SpartanMessenger Content Submission

SpartanMessenger Content Submission

SpartanMessenger is San José State University's one, official, weekly employee newsletter that goes out to faculty, staff and auxiliary employees every Tuesday morning. Use this form to submit one-time or recurring content, news, information, resources, etc. The deadline to make it in time for the next Tuesday morning newsletter is the close of business, or 5 p.m. on the preceding Tuesday.
Content Standards
- Title/headline word limit: FIVE (5) words maximum.
- Content word limit: TEN TO TWENTY (10-20) words maximum.
- Content focus: aimed at a university audience (employee benefits fairs, Library exhibitions, lectures), not personal promotion.
  - YES: Search committee nominatons; Research Week's Author, Artist, Inventor Celebration; Academic Senate meeting materials; Staff Council events; University Personnel resources
  - NO: Individual birthdays, retirement parties, Division-specific events
- Intended audience: content does not necessarily have to be university-sponsored or only hosted at SJSU. Examples:
  - Open to employee family and friends; or
  - Off-campus events like an SJSU Night at a sports game/match or downtown events open to the public;
  - Community events, art exhibitions, small business discounts all open to the SJSU community and San José area residents
- Ongoing events that are intended to be published in multiple SpartanMessenger within a designated period of time (e.g., open enrollment, ODEI Campus Reading Program, UP Move Into Wellness) will have written copy shortened in subsequent SpartanMemos after the initial publication.
Headline - 5 words max*
Three (3) to five (5) word limit that describes the content.
Your Division / Department / Unit or Program *
Examples: Student Affairs; Parking Services; Equal Opportunity Program; King Library; Information Technology
Body Copy (language/description) - 20 words max*
In 20 words, or fewer, provide copy. Language will be edited by UMC for brevity, clarity and grammar. Describe what it is (e.g. an event), the format (in-person or hybrid), where it will take place, event significance/why people would be interested. Not accepted: links to Google Docs or Spreadsheets or Events Calendar listings. Submitters must provide the actual text of their event description here.
Call to Action (What Will the Audience Click On/Go To?)*
Link to your website, newsletter page, events.sjsu.edu calendar listing, RSVP form, meeting agenda/presentation or other document(s). SpartanMessenger is designed to provide all employees the most useful, relevant information at a glance. To direct employees to your own website which may have a more in-depth newsletter or information, include a link to where you want the audience to go.
Submitter Name*

First NameLast Name
Submitter Email*
Must be an SJSU email address.
Email must be a valid sjsu address!
Submitter's Role or Job Title*
Example: college communications specialist, or executive assistant to the Vice President. UMC may need to communicate with you directly.
Category of Content*
Action Items: Surveys, employee benefits enrollment, actions related to the launch of new university tools and services, RSVPs for signature events or calls for volunteers. This section is at University Marketing and Communications' (UMC) discretion and subject to communications priorities from the President's Cabinet. Submitters may request their content goes in this section, but note that it may end up in News and Announcements.

News and Announcements: Major campus developments including, but not limited to, program launches or changes; major grants and contracts; senior leadership changes; reorganizations or significant moves of employee or student-facing services; campus safety; services (parking, technology, housing, tools, and resources) updates or reminders; IT or employee tools and training; employee benefits, discounts, events, promotions and resources.

A note on events: please ensure your event is scheduled on the official SJSU Events Calendar at events.sjsu.edu and provide a link to it. This is an employee-centric newsletter. While events do not have to only be for employees, consider the impact of promoting your events or programming in SpartanMessenger as the initial communication/promotion if the audience for your event or program is primarily internal, to the campus community.

Faculty and Staff Spotlight: Faculty or staff achievements on or beyond campus, including but not limited to, news outlet interviews, quotes; newspaper or editorial publications or commentary; academic journal or paper publications; awards, lectures, seminars, or performances; community recognition; notable research or collaboration grants and contracts. Staff spotlight can also include notable achivements, professional developments, awards at conferences or external entities, service and career milestones, or other notable successes as individuals or as teams.
OPTIONAL: Link to Media Assets (photographs, graphics)
Optional and may or may not be used in the upcoming SpartanMessenger. This must be a link to a folder with downloadable images or graphics. It cannot be a link to a website, social media post, or events calendar listing where UMC is expected to download and resize. Read the media assets guidelines below. Submitters are responsible for complying or submissions will be rejected.
Provide a public link (Google Drive, SharePoint, etc.) to any media asset(s) you'd like us to consider. Only include in that folder assets for SpartanMessenger following the naming conventions and size requirements below. UMC reserves discretion on whether assets get used, if at all, and may follow up if clarification is needed. Provide assets for use on both the email and website.

Do not submit: Videos, PDFs, flyers, or graphics with text.

Accepted: PNG, JPEG

Size requirements:
- Email: 290 x 150 px; and
- Website: 845 x 565 px
Naming convention: the date is publication day for the upcoming SpartanMessenger
issue (the next, upcoming Tuesday), not the date of your event/content.
- Email: [Dept initialism-topic]-YYYY-MM-DD-email.png
- Web: [Dept-topic]-YYYY-MM-DD-web.png
- Example:
  - UMC-Magazine-2026-01-01-web.png;
  - UP-ODEP-newsletter-2026-01-01-email.png;
  - Library-exhibition-2026-01-01-web.png;
  - Provost-organization updates-2026-01-01-email.png
Captions and attribution: add this information to the next field, Comments, Photo Captions and Alt Text and Questions. Alternative text is required for all assets (photos or graphics) and attribution or photo credits are required for all student-created work.
Instructions for UMC; Comments; Photo Captions and/or Alt Text; Questions
Provide any additional information for the SpartanMessenger team. This may be information that is meant for the team's use and not for publication in the upcoming SpartanMessenger - "run this content on October 1 and 8" or "save this for December 1". If providing a link to a folder of assets above, include alternative text, photo captions, and photo attribution/credit for each asset used, where applicable. Graphics will not need photo captions (unless it is an art piece made by a student), but will need alternative text. For more information on web accessibility, visit sjsu.edu/accessibility
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