jones to Science magazine that fall.

See Dr. prefix for more information.

O

On-campus, on campus

Use on-campus as an adjective and on campus as a prepositional phrase.

We promote on-campus events.

We promote events on campus.

Office of Undergraduate Admission: Not Admissions.

Oxford Comma

DU style uses the Oxford comma in all cases except media releases to external publications.

• "The flag is red, white, and blue."
• "I would like to thank my teachers, my dog, and my best friend."

P

Phone Numbers

Use periods to separate the area code and exchange: 303.871.2000

Pioneers

University’s official moniker used for Athletics purposes only. Word can be used lowercased as a verb.

Pronunciations

• Boettcher Center /BECH-ər/
• Buchtel Bungalow /BUCK-tel/
• Dimond Family Residential Village /di-mond/
• Sié Chéou-Kang Center /SEE Chow-Kang/

Post

Words beginning with this prefix are usually closed, unless the root word is a proper noun: postdoctoral, postmodern, post-Obama.

pow wow

Q

Quarters, Quarter Hours

Lowercase fall, winter, and spring quarters, summer session and interterm in general copy.

Use numerals to express quarter hours: Students traveling to Mexico will earn 2 quarter hours of credit.

Quotation Marks

• Use single quotation marks in news headlines and for quotes within quotes.
• Use “smart” quotes, not "straight" quotes.
• Semicolons and colons go outside quotation marks.
• Periods and commas go inside the closing quotation mark.
• Use quotation marks for titles of books, articles, poems, short stories, etc.
• No quotation marks or italics for course titles, apps, awards, websites, political documents, scriptural works, or musical compositions with form names.

R

Reiman School of Finance

Designated Research Institutes

• Butler Institute for Families (GSSW)
• Frederick S. Pardee Institute for International Futures (Korbel)
• Institute for the Advancement of American Legal System (IAALS)
• Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC, GSSW)
• Institute for Healthy Relationships (CAHSS)
• Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging (KIHA)
• Marsico Institute for Early Learning (Morgridge)
• Stress, Early Experience and Development Institute (SEED, CAHSS)

residence hall: Not dorm or dormitory.

Rosh Hashanah

S

Scholarships & Fellowships

Capitalize official names of scholarships and fellowships, but not “scholars” or “fellows.”

The Sié Fellowship is a two-year, full-tuition scholarship to the Korbel School.

DU has several Boettcher scholars in its incoming class.

Founder’s Fellows

School of Art and Art History

Sturm College of Law

Use “Sturm College” or “Denver Law” on second reference.

T

Theater/Theatre

Use “theatre” when referring to the University’s Department of Theatre. Use “theater” in other references.

Theater majors use the Byron Flexible Theatre as a laboratory for developing their skills.

Time

• Write 3 p.m. (not 3:00 p.m.)
• Use a dash or “from…to” for time ranges
• Noon is sufficient for 12 p.m.; avoid “12 noon”

Titles

Capitalize the following but do not italicize or use quotation marks:

• Blog titles
• Course titles
• Software
• TV and radio stations
• Websites (e.g., the Huffington Post, the Daily Beast)

transgender: Not transgendered.

Trustees

Capitalize trustee as a title before the name: Trustee Allan Phipps

Lowercase when used as a descriptor: As a trustee, Allan Phipps served the University Board of Trustees well.

U

University of Denver

Capitalize University of Denver and second references to the University when implied.

DU is acceptable on second reference.

University College

Former name of DU’s College of Professional Studies.

University Honors Program

Always capitalize the full formal name. Use Honors Program on second reference. Casual references should capitalize Honors.

Sally is an Honors student.

W

well-being: Noun, hyphenated.

work-study: Hyphenated; can be used as an adjective or a noun.