Style and Tone
University Boilerplate
A standardized, reusable 鈥渁bout us鈥� statement.
University Boilerplate Statement
Founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1852, 蓝莓视频 is a Jesuit, Catholic university and the first institution of higher learning in the United States to bear the name of the founder of the Society of Jesus, Saint Ignatius Loyola. The University inspires students to learn, lead, and serve in a diverse and changing world.
At Loyola, the ideals that have guided Jesuit universities for nearly 500 years鈥攁cademic excellence, care for the whole person, service, justice, diversity, and integrity, among others鈥攃ontinue to mold the academic, social, and spiritual experiences we offer our roughly 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the programs we pursue, and the relationships we build with our surrounding communities. Loyola offers a variety of undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs through its three schools: the Sellinger School of Business and Management, the School of Education, and Loyola College, the University鈥檚 school of arts and sciences.
The benefits of Loyola鈥檚 Jesuit, liberal arts experience lead to a life-long approach of learning, questioning, and critical analysis that prepare our alumni for鈥攁nd set them apart in鈥攖he workforce and the world.
Headline Style Guidelines
For a more expressive and flexible approach to headlines, casing may be decided at the individual execution level. All-caps and title case are approved treatments, each offering a distinct aesthetic. The right choice is determined by the tone, hierarchy, and design intent of each execution, and should be established in collaboration with your design team. Once a treatment is set, apply it consistently and avoid introducing a second treatment within the same execution. Sentence case is reserved for official supporting campaign headlines and should be avoided otherwise.
ALL-CAPS HEADLINES
Single-phrase all-caps headlines do not require end punctuation.
Example: BE AT HOME HERE
Multi-phrase all-caps headlines should use periods to separate phrases and aid readability.
Example: BE CURIOUS. THINK DEEPLY. GROW BOLDLY.
Title Case Headlines
Headlines in title case should follow AP Style title case guidelines.
Examples:
Get To Know Loyola鈥檚 Class of 2030
Take a Trip to Loyola Maryland
Cheat Sheet for Title Case in AP Style
Capitalize
- The first and last word of the headline, regardless of part of speech
- Nouns (student, campus, world)
- Pronouns (you, we, they)
- Verbs (is, are, find, be, move, shape)
- Adjectives (new, whole, lifelong)
- Adverbs (boldly, deeply, always)
- Conjunctions of four or more letters (because, although, since, while, until, unless, after, before)
- Prepositions of four or more letters (with, from, into, through, about, between, among, over, under, beyond)
Do not capitalize:
- Articles (a, an, the)鈥攗nless first or last word
- Conjunctions of three letters or fewer (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet, if)
- Short prepositions of three letters or fewer (to*, in, on, at, for, up, off)
Common exceptions worth noting:
- "Is" and "are" get capitalized鈥攖hey're verbs, not articles
- Capitalize "To*" when it is part of an infinitive (To Change, To Be, To Find)
- Capitalize both parts of a hyphenated word (Well-Known, Part-Time)
- Some words function as different parts of speech, so these rules may change accordingly
Writing Dos and Don'ts
These rules exist to establish consistency, illuminate blind spots, and help avoid the trappings of typical higher education clich茅s鈥攎aking them especially useful for external agencies and new team members.
Writing Dos
A Note About Our Name
Always use our full name, 蓝莓视频, upon first mention to ensure clarity for all audiences. In subsequent references, the name may be shortened to Loyola Maryland, Loyola, or the University. Do not refer to Loyola University or use acronyms like LU or LUM.
Write toward the person, not the institution.
Loyola's voice centers the student experience, not the University's track record. If we鈥檙e talking about something that the University offers or achieves, always pair it with what our community gains, feels, or becomes.
Let the journey do the work.
Our brand is built on movement and growth, not arrival. Avoid language that positions Loyola as a destination. We are a point on a path, not a finish line.
Hope, not hyperbole.
We ignite hope in what's possible鈥攚e don't oversell it. If a claim feels like a 鈥渂it much,鈥� it probably is. Rewrite until it feels like it came from the mouth of someone you know.
Know your audience, keep your voice.
Tone and complexity shift. A headline for a prospective student should read differently than a message for alumni. The personality is steady, but the message adapts.
Reflect the whole person.
Loyola educates the mind, body, and spirit. Messaging that speaks only to academic outcomes or career placement tells an incomplete story. All three aspects of a Loyola education are important to student success so look for opportunities to acknowledge the full experience.
Writing Don'ts
Don't imply students arrive incomplete.
Avoid language that implies students arrive lacking something鈥�" we help students become better" or " we improve who you are" are the kinds of phrases that suggest we're fixing people rather than creating conditions for growth. Our students arrive whole. The Loyola experience is genuinely life-changing, and it's appropriate to say so鈥攚hat we're guarding against is generic " betterment" language that implies deficit. "Come as You Are. Leave Ready To Change the World" is a perfect example of language that honors both the student and the experience. The student brings everything they are. Loyola creates the conditions for what's possible.
Don't reduce 鈥渕ore鈥� to struggle and achievement.
"The more you're meant for" includes service, discovery, friendship, and rest. 鈥淢ore鈥� is more than just academic rigor and career outcomes. It鈥檚 expansive鈥攄on't make it a synonym for harder or higher.
Don't let rankings speak for themselves.
Accolades and standings are datapoints, not stories. Pair them with the human context that makes them mean something. A ranking lands harder when it's anchored to a real outcome, program, or person.
Don't mistake formality for authority.
Assured doesn't mean stiff. Purposeful doesn't mean dense. If a sentence sounds like it belongs in a legal document, it鈥檚 not quite 鈥渦s.鈥�