Overview
The South Dakota Board of Regents (BOR) established Policy 1.7.6 – Communications and Branding to provide consistent standards for official university communications.
This policy establishes which contact information, graphics, and links may appear in official DSU email signatures. Email signatures must also follow the university's DSU Brand Manual.
DSU provides an official email signature generator to help you create a signature that follows these requirements.
Applies To
Users: DSU employees communicating on behalf of the university
Applications: Microsoft Outlook and Outlook on the web
Related Services: Official university communications, including Zoom contact information
Email Signature Requirements
Your official DSU email signature may contain only the following information:
- Your name, including earned degrees or credentials
- Your job title
- Your department or unit name
- Your email address
- Your department or unit email address, if applicable
- Your physical address
- Your mailing address
- Your telephone number
- Links to official institutional websites or social media platforms, if applicable
- The primary institutional logo
- The institutional motto
- Professional disclosures relevant to legal privileges or disclosure requirements associated with the communication, provided they are within the scope of your employment
Important: Additional information, graphics, or links not specifically permitted by the policy are prohibited.
Examples of information that must not appear in your official email signature include:
- Preferred pronouns
- Inspirational sayings or personal quotations
- Links to non-official institutional websites
- Additional graphics not authorized by the policy
These restrictions also apply to contact information used in other official university communication channels, including Zoom.
Create a Compliant DSU Email Signature
DSU provides an official email signature generator designed to comply with the Board of Regents policy.
- Open the DSU Email Signature Generator.
- Follow the instructions provided by the generator to create your official DSU email signature.
- Review your signature to ensure it contains only permitted information, graphics, and links.
- Use the completed signature in your official university email communications.
Note: Use the official DSU signature generator rather than adding custom graphics, quotations, or links to your signature.
Additional Information
For additional guidance, review the following official resources:
Still Need Help?
If you have questions about what information may be included in your official DSU email signature, review the Board of Regents policy and DSU Brand Manual.
If these instructions do not resolve the issue, contact the DSU Support Desk or submit a support request.