Institutional Publications Policy : 1:07:02:00

I. PURPOSE

Institutional publications should be designed to attract attention, elicit a positive response, and educate the public in ways that will increase awareness, enrollment and support of Motlow State Community College. This policy is to ensure the consistency and integrity of Motlow’s public image in marketing material and to provide general guidelines for creating, updating, and monitoring the college’s publications for professional, audit and historical purposes.

II. DEFINITION

An institutional publication is generally defined as any printed material designed to represent Motlow College in any capacity and of which copies will be distributed on or off-campus to any group or population.

III. APPROVAL

All publications and documents that require control numbers must be approved by the VP of Marketing. Compliance with TBR guidelines, consistency of style, quality, cost effectiveness, reporting requirements, audit reviews, and correct use of logo are the primary purposes of the review process.

IV. REQUIREMENTS

1. Most publications produced by any TBR institution must have a publication number displayed with the TBR and affirmative action statement. State law (Tennessee Code Annotated, Sections 12-7-106-108, and rules of the Higher Education Publications Committee) requires that all public institutions of higher education adhere to specific quality and cost-monitoring procedures for publications printed by state colleges, universities and technical schools. Today, these publications and the expense associated with their production and distribution merit an increasingly high degree of monitoring to ensure accountability and efficiency. Initial legislation was enacted in 1976 that created the Higher Education Publications Committee (HEPC), which establishes the rules and regulations for most publications produced by college/university divisions. All institutions are required to follow the guidelines on their respective campuses.
2. Examples (not exhaustive) of publications that require a publication number
   1. Brochures, posters, calendars, pamphlets, flyers, event programs, postcards, handbills
   2. Student-recruitment publications
   3. Undergraduate and graduate catalogs
   4. Admissions applications (unless part of another publication)
   5. Financial aid applications
   6. Alumni and development solicitation materials
   7. Seminar and workshop registration forms, brochures, etc.
   8. Campus telephone directories
   9. Faculty and student handbooks
   10. Employee training manuals
   11. Campus, college and departmental newsletters
   12. Volume printed forms designed to be filled-out by those other than employees.
3. Types of publications do not require a review and publication number
   1. Work-processing forms for internal use
   2. Research project reports generally not distributed
   3. Research survey instruments and classroom test instruments
   4. Instructional material
   5. Personnel and fiscal policy manuals
   6. Grade reports
   7. Tickets for athletic and cultural events
   8. Student newspapers
   9. Traffic citations
4. To have publication approved and given a publication number, request collateral designed by the Marketing Department, or send a mock-up of the publication to Marketing. Marketing will review the publication request and supply the needed approval or work with the requesting party to identify existing options or new alternatives if needed.
5. TBR guidelines require all public institutions of higher education to archive copies of publications printed for the institution. Two final copies must be submitted to Marketing for permanent archiving and audit reporting. Pertinent information on all publications must also be maintained for submission to TBR at the end of each fiscal year.
6. As specified in state law, the following information must be maintained by the Graphic Arts office for each publication:
   1. Name of publication
   2. Department requesting publication
   3. Purpose and brief description of publication’s content
   4. Number of copies authorized for printing
   5. General distribution list
   6. Estimated cost of printing and distribution
   7. Name and address of printer
   8. Publication number

Sources

Corresponding Policies

TBR Guidelines G-140 & G-070

History

May 23, 2013; editorial update December 21, 2016; approved by the Leadership Council on September 8, 2017; effective date: September 8, 2017

Responsible Party

Vice President of Marketing & Campus Activities