Messaging

How We Present Ourselves

Voice and Tone

Language has a major impact on how people perceive the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. The tonality of our language must always reflect our brand as an impactful, engaging, forward-thinking Division. Our voice is confident, warm and inclusive; intellectual but unpretentious. When it comes to acronyms (aka “alphabet soup”) and five-dollar words, less is more. Our priority is to engage our audiences through dynamic “show, not tell” storytelling. We work to keep our writing accessible with an emphasis on inclusive language. See our house style guide for more information.

Our Name

The official name is the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement or, if the association with the university is not clear from the surrounding context, the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.

First Mention

The formal name, the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, should be used as the first or dominant mention of the school in a document, page or website.

Secondary Mentions

After the formal name has been used, it is permissible to use “the DDCE” or “the Division.”

Narrative Description

The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement is a national model for integrating diversity and community engagement into the core mission of a university. It works with a broad range of student, faculty, staff and community constituents to help The University of Texas at Austin connect its intellectual resources to communities across Texas and offer education to those who may face the greatest challenges in accessing it. The Division focuses on four core pillars: campus culture, community engagement, education pipeline and research.

Editorial Style

In alignment with the university’s editorial style guidelines, we use the Associated Press Stylebook as our primary style guide because much of our writing is intended for external audiences— prospective students and their parents, donors and prospective donors, government officials, business leaders, news reporters and editors and the public at large.

The DDCE’s House Style Guide

Please defer to our house style guide as a point of reference for your written materials. This resource, which includes inclusive language guidelines, is intended to help writers and editors communicate clearly and consistently about the DDCE—for audiences both within the Longhorn community and beyond.

For specific questions about UT’s editorial style, please contact Jessica Sinn, communications coordinator, at sinnjessica@austin.utexas.edu.