Submission Guidelines

Brief is the official University of Minnesota staff and faculty weekly news digest, featuring human resource, employee benefit, administrative, legislative, budgetary, event, research, and other information. Publication is every Wednesday. The deadline for submissions is at noon on the Friday before the date of publication. Submit items by email to the Brief editor

Brief relies on the content provider to be the expert in determining the value of the submission and its relevance to our primary audience of all faculty and staff; however, the editor retains the final decision on publication. Submissions should generally be regarded as "high-level" information or appeal to a broad audience of fac/staff. Your local college or department communications professional is a great resource for determining the best communication avenues. For the system campuses, those individuals are: Jess Bengston [email protected] (UMC); Alex Messenger [email protected] (UMD); Sue Dieter [email protected] (UMM) and Amber Muehlenbein [email protected] (UMR).

All submissions to Brief should adhere to the University's policy on accessibility of digital information. Digital accessibility is achieved when all people can equitably access content on the web or in applications. Learn more about how to make your content accessible.

Criteria for inclusion in Brief

  • Submissions should be 75 words or less and include only relevant, factual information. Because Brief entries are succinct, entries should include a link for more information.
  • The news is “need-to-know” administrative news.
  • The news or event promotes academic skill-building or professional development.
  • The news is of broad appeal to faculty and staff. More focused or discipline specific events should first seek out a college, school, or departmental University publication. 
  • The news helps to make the University more accessible to, and create connections (build relationships) among, faculty and staff.
  • The news promotes healthy lives for faculty and staff.
  • The news includes components of the University’s mission of outreach, research, teaching, and education.
  • Accompanying visuals should be eye-catching and help draw the audience into the story. Images should build on (not duplicate) the topic of the post. We often won't use generic visuals (stock) and text-based images which repeat information within the entry. 

Events

  • Events that are sponsored by or directly involve faculty/staff and/or that appeal to a broad range of faculty/staff are preferred.
  • Events that promote academic and/or professional development are preferred.
  • Most events appearing in Brief take the format of date/title/link only. The only time Brief includes more than this is if the event relates to administrative issues or academic/professional development, with some exceptions for events that appeal to a very broad range of both faculty and staff, and which, again, might help them in their careers or work.
  • Events should take place on the respective campus. Events held off-campus are in most cases considered only after on-campus events have been included.
  • Brief will in general not include multiple events from the same unit/college/department within the same issue in order to give equal opportunity for space, and to focus on high-priority events. 
  • Brief will not include news/events more than once.
  • Events should appear in Brief with some advance notice prior to the event. 
  • Events should appear on the main U of M events calendar at events.umn.edu.

Criteria for inclusion in the Awards and Recognition section of Brief

The Awards and Recognition section of Brief is for those announcements/awards heavily focused on the recognition of current faculty and staff and campuses/colleges. The section also includes leadership appointments generally at the dean level and above or those with an administrative appointment that touches all colleges/departments in its function—for example, a director of equity and diversity. In general, the awards featured are of major significance.