The College of Liberal Arts has an incredible story to tell, and the Strategic Communications team will share it through deliberate and purposeful messaging. We will create a unified front that will strengthen the college’s reputation and visibility on a global scale to ensure that the college is recognized for our transformational teaching and learning, research that matters, and civic engagement efforts.

New Identity Toolkit - Brand Guide

Creative Services Request Form

The College of Liberal Arts’ Office of Strategic Communications and Development (StratComm) offers assistance to units, programs, departments, and centers/institutes in the college. Our portfolio of services includes graphic design, writing/editing, and web design. 

StratComm is here to help share your message, advertise your event, or develop strategies to publicize your research. Once we receive your request, a staff member from our office will contact you to discuss your project needs.

When planning your project, please consider the following types of marketing pieces to add to your request:

• Flyers
• Brochures
• Event programs
• One-pagers
• On-campus advertisements (digital signage, sandwich boards, yard signs, bus ads, etc.)
• Articles about your event (college website, Texas A&M today, local media – see Story Request form)
• Invitations
• Web graphics
• Social media pushes
• Promotional items (t-shirts, pens, mugs, etc.)
• Photography

Guidelines for design requests:

3 to 6 - WEEK LEAD TIME

Please submit requests at least 6 weeks in advance for large events (100+ attendees) requiring multiple marketing pieces and at least 3 weeks in advance for single item requests.

Photography requests should be given at least 3 weeks in advance for scheduling purposes. 

PROJECT APPROVAL IS SUBJECTIVE

Project approval is based on alignment with the College of Liberal Arts’ strategic plan and current workload of the StratComm team.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATION

Please note: We do understand some requests will require our immediate attention due to time sensitivity. In these cases, please submit a ticket and note the urgency in the “Comments” section.

CONTENT REQUIRED TO BEGIN

Whenever possible, your team is responsible for providing written content and photographs. Content must be submitted before the design process can begin. Failure to meet deadlines or deliver all necessary materials will impact the final delivery of your project.

PROCESS OVERVIEW

Approved requests will receive the following:

1. Initial consultation to discuss overall scope of the project, your ideas, and expectations, and pricing.
2. Two rounds of design revisions. Grammatical errors, incorrect content, and technical errors do not count towards the allotted two revisions.
3. Vendor recommendations
4. Liaising with selected vendor (dependent upon request)

SUBMITTING CHANGES

Any updates or changes to approved design requests need to be submitted via the email thread of the original request.

(Please note that items with an asterisk [ * ] are required to be filled out before submitting the form. You will receive an automatic response if your request is submitted properly.)

Story Request Form

As part of our services, we can help you write, publish, and submit articles for use on campus or using traditional wire services. Consider writing about achievements, events, or outstanding people within your community to let others know what's going on.

(Please note that items with an asterisk [ * ] are required to be filled out before submitting the form. You will receive an automatic response if your request is submitted properly.)

Media Guidelines

OVERVIEW

The Texas A&M College of Liberal Arts (CLLA) recognizes the importance and benefits of communicating through various media outlets. Media is a powerful vehicle through which the CLLA disseminates relevant news and information to Texas A&M University, the Texas A&M University System, and to local, state, national, and international audiences. Media also allows us the opportunity to listen to perceptions about the CLLA and connect with the public in various formats.

Navigating through multiple outlets using various forms of media can be confusing, as there are constant changes in platforms, technologies, and communities. Using guidelines can help us all steer clear of any obstacles.

Any calls received from the media or organizations with questions or concerns about CLLA activities should be directed to Heather Rodriguez, Interim Communications Manager, at (979) 845-6061 or hrodriguez@tamu.edu.

PURPOSE OF THESE GUIDELINES

• To provide members of the CLLA community with contemporary guidance about using media resources to communicate about the college
• To clarify work-related and personal uses of media, including social media
• To clarify the relationship between existing university and CLLA guidelines and contemporary uses of media

GUIDELINES

These guidelines provide information for CLLA faculty and staff who interact with media—including radio, television, video, articles, newspapers, blogs, Facebook, personal websites, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, and other, yet-to-be-developed media in a dynamic communications field.

CLLA employees may find that many of these guidelines can be helpful when thinking about personal social media accounts, but these guidelines are not intended to govern or restrict personal presence on the web, nor are they intended to restrict employee rights to engage in concerted, protected activity with fellow employees over the terms and conditions of employment.

Similarly, these guidelines are not intended to abridge or otherwise restrict principles of academic freedom.

This will be a living document, which will reflect the CLLA’s current needs and adjust to future changes in media.

With these parameters in mind, here are some principles to guide employees who use media to speak on the CLLA’s behalf:

• Confidentiality: Confidential or proprietary information about the CLLA and its faculty, staff, students, clients, patients, affiliates, and alumni must be protected as outlined in university and local policies, applicable federal and state laws, and regulations. Supervisors should be consulted for guidance on restrictions related to the release of confidential information.
• Privacy: Please do not post anything that you would not present in any public forum. In particular, please refrain from discussing situations involving named or pictured individuals in the media or on a social media site without the individual’s express knowledge and permission
• Permanence: Remember that whatever you share (either on the university/college’s behalf or your own personal account) may be public for an indefinite period of time, even if you attempt to modify or delete information.
• Audience: Be careful what personal information you share, as it could be available to anyone.
• Association: Keep in mind that on many websites, your name and photo or icon may appear next to the content that you post and will be associated with you and may also reflect on the CLLA or the university, as you may be seen as representing them in an official capacity.

The CLLA encourages the use of media to enhance education and research through collaboration, communication, and publication of our research and programs, while ensuring that the authorized use of media does no harm to the CLLA or to university faculty, students, alumni, or employees.

REFERRING MEDIA CALLS

When responding to an inquiry from the media, please inform the reporter that the CLLA’s policy is to refer all media inquiries to the communications team. Please provide the media with the phone number for Heather Rodriguez, Interim Communications Manager, at (979) 845-6061 or hrodriguez@tamu.edu. The CLLA communications team can assist you in formulating a response, which is helpful to have prepared in advance of talking to any reporter, in order to provide accurate and relevant information.

GUIDELINES FOR PHOTOGRAPHS, FILM, OR VIDEO

If you receive questions or requests for photographs, film, or video, please refer the caller to the communications team. We have a variety of responses prepared based on a number of considerations. If you encounter someone taking photos or videos, please keep in mind:

• Media can take exterior photos of our buildings, but we have the right to ask them for a contact person in their newsroom so we can verify their credibility.
• Media from outside of Texas A&M University cannot enter our facility to photograph or film without permission, and a member of the communications team will typically accompany them while they are in the building.
• Media cannot block entrance to our facility or prevent people from entering our facility or conducting business as usual.
• Should you come upon a reporter, keep in mind that they may be filming or otherwise recording your conversation. Feel free to call the communications team to handle the situation.

CONSIDER THE IMPACT ON STAKEHOLDERS AND CONSTITUENTS

Consider the college’s internal and external stakeholders and constituents before we move forward in the decision-making process regarding press releases, news stories, interviews, and similar media interactions.

GUIDELINES FOR SEEKING MEDIA COVERAGE

We encourage educational, inspiring, and enlightening news stories from CLLA faculty, administrators, staff, students, clients, and alumni. If you have a story of potential interest, please contact the communications team at (979) 845-6061.

To ensure the accuracy of information, the CLLA communications team is responsible for discussing each story/article/release with the department head/administrator of the respective department/unit before a story goes to the media or is otherwise released to the public. The approval process will be conducted in a timely manner, so if the department head/administrator is unavailable for approval of the story/article/release, a designated person from each department will be contacted for approval. Furthermore, all media releases will be reviewed by the individual/s quoted in the release before distribution.

Note: Although these guidelines cover the appropriate use of media resources by CLLA employees, the use of media resources by all employees remains subject to Texas A&M University policies governing employee conduct. CLLA media guidelines do not supplement the university guidelines; they work in tandem.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Heather Rodriguez
Interim Communications Coordinator
Office: (979) 845-6061
hrodriguez@tamu.edu

HELPFUL RESOURCES

How to Survive a Media Blitz: an Academic's Guide