Email Best Practices
In keeping with BOR Policy 1.7.6, USD has developed branded templates for contact information provided in official communications. You can update your contact information using USD's email signature creator.
Examples of approved contact information for employees and departments are provided below. Contact information should not exceed what is provided below but may contain fewer contact information items if desired, as long as relevant contact information is clearly displayed. Employees or departments may also choose to add certain professional disclosures as outlined in the policy (such as legal privileges/confidentiality applicable to the communication).
Social media icons linking to official university accounts (i.e., USD's Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and X accounts) or college/school accounts are permitted.
Employee Email Signature Example:
Department Email Signature Example:
Email Signature Generator
Titles
Titles are limited to one's official USD job title as designated by HR. Most individuals will have only one title, but individuals who hold multiple titles within a department (e.g., "Associate Professor, Graduate Program Coordinator") may display those titles.
Web Links
Web links in contact information are limited to official university websites. This includes the USD public website (i.e., usd.edu), as well as webpages on the USD public website (e.g., usd.edu/Academics). You may instead choose to link to the following websites that are owned and operated by the university or that are connected to official university accounts: GoYotes.com, USDAlumni.com, Coyote One Stop, Coyote Connections, Zoom links and Microsoft Bookings pages.
Faculty who wish to link to their bio page on the USD website may include the text "My Professional Webpage" and hyperlink to their official USD directory page. If you would like to request that another official university website be considered for approval, please contact Marketing Communications & University Relations at [email protected]. Personal websites, Google sites or other external and unofficial sites are not permitted.
Logos
USD's primary academic logo (pictured in the examples) has been designated as the logo permitted in contact information for official communications. Employees within a USD college or school may elect to use their assigned college/school
logo. Athletics staff may elect to use the primary athletic logo (i.e., the paw logo). Please visit Design & Print Studio to download logo files that are sized for email. Other logos and graphical marks, or logos and graphical marks associated with a
department you are not affiliated with, are not permitted.
