Communication and Development
The following communications and development resources were compiled for faculty and staff of the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture. If you have a question, a suggestion, or would like to schedule a consultation for more personalized guidance, email Erin Miller.
College communications
- Submit news
- College communication plan
- To request a workshop or template email Erin Miller.
Private support and giving
- Review private donations and support guidance here.
- Review resources offered by the University of Maine Foundation here.
Business communication templates
Email signature
Directions about how to add UMaine’s logo to an email signature are available here.
Presentations
UMaine-branded Powerpoint templates are available to download here.
Zoom background
Zoom’s virtual background feature allows you to select and display an image or video behind you instead of showing your real surroundings. To allow Zoom to detect the difference between you and your background, this feature works best with:
- Uniform lighting
- A solid color behind you
- Clothing that is a different color than your selected virtual background
In addition to Zoom’s default options, you can upload a custom virtual background. The college created some branded backgrounds for use during lectures, appointments and meetings that you can download through the link below. You can find generic UMaine-branded backgrounds at the Division of Marketing and Communications website.
Name tag
Templates for printable name tag inserts intended for lanyard style tags are available here.
To order metal name tags with a magnetic back, contact Printing Services here.
Stationary
UMaine letterhead, envelopes, business cards, notecards, mailing labels, memorandum forms, fax cover sheets, personalized notecards and other UMaine stationery items are printed at Printing Services here. They have templates for quick turnaround.
Those in need of electronic letterhead may download the following Word document. Letterhead may only be used by University of Maine faculty and staff for official university correspondence.
Tour itinerary template
Professional portraits
The Division of Marketing and Communications offers free studio portrait sessions for faculty, staff and students. Ten-minute sessions are available on the first Tuesday of the month from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and the first Wednesday of the month from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Due to demand, you must schedule your appointment in advance by emailing the Visual Media team.
Those having portraits taken are asked to come dressed in attire suitable for a professional photo. There is a $20 fee for subsequent portrait sessions in the same academic year.
Digital copies of portraits will be provided. They also are added to the Marketing and Communications photo database.
Logos
If you need a vector logo for a large-format print project, contact Erin Miller. For most other projects, please download and use the images below:
College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture logos
Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station logos
UMaine crest for social media profiles
University of Maine’s branding standards
Communication-related policies
Required non-discrimination notice
All bulletins, event flyers, announcements, publications, catalogs, application forms, or other recruitment materials that are made available to students, employees, applicants, or program beneficiaries must include the UMaine non-discrimination notice. The current version is available on the Office of Equal Opportunity website.
Guidance regarding political engagement
If UMaine employees wish to become involved in partisan political activities, they must do so on their own time, without using System or University funds or resources of any kind. When exercising their rights to participate in the political process as individuals, employees should emphasize that their comments or actions are their own, unless they have been specifically authorized to speak or act on behalf of a System institution. Additional information is available here.
Recording virtual events to post online
If you plan to record a virtual event and may share it online, the event’s host must:
- Obtain permission to record the event from all participants if they plan to publish a recording online. Zoom offers an option to enable a recording disclaimer in its settings. Events may also be hosted as a webinar, rather than a meeting event, to negate this requirement. This guidance was developed in response to questions about events like seminars. Additional guidance regarding virtual events that involve students is available on the UMS IT website.
- Obtain a completed copyright license agreement from speakers who are not affiliated with the University of Maine.
- A photo release is recommended for speakers, regardless of whether they work for the university. The form is available online here.
Use of UMaine facilities by visual media professionals
A filming crew of any size (from one to many people) must complete this form and provide proof of insurance as described in Section 6 of the form. If the videographer makes any changes to the document’s contents the changes must be approved by UMS legal counsel prior to filming. Certificates of insurance must be provided to the UMS Risk Manager at least 30 days prior to filming. This requirement also applies to the press unless they are filming in parts of campus that are technically public property, like driveways and walkways. Obtaining stock footage or recording for non-news purposes will require an agreement regardless of location.
Photo and video release forms
It is best practice to obtain a photo and video release from anyone of any age, regardless of their affiliation with the university, if they are identifiable in photographs or video that may be published at some point. The form is available to download here.