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. Example, to feature your news into the February 10 newsletter, the deadline to submit is 5 p.m. on February 3.
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.
Deadline

All submissions are due 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before the next Tuesday morning's SpartanMessenger newsletter. By submitting this form you acknowledge the following
1. Placement in SpartanMessenger is contingent on your department's advance planning and consideration of UMC's requirements.
2. Longer planning periods are necessary to ensure your event or program gets substantive promotion and recurring features, if necessary, in this newsletter.
3. Any submissions submitted after 5 p.m. on Tuesday, will not be included in the immediate following Tuesday's (the next week's) newsletter and instead will be included in the newsletter after the immediate Tuesday. For example, content for February 10 will need to be submitted before February 3. Submissions received February 3-10 will be in the February 17 newsletter.
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) - 30 words max*

In 30 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.0/30
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). DO NOT LINK TO A PDF or flyer. 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.
Frequency

How often should this news or content be included in SpartanMessenger? NOTE: If you are submitting after the Tuesday 5 p.m. deadline then your news will NOT be featured in the immediately upcoming Tuesday newsletter, but the Tuesday after. Example, submissions after 5 p.m. on Tuesday, February 3 will be in Tuesday, February 17's newsletter, not February 10. Please be aware of this deadline as SpartanMessenger receives a high-volume of requests each week.
Frequency*

One-timeWeekly (until the event or program date)Bi-weekly (every other week until the event date)Monthly (at least once, periodically, until the event date)
When to feature this news/content

MonthDayYear
Initial date to include in SpartanMessenger
Additional date - only if more than a one-time feature

MonthDayYear
Additional date (optional)
Digital Assets and Media (optional)

If providing graphics or images, ensure you review all guidelines and provide two formats in a public drive folder - one for the email newsletter and one for the SpartanMessenger website. The use of graphics is up to UMC's discretion and you will be contacted if alterations are necessary. NEW STARTING MARCH 1, 2026: note the new dimensions for graphics submitted to SpartanMessenger. SJSU will formally transition to using the Emma email platform with fresh templates and layouts that are standardized for the entire university. Please note the new dimensions for SM graphics.
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 -- see format examples below
- Email: 290 x 150 px (until February 29, 2026) new starting March 1, 2026: 305 px wide by 170 px tall; 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.
Top Headline News/Story

This is an example of how the top content will be featured in SpartanMessenger. Placement of this item is at the sole discretion of UMC when ensuring the university's messaging priorities are addressed. If your content is selected to be the top feature, be prepared to adapt your graphic to fit this format.
Action Items + Events and Announcements Formating

This is an example of how featured content/stories will be formatted in SpartanMessenger. You may request which category your content will be placed in, but UMC makes the determination if a story/content gets one of these featured spots. Pay attention the dimensions displayed below and all content standards regarding images/graphics at www.sjsu.edu/communications/help/tools/emma/emma-brand.php#graphics
Non-Featured Content

This is how all other content/stories will be formatted in SpartanMessenger if not selected as a featured piece. Ensure your content has both a call to action (somewhere for our audience to go or click on) and a brief description which UMC will adapt to fit the space limitations.
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. 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
Deadline Acknowledgement: I understand if I am submitting this content past the 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline, it will NOT be included in the coming Tuesday's newsletter, but will be in a future one. I will plan accordingly with my department to ensure adequate lead time for inclusion in this campus-wide email newsletter. I also understand SpartanMessenger is the only officially-sanctioned way to email faculty and staff and that I will not ask another college or division to include this content in any of their newsletters or communications.*

I understand completely and acknowledge.
Status
Should be Empty:

SpartanMessenger Content Submission

Frequency

Digital Assets and Media (optional)

Top Headline News/Story

Action Items + Events and Announcements Formating

Non-Featured Content