CED Web Management Explained
Keeping your college website accurate, accessible, and effective is a team effort.
Faculty and staff in the Michigan State University College of Education play an integral role in communicating to various audiences about our college and university.
The non-exhaustive list of resources and services here detail the in-house ways the full-time Communications team supports faculty and staff in CED units and programs. We provide many of our services for free, except where noted.
Registered student organizations can contact the MSU Office of Spartan Experiences for communications support and resources: involve@msu.edu.
We can help CED faculty/staff with or provide support for:
The resources below supply information, tools and access to the elements that can help us achieve these goals.
Request updates to websites or see progress on our content management system transition.
Complete a rental agreement to access CED-branded tablecloths and banners.
Our team specializes in writing about our college’s people, programs and possibilities for our varied audiences. We celebrate published research, grants, awards, books, strategic planning initiatives and other inspirational news stories. Learn how to share stories with us, what types of stories we share and data we can glean from recent top-performing stories.
These stories are promoted on our website, social media and email and are often shared via MSU communications.
This standard language briefly describes our college and its priorities. This may be used without alteration in any document (e.g., grant proposals, materials created for events or by outside organizations partnering with the College of Education, and promotional materials for programs or offices/institutes).
The College of Education at Michigan State University is a community of students, educators and researchers prepared to meet the challenges of education and kinesiology. We are committed to improving practice together through exemplary research, teaching and service. With a renowned Teacher Preparation Program, rigorous training for health-related careers and several nationally ranked graduate programs, the College of Education prepares leaders who make an extraordinary impact on health, well-being and education around the world.
For the most up-to-date boilerplate for Michigan State University, visit the branding website.
The official Michigan State University tagline, Spartans Will., may be used by all units on campus without alteration.
Learn how to use “Spartans Will.” in the MSU Brand Guide.
The use of “Spartan” or “Spartans” is also encouraged to maximize the effect of the university’s name and identity (e.g., “Become a Spartan teacher”).
College of Education faculty or units may use “Come prepared to learn, leave prepared to lead” without alteration on advertisements, flyers, etc.
Michigan State University and the College of Education adhere to Associated Press (AP) style for all communications. There are some institutional variations.
All efforts published by or through the Communications team (including digital and print materials) must adhere to these guidelines.
For details, review the MSU Editorial Style Guide and the College of Education Editorial Style Guide.
For best practices and standardization on inclusive writing practices, consult the university’s Inclusion Style Guide.
Our team is always looking for stories on:
Learn how to share your news idea with our team:
It's more than just telling stories — it's leveraging data to tell the stories in the right way for our audiences. Learn more about our data-informed approach to storytelling (YouTube).
Our process is built on success (and even more data). Explore what we can learn from our top 10 stories from Academic Year 2024-2025 (YouTube).
For questions or comments, or for media hoping to connect with our team or faculty, contact Lauren Knapp.
Senior Director of Communications
Lauren Knapp
laeknapp@msu.edu
202D Erickson Hall
(517) 353-3429
We champion email communications on behalf of the Dean’s Office and for the college as a whole. These efforts include our monthly external newsletter, Review(ED), event invitations and more.
Review(ED) – Newsletter to alums, friends and peer institutions, published monthly and featuring key news stories. Subscribe via MailChimp.
Event emails – For external audiences, inviting them to key or strategic events or professional development. While any unit may submit a request, not all requests can be accommodated.
CED Community Connections – For the internal listserv of faculty and staff, published weekly. Submit an event via Qualtrics.
Internal Insights – For the internal listserv of faculty, staff and graduate students, published biweekly and featuring campus/college updates, events and deadlines. Submit information via Qualtrics.
The information in this section pertains to the ED-FAC-STAFF and ED-STAFF internal College of Education listservs. Both listservs are moderated by the Communications team. View our full listserv policy.
Several internal communications are sent via the ED-FAC-STAFF listserv:
Units are generally discouraged from creating their own newsletters to limit duplicate information and efforts to our audiences. However, we are always open to discussions and feedback.
For questions on how your unit may partner in these and other efforts, contact Lauren Knapp. For comments on Internal Insights or CED event submission, contact Kayla Thompson.
Senior Director of Communications
Lauren Knapp
laeknapp@msu.edu
202D Erickson Hall
(517) 353-3429
Communications Coordinator
Kayla Thompson
thom2575@msu.edu
202A Erickson Hall
(517) 353-3429
Creating a social media page – If your department, program or office is considering creating a social media account, please reach out.
Digital advertising – For units interested in paid advertising or promotion from college channels related to events or other occurrences, questions and/or consultations are available upon request. While we provide creative and strategic support, units must pay for their own advertising (the cost to place an ad).
Need us to share? If there is a piece of college-related content you are interested in sharing with our audience, please reach out with details. Consider the who, what, when, where, why and how when crafting your message.
Content guidance – Regular posting, tagging and other best practices can help ensure the success of your content. Consultations are available upon request.
Guidelines – Michigan State University has detailed guidelines to ensure safe and effective social media use, including best practices on privacy and community standards. When using social media, be mindful of content shared to represent the College of Education responsibly.
Please coordinate with Lauren Knapp with any questions or comments related to social media.
Senior Director of Communications
Lauren Knapp
laeknapp@msu.edu
202D Erickson Hall
(517) 353-3429
For opportunities at which the College of Education may benefit from a strong visual presence, the Communications team offers signage/tablecloths for free rental and swag for purchase to CED faculty and staff. Requests for materials should be made at least one week in advance (Qualtrics).
Read our entire Swag/Promotional Items & Publications Policy (effective July 1, 2026).
Would you like a promotional item that isn’t offered by the Communications team? We can assist in ordering college-branded or unit-branded items. Expect at least 30+ days from initiating the request to having the item in hand.
To request publications or event materials, please fill out this request form or contact Kayla Thompson. Requests must be made with at least five business day's notice.
For general rental equipment, please complete this rental agreement and return to Kayla Thompson. This rental agreement is valid for one academic semester and must be completed prior to renting any equipment.
For the Green Carpet Experience (GCE), please complete this rental agreement and return to Kayla Thompson. This rental agreement is valid for one rental and must be completed prior to each new GCE rental.
Notepads, sticky-notes, pens, stickers, cell-phone wallets, keychains, highlighters, folders (two sizes) and gift bags. Specialty items available in limited quantities include: lanyards, blank CED cards, pennants and stress balls. Reach out to Kayla Thompson about requesting these items.
The CED Communications team no longer offers free college-branded swag for events. These events include but are not limited to conferences, orientations, student events, recruitment efforts and presentations.
However, we do offer a limited selection of free swag for special circumstances, determined by and provided at the full discretion of the Communications team.
New Educator – Glossy magazine published once a year, includes news and feature articles about research, policy, faculty, students and alums (last printed January 2026).
Imagin[ED] 2030 Strategic Plan - A one-page (two-sided) card describing the high-level details of the college's strategic plan (last printed December 2025).
Rankings – A one-page (two sided) flyer highlighting our graduate program rankings, plus general points of distinction for the college (last printed May 2025).
Social Media Postcard – List of ways to connect with the college through social media networks, email and alum activities.
"Meet the Dean" – A brochure about Dean Jackson and his leadership (last printed July 2023).
Teacher Preparation Program (Undergraduate) – A booklet about reasons for becoming a teacher through the MSU Teacher Preparation Program, including elementary, secondary and special education (last printed 2024).
The Communications team coordinates rentals of tablecloths and various signage for events on a first-come, first-served basis.
Would you like a promotional item that isn’t offered by the Communications team?
We can assist in ordering college-branded or unit-branded items. Requesting units must pay for the full price, including shipping.
Units may contact us at any time to purchase college- or unit-branded items. Please plan ahead, as most requests take at least 30 days from initiation to delivery due to university and external timelines.
Effective July 1, 2026: From July through April, requests require a minimum of 30 days from start to delivery. To ensure items are received before the fiscal year ends, units must contact us by May 1. Requests submitted after May 1 are not guaranteed to complete the university approval process or receive invoices before June 30. Read our entire Swag/Promotional Items & Publications Policy (effective July 1, 2026).
The university requires that any item using a Michigan State University trademark, logo, slogan or “other symbol or device associated with or referring to the university” be reviewed and authorized by the University Licensing Programs office.
All items must also be purchased from an MSU licensed vendor.
The college works with multiple vendors and can help assist with the process.
Visit the University Licensing website for additional information.
To request publications, event materials, and/or promotional items contact Kayla Thompson or fill out this promotional items/publications request form. Requests must be made with at least one week’s notice.
For rental equipment, contact Kayla Thompson or fill out the request forms found under Rental Agreements.
Communications Coordinator
Kayla Thompson
thom2575@msu.edu
202A Erickson Hall
(517) 353-3429
The College of Education website serves as a central hub for prospective and current students, faculty and staff, providing easy access to academic programs, resources and events. It helps streamline communication across departments and supports the college’s mission by offering information on admissions, research and community engagement opportunities.
The website is hosted on Sitecore XM Cloud as of June 2025. As a result of this migration, effective January 1, 2024, the following website services are affected:
The Communications team maintains sole access to the website for the foreseeable future. We cannot currently accommodate requests to gain access to the website for edits. We may reconsider access requests in the future.
We prioritize urgent, time-sensitive updates or those that impact our accreditation. If your request falls under these categories, please let us know.
All other requests will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Start a web request form.
We can attend to most web requests within 2 business days.
For any website-related matters, please feel free to contact Adria Mestré or Lauren Knapp, or fill out a website update request form.
Senior Director of Communications
Lauren Knapp
laeknapp@msu.edu
202D Erickson Hall
(517) 353-3429
Website Content Administrator
Adria Mestré
mestread@msu.edu
202C Erickson Hall
(517) 353-3429
The College of Education offers professional photography services, capturing the essence of our programs, initiatives and student achievements with stunning visuals. Our photography brings the unique strengths of the college to life, telling powerful stories that engage and inspire our diverse audiences across digital platforms. With a creative touch, we also provide expert graphic design to further elevate the visual impact of our content.
For logos, graphical elements, fonts, and colors, please refer to the MSU Brand Guide for detailed guidelines on proper usage. This resource ensures all visual materials align with Michigan State University’s branding standards, maintaining consistency and professionalism across all platforms. Following these guidelines helps strengthen our identity and messaging.
Please submit photography requests at least 15 business days (three weeks) in advance to Trevor Hawks: hawkstre@msu.edu. This is the minimum notice recommended for staff photography coverage and provides the greatest scheduling flexibility, particularly if freelance coverage may be needed.
If your event is less than 15 business days away, we still encourage you to contact us. While coverage cannot be guaranteed, we will make every effort to accommodate requests when staff schedules permit.
However, we cannot accommodate every request. When staff coverage is unavailable, units may hire a freelance photographer at their own expense; referrals are available upon request.
Weekend photography is not available except for Convocation. Limited after-hours and/or off-campus coverage may be available; please talk to our team for details.
The university templates and graphic materials provided are intended as a starting point for small-scale projects such as posters, speaker announcements, event handouts and various electronic forms of communication.
In addition to resources provided at the university level, the College of Education Communications team offers custom templates tailored for college use. Coming soon!
The college offers a regularly updated database of professional photos, available for use by departments, programs, and offices. This collection covers college-specific subjects like buildings, events, faculty, students, research, and alumni.
Using these images in print and web materials is preferred over stock photography. High-resolution images from the MSU photo library can be viewed at photos.msu.edu, and the Communications team can assist with acquiring them.
For more substantial graphic design projects that will have longevity and sustained use, branding, photography and printing inquiries, contact Trevor Hawks.
Graphic Artist
Trevor Hawks
hawkstre@msu.edu
202E Erickson Hall
(517) 353-3429
The College of Education offers professional videography to feature department programs and initiatives and promote student experiences and academic achievements. We create compelling video content that highlights the unique aspects of our college, tailored to engage our diverse audiences across digital platforms. The College of Education Communications team has a photography and videography studio located in 207 Erickson Hall. This space and equipment is not available for rentals.
The College of Education Communications team does not offer live streaming services or full event coverage.
The College of Education Communications team and similar university resources require planning time to strategize, prepare and provide the best services for your needs. Please reach out at least 30 days in advance.
For media support outside the scope of the CED communications team, see these campus resources:
All video projects are on pause due to personnel transitions. For urgent video needs or requests, please reach out to Lauren Knapp (laeknapp@msu.edu).
