CUIMC Broadcast Email Policy

The CUIMC Office of Communications distributes important messages across campus via the university broadcast email system.

With few exceptions, campus-wide broadcast emails are about operations, facilities, safety, administrative or academic policy changes, and announcements from senior leadership. We strictly limit the number of messages sent, prioritizing those that are of critical importance or campus-wide significance.

To obtain authorization for a broadcast email, complete the CUIMC Broadcast Email Request Form (login required). Requests must be submitted at least three, but no more than 10, business days prior to the requested send date. The CUIMC Office of Communications manages the time of distribution to avoid multiple broadcast emails within any given time period.

When reviewing a request, we consider the message’s relevance to the recipients and the general volume of email sent on campus, among other factors.

When you submit a broadcast email request via the online form, you agree to the terms and conditions below.

• Messages must pertain to CUIMC faculty/staff/students.
• No advertisements for goods or services or fundraising solicitations are permitted.
• Senders are solely responsible for the accuracy and content of emails.
• All broadcast email requests must be submitted through the CUIMC Broadcast Email Request Form (login required). Users may not attempt to send messages directly through the broadcast email system without requesting permission in advance.
• Because of CUIMC IT security requirements, it is not possible to send an email from another person’s email address. The person who sends the message must have access to the account from which the message is sent.
• Announcements may be edited for clarity, style, and appropriateness.
• Events should be promoted through the online events calendar rather than through broadcast emails.
• When emails promoting events are deemed appropriate, text is the best format to ensure the message will be legible to all recipients. Sending images within an email is not recommended because an image increases a message’s size and images less than 300 DPI will appear fuzzy in an email. Never send an email with both an image and text if the text merely duplicates the information in the image. If an image is used in an email message, it must follow these guidelines: be an embedded JPEG with a maximum width of 600 pixels and have a resolution of 300 DPI.
• Important events of interest to a wide number of people may be considered for the www.cuimc.columbia.edu homepage carousel of rotating images. Submit your request to the communications staff at cumcnews@lists.cumc.columbia.edu. It is recommended that you query the communications staff before setting up an image to get preapproved for use of the carousel. Please seek approval as far as possible in advance of the event or at least a week before the image will begin rotating through the carousel (a week ahead of the event). Carousel images promoting events will remain in the carousel for up to one week. Guidelines for carousel images: ratio of 21:9, 1680 x 720 pixels (minimum size) or 2560 x 1080, with room for text at the bottom of the image. Provide text (up to a maximum of 100 characters, including spaces) that the content management system will add to the image. Provide a link for connecting the image to more information about the event. NOTE: Do not add the text or link to the image. The content management system automatically adds the text and link to the image. Communications has Photoshop templates that can be customized for carousel images. Contact Communications for more information.