The university should be referred to as either SEU or Southeastern University. Please do not just use “Southeastern” by itself.
The preferred form is to spell out academic degrees and avoid abbreviations on first use. Subsequent uses can be abbreviated.
| Formal Use | General Use | Abbreviated Use |
| Associate of Arts | associate degree | AA |
| Bachelor of Arts | bachelor’s degree | BA |
| Bachelor of Science | bachelor’s degree | BS |
| Master of Arts | master’s degree | MA |
| Doctor of Education | doctoral degree | EdD |
Do not use periods when abbreviating degrees or certifications.
Though many bachelor’s and master’s degrees are formatted using “Bachelor of Science in”/“Bachelor of Arts in” or “Master of Science in”/“Master of Arts in,” there are some exceptions, including the following:
The Doctor of Education (EdD), Doctor of Ministry (DMin), Doctorate in Strategic Leadership (DSL), and Doctor of Missiology (DMiss), are not PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) degrees. It is still correct to refer to graduates as “Dr.” However, it is important to note that all doctoral degrees are not PhD degrees. (Of course, the PhD in Organizational Leadership and PhD in Education are.)
When referring to SACSCOC accreditation, it’s important to remember that the institution is accredited, not the degree programs.
Examples
When to use: On all externally-facing marketing (print and web/email) pieces that discuss academic programs
How to use: When referring to SEU’s accreditation, the official accreditation statement must be used. This statement must not be altered, including its punctuation, word order and capitalization.
Shorter version—Used only when space is an issue: Southeastern University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctorate degrees.
Full version—Updated 2022: Southeastern University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctorate degrees. Questions about the accreditation of Southeastern University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
When to use: On all externally-facing marketing (print and web/email) once an academic program has been submitted for approval to SACSCOC and has been approved for marketing.
This program will launch in the <fall/spring> of <year> pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
In the summer of 2020, the School of Divinity (in the Barnett College of Ministry & Theology) was granted accreditation by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).
One of these versions of the accreditation statement should be added to the footer area of printed pieces that refer to the programs offered within the School of Divinity. While not required, adding the accreditation verbiage gives additional prestige to the programs.
When to use: On all externally-facing marketing (print and web/email) any time graduate level (master’s or doctoral) ministry programs are mentioned in a piece or online. This is a big selling point, so it doesn’t have to be tiny on printed pieces, but it can still be treated as a footnote. As of 2022, this designation does NOT apply to graduate degrees that fall under the Hoskins School of Mission (e.g. Doctor of Missiology and degrees in partnership with One Hope).
Shorter version: SEU’s School of Divinity is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).
Longer version: The School of Divinity (graduate programs) within the Barnett College of Ministry & Theology at Southeastern University is fully accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).
When to use: On all externally-facing marketing (print and web/email) that discuss the BSW or MSW.
BSW version: The Bachelor of Social Work program at Southeastern University is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
MSW version: The Master of Social Work Program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Commission on Accreditation.
Nursing degrees at the baccalaureate and master’s level fall under the accrediting body of Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the associate degree level falls under the Florida Board of Nursing.
When to use: On all externally-facing marketing (print and web/email) that discuss the nursing programs.
CCNE
Bachelor’s level version: The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at SEU is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
Master’s level version (as of Oct. 2024):
The master’s degree program in nursing at Southeastern University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.
Florida Board of Nursing
Associate level version: The Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program has been approved by the Florida Board of Nursing.
Alumni refers to more than one alum; alumnus refers to one; alumna refers to one female
Only capitalize the word alumni if referring to a proper name, such as the SEU Alumni Association, Pansler Alumni-Student Union, SEU Office of Alumni Relations.
When referencing team activities, championship wins, playoffs, etc., defer to the phrasing used on SEUfire.com. Each sport carries its own terminology.
When in doubt, consult a member of the Fire Athletics staff (e.g. Donnie Smith, Darcee’ Roberts, Drew Watson)
This initiative, launched in fall 2019, includes the competitive eSports team and the eSports club. When used in text, do not capitalize the “e.” Fire eSports has its own logo.
This team’s inaugural season launched in fall 2023. (Note: At this time the team is referred to as both Fire Fishing and the SEU Bass Fishing team; further clarification is needed from Athletics.)
Bulleted lists/Bullet points
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Sentences
Example
SEU Tech offers three options for you to earn certificates in Software Development, Cybersecurity, or Data Science.
Rationale: Omitting the periods in the list is fine because each bullet point makes sense on its own. Using periods in this type of list isn’t wrong, it just usually looks cleaner in design without them.
SEU Tech offers three options for you to earn certificates in Software Development, Cybersecurity, or Data Science.
Rationale: Omitting a period at the end of these types of bullet points would look like an error.
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Itemized lists
Example
This program will teach you to:
Rationale: By putting the intro and the first bullet together, the sentence would read: “This program will teach you to find solutions.” Note that each bullet begins with a verb.
Example
Program Benefits
Rationale: Neither the intro nor the bullets make sentences; it is simply a list.
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Capitalize a job title when it immediately precedes a person’s name. The title is not capitalized when it follows a name.
See the Academic Degrees entry above for correct capitalization and abbreviations of degrees.
Capitalize the formal names of departments and offices. Do not capitalize informal names or board references.
Do not capitalize the word university when used apart from the official name: Southeastern University.
Capitalize the formal names of buildings, places and centers.
Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of five or more letters.
Lowercase general course names.
The formal names of special events are capitalized (e.g., Homecoming, Welcome Week), with the exception of graduation.
Do not capitalize semesters or seasons.
In most cases, capitalization/title case is generally preferred in digital advertising, such as paid social and display ads.
Examples:
Apply for Free with Code FUTUREFIRE
Elevate Your Career with an MBA
Spell out the names of the 50 states. When a state is listed following a city, use a comma both before and after the state.
Note: This format is commonly used when listing Fire Athletics schedules.
Collective nouns take a singular verb and pronoun.
While the below words may have multiple accepted spellings, note that the below spellings have been adopted for the sake of consistency in writing.
Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of five or more letters.
Italicize the names of the following:
See Punctuation section below
Spell out months and days of the weeks. Do not use abbreviations unless space is extremely limited. If an abbreviation is necessary in a printed piece, do not use periods (e.g., Oct. rather than Oct).
Place a comma between the month and the year when the day is mentioned. Dates following a day of the week should also be set apart by commas.
Do not place a comma between the month and year when the day is not mentioned.
Use the year, an en dash and the year to refer to a period of time. If the period is preceded by “from,” use “to” rather than the en dash.
When specifying the time zone for the time of an event (especially an online event), be sure to use the correct abbreviation. If you’re not sure, use ET.
Originally coined by SEU President Dr. Kent Ingle, the use of the term Divine Design refers to the God-given calling placed on a person’s life. Divine Design and the phrase Discover & Develop Your Divine Design are now being woven into SEU’s visual and verbal identity as a core component of our branding.
As of fall 2023, Divine Design also refers to a set number of credit hours that have been established within each undergraduate major. See the Divine Design Resource Center web page for additional details.
In order to establish consistent usage, please refer to the following guidelines for capitalization and punctuation:
Note: As of March 8, 2023, SEU carries the trademark (standard character mark) for the phrase Discover Your Divine Design. (see TESS Serial Number 97828258)
As much as possible, care should be taken to use the correct diacritics (accent marks) of words and names.
Examples: André (name), Reykjavík and Stykkishólmur (cities in Iceland)
If needed, refer to this article in the Merriam Webster dictionary for guidance.
Mission is used as an adjective, is usually singular, and is often accompanied by a noun (such as trip, work, or field)
Examples:
Missions is a noun.
Examples:
SEU Missions is a proper name and can be used as both an adjective (to describe a trip) and as a noun (to describe the department/organization).
Examples:
(These uses are unique to mission work/mission field…not other uses, such as the mission of a department, going on a mission, a mission statement, etc.)
Note: In the name Hoskins School of Mission, mission is used in singular form.
Write out a person’s first and last name in headlines and on first mention. On subsequent mentions, referring to the person by their first name only or last name only will depend on the type of piece you are writing.
Formal Writing: Press releases/new-type articles, donor-facing communications, academic topics, select graduate-level audiences
Examples:
“At SEU, we recognize the importance of integrating trusted AI technology within education,” said Dr. Chris Palmer, dean of the Barnett College of Ministry & Theology. In addition, our ministry and theology students will receive subscriptions to Pulpit AI to use in their coursework and assignments. “Equipping our students with the latest technological resources is crucial,” expressed Dr. Palmer.
Mike Rowe, the founder of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, appeared on Fox News earlier this year to discuss the thousands of jobs (and growing) that are available in multiple trades fields. “The need, mathematically, has never been higher,” said Rowe.
Informal Writing: Stories/general blogs, undergraduate audiences, community-focused writing
Examples:
Alexis Fennimore, director of campus visits and events, loves the interactions that visit events provide. “Prospective students really enjoy seeing SEU from the perspective of a current student,” Alexis explained.
We are so proud to share that our very own SEU student, Justin Aguilar, had the opportunity to speak at the Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty. Justin was one of 16 guest speakers…
In general, spell out numbers one through nine and general numbers in copy. Use figures for 10 and above.
Use figures for zero and above in the following exceptions:
When a number is the first word of a sentence, spell it out or recast the sentence.
In general, don’t use suffixes with a number, such as “st” and “th” (ex: when writing out a date, you would say November 19, not November 19th)
Use the % sign for percentages.
For large numbers (1 million or greater), spell out million or billion.
A pronoun often refers to something earlier or later in the text (its antecedent) and must agree in number (singular/plural).
To avoid awkward overuse of the “his or her” phrase, recast the sentence using plurals.
Do not italicize or enclose in quotation marks the names of books, magazines, journals, newspapers, etc.
Use quotation marks to offset the titles of albums or songs (e.g, “For this Purpose” and “Found in You.”). Use quotation marks for book titles, the titles of works of art, speech/lecture titles, movies, plays, poems and radio or TV programs/series.
Punctuation
Ampersand
Use the word “and” in normal body text, but use the ampersand in headlines and subheads as applicable/appropriate. Use an ampersand in SEU college names.
Correct:
Not correct:
Apostrophe
When listing the abbreviation for a year, ensure that the apostrophe swings left, not right.
When showing possession for a word that ends in “s,” use the ‘s the same as you would any other word.
Commas/Oxford commas
Do not omit the Oxford/serial comma in lists, unless it aids in the reader’s comprehension.
Use a comma also before the concluding conjunction in a complex series of phrases (in this instance, it is not considered a serial comma):
Do not use a serial comma in front of an ampersand.
Names followed by Jr., Sr., or a Roman numeral do not have a comma after the last name.
Ellipsis
In general, treat an ellipsis as a three-letter word, constructed with three periods. Use an ellipsis ( … ) to indicate the deletion of one or more words in condensing quotes, texts and documents. An ellipsis also may be used to indicate a thought that the speaker or writer does not complete. Substitute a dash for this purpose, however, if the context uses ellipses to indicate that words actually spoken or written have been deleted.
In some cases an ellipsis may be used instead of an em dash for emphasis. However, if used in this way, use the ellipsis throughout the document and do not mix its use with em dashes.
Em Dash
Use an em dash (—) to relay a stronger break in thought or to draw notice to something important. Place a single space on either side of the em dash.
En Dash
Use an en dash (–) to indicate ranges such as dates or numbers. Do not include space on either side of the en dash.
Hyphens
Do not use a hyphen to join an adverb ending in –ly and another descriptive word.
Hyphenate part time and full time only when used as adjectives.
Hyphenate post-graduate (Note that while AP style does not hyphenate, we will hyphenate it because it is usually used as an adjective)
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Exclamation points
Less is more! Be mindful to use exclamation points sparingly! Using them too much diminishes their effect!
Semicolons
Semicolons may be used for two full sentences that relate to each other. To check whether a semicolon is used properly, see if two full sentences would remain if the semicolon and conjunction were removed.
Use the semicolon to set off a series that includes commas. A semicolon should be included before the last item in the series.
Quotation marks & Apostrophes
Periods and Spacing
Double spaces should not be used after periods.
We refer to class terms as semesters and sessions and use the following designations. Do not capitalize the season name or semester unless it falls at the start of a sentence.
Use PascalCase (two capitalized words, no space) for internal systems, such as: MySEU, SFNet, OneLogin, MyPortal (JICS), MyFire
MyPortal (JICS)
See the Common Word Usage & Spelling section for the correct use of derivatives of the word “alumni.”
Leadership Team (LT), Faculty and Staff
Follow the titles that are used in the website faculty listing to determine the appropriate titles. When in doubt check with the provost’s office or the dean of the faculty member’s respective department. Do not list “Mr.” or “Ms.” in front of any faculty or staff member without a doctoral degree.
Always use the word “of,” not “for,” especially in titles of Vice Presidents and Leadership Team members
Students and Alumni
When listing a current student, list their first and last name, followed by a comma, their major, another comma and the last two digits of their expected graduation year. Do not list minors or certificates. If appropriate/necessary in the context of the piece, the student’s title in a campus organization may be listed following a semicolon.
When listing alumni, follow this same format using their actual graduation year. If the alum has both an undergraduate and graduate degree from SEU, use an ampersand or plus sign in between depending on the necessary visuals for the piece.
When referring to a specific SEU graduating class, the C is capitalized.
Only abbreviate degrees if necessary for visual balance. If they are on-staff or you need to reference the company they work for, list that title last and after a semicolon. In general ampersands should be used for two degrees, but if the style of the piece warrants it, a plus sign may be used instead.
Note: If an alum has a degree that is no longer offered, it is ok to list the degree as it was when they earned it.
Title IX
When to use: On all externally-facing marketing (print and web)
How to use: This Title IX verbiage is required on any mass-produced piece as well as the website. It should not be altered. Please contact the Office of Title IX Compliance with questions.
Full version: In compliance with Title IX and Section 504, Southeastern University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs and activities. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to the Title IX officer at 863.667.5236. All other nondiscrimination questions may be referred to the director of human resources at 863.667.5248 or to the Office of Civil Rights at 404.974.9406.
Example: SEU offers our students multiple opportunities for involvement.
(Not: SEU offers its students multiple opportunities for involvement.)
Example: Southeastern University announced today that its new degree will launch in the fall.
Use the shortest URL possible. Omit the http:// and www.
When referring to an SEU website, always capitalize the university’s acronym, but generally do not capitalize words after the slash unless absolutely necessary for readability.
Whenever possible, use a shortcut URL in written text..