2. Capitalization

2.1 General

Morehead Planetarium

planetarium

president

2.2 County and counties

When naming a specific county or counties, capitalize the C in County but lowercase the c when used in the plural counties.

Durham County
Durham and Orange counties

All words except for and in the name of a division or department are capitalized, including the word Division or Department. Use the most recent Staffing Chart (available online) as your guide.

When giving the names of offices, only the key word(s) is (are) capitalized. The word office is not capitalized, nor is the word the preceding the name.

Business Office

In the first mention of the institution, use the entire name. Afterward, you may refer to the institution as Durham Tech, the college, or DTCC. No capitalization is needed for the second college reference unless it is part of the proper name. Do not refer to Durham Tech as a school or as Tech.

Always capitalize the official names of the college’s two boards: the Board of Trustees and the Durham Technical Community College Foundation Board of Directors. In subsequent references, use Trustees and Foundation Board.

The Board of Trustees meets quarterly. The Trustees serve four-year terms.
The Durham Technical Community College Foundation is guided by a Board of Directors. The Foundation Board is composed of local business and community leaders.

No other groups affiliated with the college are actually boards. (For example, our advisory committees are committees and should not be referred to as boards.)

In the first mention, always use the official names with capital letters of campus facilities or centers. In subsequent references, either repeat the full name or use the abbreviation shown below. For publications used internally only (such as The Insider), the abbreviated references may be used. Note the abbreviations (such as NDC, ERC, or CEC) are used without periods.

Subsequent Mentions
BSC
CEC
CAE
Tech Center
ERC
Newton Building
NDC
Main Campus
OCC
Orange County Skills Development Center or OCSDC
Wynn Center
SBC
White Building (not Main Building)

When using an acronym for the first time, put it in parentheses just after the complete, spelled-out first mention.

That exhibit is housed in the Educational Resources Center (ERC). The ERC also contains our Library and Media Services.

When giving room numbers at the college, lowercase the word room and include after the building name. Set off with commas when including the room number after the name.

That course is offered in the Newton Industrial and Engineering Technologies Building, room 421, this semester. When you get to the Newton Building, ask the receptionist to direct you to room 421.

The Multi-Purpose Room in the Phail Wynn, Jr. Student Services Center.

Capitalize a professional title when it precedes a person’s name. However, when it follows the name, do not capitalize the title.

President Ingram gave the commencement address.
Dr. Bill Ingram, president of Durham Tech, gave the commencement address.

When referring to academic degrees in a general way, do not capitalize. When using formal names of academic degrees, do capitalize.

Seventy employees hold associate's degrees. (or bachelor's degrees)
The director of the department earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Literature.

The names of programs are capitalized. When referring to a program and using the word program, do not capitalize the word program. Note the word program is not part of the program’s official title. See the latest Catalog and Student Handbook (available online) for the complete list of credit programs.

Clinical Trials Research Associate program
Opticianry program
Teacher Associate program

The official names of courses are capitalized and italicized; general references are not. Also, course prefixes and numbers are italicized when used.

Students in the Dental Laboratory Technology program are encouraged to take two dental courses during their first semester: Dental Anatomy and Dental Materials.
I signed up for two science courses this fall.
I will take ELC 128 this spring.

Academic semesters should not be capitalized except in the titles of documents or when used to refer to a specific semester, which must also include the year.

During fall semester, parking on campus is tight.
More students apply for enrollment during the spring than during any other time of year.
During Spring Semester 2011, 28 students enrolled in that class.
The Spring Semester Credit Schedule is available online.

Lowercase the word state in all references. Use capital letters for federal only if it is part of an official, formal name. Capitalize county when used in the name of a specific county. Counties is lowercase.

In the state of North Carolina, community colleges are funded by the NC Community College System.
Students may apply for both state and federal grants.
The Federal Communications Commission makes rules concerning copyright.
Durham Tech serves residents of Durham and Orange counties.

Use lowercase letters with periods but without spaces for the abbreviations a.m. and p.m.  For 12 a.m. and 12 p.m., use midnight and noon (without the numeral 12). (Note: The periods are not used in the schedule in order to meet format requirements.)

The session will end at noon.
He came to work at midnight.
That class meets at 1 p.m.

Many dictionaries indicate registered trademark names. Make an effort to capitalize such names and, if possible, use the appropriate trademark symbol.

Coca-Cola®
Levi’s®
Excedrin®
Kleenex®
GlaxoWellcome (written as one word in the name of the Durham Tech/GlaxoWellcome Technology Center)

Capitalize all words in a title except prepositions, articles, and coordinating conjunctions (unless they are the first or last word of the title).

Handbook for Writers
The Chicago Manual of Style

Part-Time and Full-Time Faculty Meeting

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