When referencing William & Mary:
- William & Mary: required first reference in communications (no “College of,” uses the ampersand instead of “and”)
- the university: preferred second reference
- W&M: most informal, use as second reference
- College of William & Mary: formal reference reserved for official Charter Day and Commencement event publications and certain presidential-level communications
- College: acceptable as a second reference only in communications for undergraduate alumni
- The College of William and Mary in Virginia: most formal title, used only in the Charter and on diplomas
- Do not use: WM, William and Mary, College of William and Mary, The College of William and Mary, The College of William & Mary
Arts & Sciences: Capitalize when referring to the group of academic units (formally known as the Faculty of Arts & Sciences). A&S is acceptable on second reference.
Class year: Include a student’s or alumnus’ class year after his or her name on first reference.
- Examples: Jon Stewart ’84 or Ginger Ambler ’88, Ph.D. ’06
Crim Dell: Refers to the pond and surrounding area, not the bridge itself. Do not use the definitive article.
- Examples: Crim Dell, not the Crim Dell, but the Crim Dell bridge (note lower case.)
Departments: Capitalize departments when their proper names are used; do not capitalize when they are referred to informally.
- Examples: Department of History, history department, University Communications, Facilities Management, W&M Police, police department
Historic Campus: Refers to the section of campus that includes the Wren Building, President’s House and Brafferton. Some refer to this area as Ancient Campus, but Historic Campus is preferred.
Public Ivy: Capitalized and in quotes on first reference (“Public Ivy”); lowercase, not in quotes on second references (public ivy).
Raymond A. Mason School of Business: Use the full name on first reference.
- the business school is acceptable on second reference
- housed in Alan B. Miller Hall (or Miller Hall on second reference)
Sunken Garden: Never plural.
William & Mary Athletics
- W&M Athletics is acceptable on second reference
William & Mary Law School
- the law school is acceptable on second reference
- avoid using Marshall-Wythe School of Law except in formal documents
William & Mary School of Education
- the school of education is acceptable on second reference
William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Preferred first reference for all communications, especially those involving external audiences such as press releases and news articles.
- VIMS is acceptable on second reference
- the William & Mary School of Marine Science at VIMS is an acceptable first reference for internal audiences and some external stories when clear the subject of the article involves a connection to the School of Marine Science
- always include William & Mary as part of first reference for either
Wren Building: Appropriate first-reference form used for all but the most formal references to the Sir Christopher Wren Building. The Wren is the oldest college building still standing in the United States.