Revised - April 2019
Writing for SCHEV Audiences:
A Style Guide
Includes a Reference Guide
CONTENTS
Ways to Write with Impact 2
Best Practice: Proofreading 7
Proofing Checklist 7
SCHEV Reference Guide 8
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WAYS TO WRITE WITH IMPACT
Use these principles to write clearly and effectively. Italicized examples follow many of
the explanations.
1. Prepare before you write.
Identify your audience. (Who will read it? What do they already know about
your topic, if anything?)
What do they want to know? What do you want them to know?
What is the most important point (or two or three points) you want the
audience to know and understand after they have read your document?
Your audience must understand your main message(s). Do not assume they
understand the material at the same high level as you do, or at all. A good rule of
thumb is to write for an eighth-grade audience, meaning use words (not acronyms)
that an eighth grader can comprehend (e.g., no industry jargon or multi-syllabic
words). Also, look at your message from the audience’s perspective to see if it
addresses their potential questions and concerns.
2. Define your purpose and lead with it.
Lead with the most important information first (at the beginning, rather than the
end, of the document). Journalists often use this “inverted pyramid” style.
Example: In-state undergraduate students at Virginia's four-year universities can expect to
pay anywhere between $9,056 and $23,400 in tuition and all mandatory fees for
the 2018-19 academic year. Students at Virginia’s two-year institutions will pay
$4,620 at the Community Colleges and $8,100 at Richard Bland College. These
figures represent an average increase of $612 (5.1%) over the previous year.
Expected increases in average room and board fees are $365 (3.5%).
Example: Virginians missed out on millions in grants and loans for college this year, simply
because they did not fill out a form. As a result, Virginia’s high school class of
2017 left on the table an estimated $53 million in potential student aid last year.
Many of those students may have fallen for common myths about the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
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3. Write logically and rationally. Include headers and bullets to direct the reader to
what is most important.
Help your reader move easily through your document by presenting information in
a clear and organized way:
Simplify complex subjects by using general language and avoiding acronyms.
Take advantage of headers and bullets to present lists of important items.
Use white space to avoid a “crowded,” text-heavy document.
Construct bullets in a parallel manner. (See the parallel construction entry in the
Reference Guide for additional examples.)
Example: Virginia’s system of higher education is among the nation’s strongest. However,
lack of stability and predictability in state funding place the system at risk. SCHEV identified
eight policy options to allow for more efficient use of funding that leads to more predictability
in tuition and fees for students and parents. Some examples include:
Authorizing institutions explicitly to retain annual balances in a reserve fund.
Expanding out-of-state enrollments to increase revenues and support the system.
Reducing increases in non-education related mandatory fees, such as athletics,
transportation and student life, from the current cap of 5% to 3% or less annually.
4. Focus on one idea per paragraph. Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence.
An effective paragraph contains three key elements:
A topic sentence that introduces the main idea of each paragraph.
Support sentences that provide additional information on the topic.
Transitional words and phrases that show how ideas relate to each other and that
help take the reader smoothly from one idea to another.
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Introduce the main idea of each paragraph with a topic sentence that is specific and
clear. Provide supporting information through the other sentences within the
paragraph. Use connecting words (however, also, or in addition), pronouns that refer
to the previous noun (Mr. Brown responded to the request. He suggested…) and words
that show progression (first, second, third).
Example: Recognizing high tuition and fees, Virginia embraced an approach to
increase financial aid for students with demonstrated need. For example, in
2016-17, Virginia undergraduate students at public institutions received more
than $856 million in grants and scholarships. For the 2018-20 biennium Virginia
appropriated $29.3 million in additional support for undergraduate, need-based
student aid.
5. Be precise and use clear, specific language.
Choose simple words over longer, more complex ones. Limit adjectives and adverbs.
Avoid jargon and technical terms that your audience may not understand. Eliminate
acronyms unless widely understood. See the Reference Guide for examples.
Avoid: Students who are willing to work hard usually graduate from college.
Stronger: Students willing to work hard usually graduate from college.
Avoid beginning sentences with “there is” or “there are.” Rewording these sentences
makes them more interesting and straightforward.
Avoid: There are many institutions of higher learning in Virginia.
Stronger: Virginia is home to many institutions of higher learning.
6. Write with an appropriate and positive tone for the audience and the subject.
Write in a professional and conversational way; i.e., use plain language that sounds
business-like without being stuffy or too informal. Avoid pretentious and overly
formal wording. Also, use active verbs. (See entry No. 7 below for additional
examples.)
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Avoid: Enclosed please find attached the plethora of information that was
requested. In the event that you may have questions, you may contact our
office at your convenience.
Stronger: Here is the information you requested. If you would like additional
information, please call our office.
7. Use active voice (vs. passive voice).
Write in active voice to communicate ideas directly and concisely and to show
accountability. Minimize the use of “to be” verbs; e.g., am, is, are, was, were, and been.
Versions of the “to be” verb weaken the impact of your writing. See the Use active
voice entry for additional examples.
Passive Voice: All students have been notified of the December deadline.
Active Voice: Our office notified students concerning the December deadline.
8. Write concisely using short paragraphs and sentences.
Aim for paragraphs of no more than 3-5 sentences and sentences with no more than
15-20 words.
Example: Each year, students enroll in an institution and do not return. For some
students, they may incur student debt and have no degree. Based on
SCHEV analysis of 2012-13 student dropouts, 10% of students who
enroll for the first time in a public or private non-profit college in Virginia
do not return after the first year. Of these students, 40% have loans with
an average debt amount of $8,036.
Example: The Council meets six times per year, and all meetings are open to the
public. Three meetings occur in Richmond at the SCHEV offices, two on a
public college campus on a rotating basis, and one at a private institution.
In addition, the Council typically holds a joint meeting once a year with
the public college presidents.
Use paragraph breaks to break up large blocks of text and make your document
easier to read.
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9. Proof your documents carefully using the techniques below. (Also, refer to the
Proofing Checklist on p. 7.)
Read aloud.
Print and proofread a hard copy.
Read it in reverse. Begin at the bottom of the page and move up, or begin on the
right and move to the left. This will force you to focus on each word.
Distance yourself. Put the writing aside for a little while. When you come back
and proof it, you will be better able to see it more objectively and critically.
Ask someone else to take an objective look at your writing.
Pay specific attention to sensitive areas such as name spellings, company
spellings, job titles, etc.
10. Avoid using SCHEV’s “Forbidden Words and Phrases.”
Avoid using these business jargon or “corporate speak” phrases. This type of
language can be annoying and confusing to the reader. Instead, use clear, specific
and simple words to make your point.
As you know Low-hanging fruit Thinking outside the box
Clearly Paradigm shift Utilize
Degree mill/visa
mill
Proactive Wheel house
Deliverables Push the envelope
Empower Reach out
Finalize Schools (as a substitute for college or university)
Holistic Sentences beginning with There is/are
In the weeds Take it offline
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BEST PRACTICE: PROOFREADING & CHECKLIST
To ensure accuracy and consistency of messaging, a cross-unit peer review of any
document distributed to an external audience (e.g., website, partners, other agencies,
etc.), should occur before circulating.
Please send your document to either the communications department or another
trusted proofreader outside your division.
Proofing Checklist
Use this checklist to ensure consistent standards.
PROOFING TIPS
• Begin by proofing the body of the text. Then proof headings separately.
• Read it aloud and/or read it back to front.
• Focus on spelling of words. (Do not rely on spell check; it misses words and
punctuation!)
• Use a blank sheet of paper to cover the part of the document not yet proofed.
• Do not proof for every type of mistake at one time – proof once for spelling,
once for missing/additional words, once for consistency of word usage, once
for font sizes, etc.
• Check to ensure you did not use any of the Forbidden Words!
NOTE: Use the agency templates to ensure fonts, colors, headers, line spacing, logo
usage, etc., are correct.
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SCHEV REFERENCE GUIDE
SCHEV adheres to the AP Stylebook with a few exceptions. This reference guide answers common questions about style
and highlights exceptions to AP Style. For more information on AP Style, refer to The Associated Press Stylebook or contact
Laura Osberger for a digital version.
Style Rules Examples
abbreviations and
acronyms
Using these shortcuts often results in jargon-filled,
hard-to-understand text. Write the official name of a
program or organization and follow it with an
acronym in parentheses (exception to AP style).
Exceptions apply for agencies or acronyms with near-
universal public recognition.
We contacted the college’s accreditor, the
National Accrediting Commission of
Career Arts & Sciences (NACCAS).
About 4,000 students applied for the 42
spots at Virginia Tech Carilion School of
Medicine. The college's first class will
arrive at the end of July.
the FBI, IRS and CIA, RSVP
academic degrees Do not precede a name with a courtesy or
professional title and follow it with an abbreviation
for the degree in the same reference. Use Ph.D. only
after a full name: See also the Dr. entry.
Use correct spelling and apostrophes as shown in the
examples at right.
Joseph G. DeFilippo, Ph.D.
Not: Dr. Joseph G. DeFilippo, Ph.D.
associate degree (no possessive)
baccalaureate degree
bachelor’s degree, bachelor’s, Bachelor of
Arts, B.A., B.S.
master’s degree, master’s, Master of
Science; M.A., M.S., MFA, MBA
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When used after a name, use commas to set off an
academic abbreviation.
Joseph G. DeFilippo, Ph.D., spoke at the
conference.
academic departments Use lowercase except for words that are proper
nouns or adjectives or when using the full official
and formal name.
Capitalize the names of language departments.
the department of history
the University of Virginia Department of
Political Science
the English and Spanish departments
active voice
Write in active voice to communicate ideas directly
and concisely and to show accountability. In active
voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action.
In passive voice, the subject of the sentence is acted
upon. The sentence construction requires some form
of the verb “to be” (e.g., is, are, was, were, be or been)
with the past participle (for regular verbs, add –ed).
Passive: Many languages are spoken by
SCHEV employees.
Active: Many SCHEV employees speak
more than one language.
Passive: Ninety-five percent of high
school dual enrollment activity is
produced at the Virginia Community
College System.
Active: The Virginia Community College
System produces 95% of high school dual
enrollment activity.
bulleted lists
Use a sentence to introduce the bulleted information.
Capitalize the first word in each bullet item.
Bulleted lists are useful because they:
Focus attention on important
details.
Provide white space, making it
easier for the reader to understand
the information.
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Punctuate each bullet as if it was a sentence, even if it
is not one.
Keep each bullet consistent with the introductory
clause and use parallel construction. (See parallel
construction entry in this reference guide for
additional information.)
Organize the information into its
most important components.
capitalization Capitalize proper nouns that identify specific people,
places or things.
Do not capitalize federal, state, department, division,
board, program, sections, unit, etc., unless the word is
part of a formal name.
Capitalize regions and cities.
See titles and other entries in this reference guide for
additional information.
The citizens of the Commonwealth of
Virginia.
The federal government’s three branches
include the executive, legislative and
judicial.
Northern Virginia, Eastern Shore,
Southwest Virginia (but southwestern
Virginia in general descriptions)
colon vs. semicolon Use a colon to introduce a formal statement, a long
quotation or to introduce an illustrating item or series
of items.
Also, use a colon after the salutation of a business
letter.
The Commencement speaker stated: “The
time has come.”
Certain imports rose sharply: steel, cars
and electronic equipment.
Dear President Rowe:
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Use a semicolon between independent clauses not
joined by a coordinating conjunction and between
independent clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb
(however, indeed, nevertheless and so forth). Place a
comma after the adverb.
Also, use a semicolon to replace the comma in
separating elements of a series if the elements
themselves contain commas.
Summer is almost gone; winter is coming.
Summer is almost gone; however, winter
is coming.
The tour of capital cities included Vaduz,
Liechtenstein; Luxembourg,
Luxembourg; San Marino, San Marino;
and Andorra, Andorra.
commas Use a comma when two clauses, which could stand
alone as separate sentences, are joined by a
conjunction such as and, but or for.
Use commas to separate items in a series. Do not put
a comma, often referred to as an Oxford or serial
comma, before the conjunction in a simple series.
se a comma to separate an introductory clause or
phrase from the main clause.
Use a comma with the words “Yes” and “No.”
Use a comma when directly addressing someone in
writing.
More recipients are women and minority
students, but the gap is closing.
The reports provide information on the
number of graduates by domicile status,
gender and race over five years.
While the report is not complete, 11
institutions appear on track to meet the
deadline.
Yes, I will be there.
No, sir, I did complete the application.
Delegate Jones, please attend Tuesday’s
committee meeting.
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Commonwealth, the Capitalize Commonwealth as part of the formal name
of Virginia or as a synonym for Virginia (exception to
AP Style).
The Commonwealth of Virginia has a
long and noble history of higher
education.
Citizens of the Commonwealth will vote
tomorrow.
contractions Spell out contractions in formal writing, such as
reports, but not necessarily in informal writing, such
as emails.
Incorrect: “We don’t recommend taking
that action.”
Correct: We do not recommend taking
that action.”
data Always plural (exception to AP style). The data are clear.
The data indicate an increase in tuition
and fees.
dates, days, months
and times
Capitalize and spell out all days and months
(exception to AP style).
Do not use st, nd, rd or th when writing numbers.
When writing a month and year, do not separate with
a comma.
Wednesday
We will meet on the fourth Monday of
the month.
We will meet in November 2018.
When writing a month, date and year, add a comma
before and after the year.
We will meet on Monday, November 28,
2018, at SCHEV’s office in Richmond.
We will meet from noon until 4:30 p.m.
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Use numbers for times except for noon and midnight.
delegate Spell out in all uses.
Capitalize when it precedes
a name.
The delegate from Albemarle
Delegate Marcus Simon
Dr. Avoid overuse.
May use as a title for all people holding doctorates,
not just medical doctors (exception to AP Style).
VCU President Michael Rao, who holds a
doctorate in higher education
administration, will attend today’s
session.
Michael Rao, Ph.D.
Occasionally: Dr. Rao
e.g., E.g., means “for example.” A semi-colon precedes it,
and a comma follows it.
See also “i.e.,” entry.
Students have the potential opportunity
to reduce the time it takes to obtain an
undergraduate credential; e.g., diploma,
certificate or degree at the postsecondary
level.
fewer vs. less Use fewer if you are referring to people or things in
the plural (e.g., houses, newspapers, dogs, students,
children).
Use less when you are referring to something that
cannot be counted or does not have a plural (e.g.,
money, air, time, music, rain).
People these days are buying fewer
newspapers.
Fewer students are opting to study
science-related subjects.
It’s a better job, but they pay you less
money.
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Less than is also used with numbers when they are on
their own and with expressions of measurement or
time.
People want to spend less time in traffic
jams.
His weight fell from 200 pounds to less
than 175 pounds.
She served in the General Assembly for
less than 10 years.
Fiscal Year The 12-month period that a corporation or
governmental body uses for bookkeeping purposes.
Virginia’s fiscal year is July 1 through June 30. Fiscal
year is abbreviated FY.
In FY 2018, the Virginia Community
College System and the Southern
Virginia Higher Education Center
offered training aligned to high-demand
occupations and fields as identified by
the Virginia Board for Workforce
Development.
FTE In higher education, FTE refers to Full-Time
Equivalent (not full-time employee), a unit to
measure students in a way that makes them
comparable, although they may work or study a
different number of hours per week.
Governor Spell out and capitalize in all uses (exception to AP
Style).
The Governor attended the meeting.
The first speaker was Governor Ralph
Northam.
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General Assembly
Capitalize in all uses.
The 1992 General Assembly established
the Virginia Guaranteed Assistance
Program in Section 23-38.53:4 of the
Code of Virginia.
House of Delegates Capitalize in all uses. There are 100 members in Virginia’s
House of Delegates
hyphen
AP Style states the fewer hyphens the better.
Use hyphens as “joiners” to avoid ambiguity or to
form a single idea from two or more words. When
two or more words express a single idea, use hyphens
to link all the words in the compound.
Words hyphenated before a noun generally do not
use a hyphen when they occur after a noun.
Do not use hyphens with common phrases such as
high school student, higher education institution or
postsecondary education. Refer to an up-to-date
dictionary for specific word entries.
No hyphen is used with very or adverbs ending in –ly.
The first-quarter results are available.
There are many time-consuming tasks
for faculty, staff and students at the
beginning of the academic year.
The institution has many part-time jobs
available to students. Most students
prefer to work part time.
The team made an effort to complete the
incredibly difficult task on time.
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i.e., i.e., means, “that is (to say)” or “in other words.” A
semi-colon precedes it, and a comma follows it.
See also “e.g.,” entry.
Some students graduate with the
occasional D or F; i.e., they are able to
graduate despite failing a class.
institution names On first reference, use the full name then follow with
the acronym.
Do not use periods between the letters in the
abbreviations.
Public Institutions
Christopher Newport University, CNU
the College of William & Mary, W&M
George Mason University, GMU
James Madison University, JMU
Longwood University, LU
Norfolk State University, NSU
Old Dominion University, ODU
Radford University, RU
Richard Bland College, RBC
the University of Mary Washington,
UMW
the University of Virginia, UVa
the University of Virginia’s College at
Wise, UVa-Wise
Virginia Commonwealth University,
VCU
Virginia’s Community Colleges OR the
Virginia Community College System,
VCCS
Virginia Military Institute, VMI
Virginia State University, VSU
Virginia Tech, VT
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Private, Nonprofit Institutions (sample)
Averett University (Averett)
Bluefield College (Bluefield)
Bridgewater College (Bridgewater)
Eastern Mennonite University (EMU)
Emory & Henry College (EHC)
Ferrum College (Ferrum)
George Washington University (GWU)
Hampden-Sydney College (H-SC)
Hampton University (Hampton)
Hollins University (Hollins)
Liberty University (LU)
Mary Baldwin University (MBC)
Marymount University (Marymount)
Randolph-Macon College (R-MC)
Regent University (Regent)
Roanoke College (Roanoke College)
Shenandoah University (Shenandoah)
Sweet Briar College (SBC)
the University of Lynchburg (Lynchburg
U.)
the University of Richmond (UR)
Virginian Union University (VUU)
Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU
Washington & Lee (W&L)
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months Spell out the name of each month (exception to AP
Style).
When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not
separate the year with commas.
When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off
the year with commas.
See also dates, days, months and times and years
entries.
His birthday is August 14, 2013.
Governor Northam took office in January
2017.
She testified that it was December 3,
2017, when the crash occurred.
names Use a person’s first and last name the first time
mentioned. On second reference, use only the last
name with a professional or courtesy title; e.g., Dean,
Mr. or Ms.
Tod Massa started at SCHEV in 2001. As
policy analytics director, Mr. Massa
oversees the development of …
numbers Spell out numbers one through nine.
Use numerals for 10 and above and before a unit of
measure or when referring to ages and dates.
Spell out numbers at the beginning of a sentence,
except years.
He waited five years and 10 months.
On December 3, he will be 9.
One hundred employees received
information concerning changes to the
benefit plan.
2018 was a banner year for first-time
college student enrollment.
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Use numerals with million, billion or trillion unless
the exact figure is important.
1 million
1.5 million
300 million
2 billion
It cost $3,456,789.01.
The program’s training completion rate
reached 93.6%.
Outstanding Faculty
Awards
Spell out on first reference. Use OFA on second
reference.
The Dominion Foundation sponsored
last year’s Outstanding Faculty Awards
(OFA). The OFA event recognized 13
recipients.
parallel construction,
parallel structure
Use similar sentence and bullet structures to express
similar ideas. Begin each bullet with a similar word
(verb, noun, etc.)
Within a sentence, express matching ideas in
similar ways.
Oversee the application process.
Allocate awards to students.
Determine final eligibility for
federal, state and institutional
financial aid.
Not Parallel: Working for a university is
interesting, challenging and offers
rewards.
Parallel: Working for a university is
interesting, challenging and rewarding.
percent, percentage Use the percent symbol (%) rather than spelling
out (exception to AP Style).
The score rose 56%.
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Spell out percentage. This year’s score was 14 percentage
points above last year’s score.
plural possessives Add only an apostrophe to plural nouns ending in s.
For singular common nouns ending in s, add ’s unless
the next word begins with s.
The schools’ needs, states’ rights, the
VIPs’ entrance.
The hostess’s invitation, the hostess’
seat, the witness’s answer, the witness’
story.
podium, lectern One stands on a podium, dais or rostrum and behind
(or at) a lectern.
postsecondary No hyphen in postsecondary. He selected the University of Richmond
for his postsecondary education.
report titles Capitalize and italicize the proper titles of studies and
reports.
He referred to the Advancing Virginia:
Access, Alignment, Investment report.
SCHEV, fonts, colors
and logos
Approved fonts are Palatino and Franklin Gothic.
The Intranet contains templates and instructions for
how to use SCHEV’s specific fonts, colors and logo.
Visit the Communications section of the
Intranet for more info.
Senate Capitalize in all uses. If referring to the U.S. Senate, it
may be necessary to add U.S. to avoid confusion.
The Virginia Senate elected to send a
delegation to Washington, D.C., to speak
to a U.S. Senate subcommittee on higher
education.
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senator Spell out in all uses (an exception to AP).
When referring to members of the U.S. Senate,
include U.S.
Lowercase unless used before a name.
Senator Siobhan Dunnavant
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine
The senator voted “present.”
sentence length Use short, simple sentence structures for ease of
reading. Aim for no more than 15-20 words per
sentence.
spaces after periods,
colons or semicolons
Use only one space between two sentences (not two).
split infinitives Avoid awkward constructions that split infinitive
forms of a verb.
Incorrect: She had to immediately leave
on an assignment.
Correct: She had to leave immediately on
assignment.
Incorrect: Everyone needs to fully
understand the reference guide.
Correct: Everyone needs to understand
fully the reference guide.
staff When referring to the agency as a whole or as a
section, staff is singular.
Incorrect: SCHEV staff expect to be
there.
Correct: SCHEV staff expects to be there.
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State Council of
Higher Education for
Virginia, Council,
Committee
Use full name on first reference; SCHEV or Council
on further references.
Capitalize as a proper noun when used as a synonym
for the 13 members appointed by the Governor of the
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.
When referring to a specific committee use the full
title on first reference and then use either lower case
committee or the appropriate acronym.
In a 9-4 vote, Council approved the
change.
The Instructional Programs Advisory
Committee (IPAC) meets monthly. The
committee includes chief academic
officers of the 15 four-year, state-
supported colleges and universities,
Richard Bland College and the Virginia
Community College System.
telephone numbers When writing a phone number, use the following
format: 804-225-2600.
SCHEV’s main number is 804-225-2600.
titles Capitalize full, formal titles when used before a
name; lowercase if the title comes after the name.
Senior Vice President for Academic
Affairs Jerry Benson attended the
meeting.
Jerry Benson, senior vice president for
academic affairs, attended the meeting.
Virginia Spell out in all publication usage. Do not use VA or
Va. other than in mailing addresses or tabular
material.
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Virginia Plan for
Higher Education, The
Virginia’s strategic plan for higher education.
Capitalize The in The Virginia Plan for Higher Education
and The Virginia Plan but not in the plan.
SCHEV is implementing The Virginia Plan
for Higher Education, the state’s strategic
plan.
The General Assembly approved The
Virginia Plan, the Commonwealth’s guide
for higher education.
years
When a phrase refers to a month and day within
the current year, do not include the year.
If the reference is to a past or future year, include
the year and set it off with commas.
Use an “s” without an apostrophe to indicate
spans of decades or centuries.
When writing a compound number, use the full
year, followed by a hyphen and only the last half
of the second number.
We will meet on June 26.
February 14, 2025, is the target date.
the 1890s, the 1980s.
The 2017-18 annual report is on the
website.
The General Assembly approved the
Governor’s 2018-20 biennium budget.
ZIP code All capitals. It is an acronym for Zoning
Improvement Plan.
SCHEV’s ZIP code is 23219.