To ensure that email remains an effective means of communication, the university must be strategic in its use of broadcast email messages.

Using email impersonally and indiscriminately will harm the credibility of the entire university and make audiences less likely to welcome university emails that could be of interest to them. The system should be used only when the content impacts a significant percentage of recipients.

This page is meant to inform you of policies regarding the use of SendIt, the university's tool for sending official emails to students, faculty and staff.

Email Request Process

University Information Technology (UIT) E-Comm will coordinate approvals of each campus audience email request with University Marketing and Communications. These requests to faculty, students, and/or staff audiences should be submitted via the online form at http://uh.edu/email-request. Please allow 24-48 hours to process your submission and request approvals.

Alternatives to Bulk Email Requests

CoogNews and UH Today are alternative options for promoting UH initiatives to campuswide audiences:

CoogNews - Weekly Student Newsletter

CoogNews is a weekly electronic newsletter delivered to students that provides a brief synopsis of campus information, news announcements and events for the week. Requests to be included in the weekly newsletter should be submitted to the Division of Student Affairs via the online form at https://uh.edu/dsa/coognews/.

UH Today - Faculty and Staff Newsletter

UH Today is an official University of Houston communication for faculty and staff. UH Today, which includes this website and a Monday-Wednesday-Friday email digest, reports on important human resources and University policy issues, provides institutional and employee features and covers awards, appointments and event information as well as other items of interest to the UH campus. Submissions are subject to editorial review and not guaranteed. For more information on UH Today, contact uhtoday@uh.edu.

General Guidelines

The following guidelines are intended to ensure that messages are consistent and serve a university appropriate purpose.

• Official emails coordinated and distributed by E-Comm will require the following UIT Security email guidelines:
  • University logo
  • Email signature of sender (name, title, department, email address, phone number)
  • Email footer with information specifying how to verify the validity of the email message
• With the exception of communications authorized by the Office of the President, no attachments are allowed.
• No communications or solicitations from outside vendors will be permitted.
• E-Comm will not approve requests for survey research or research subjects, etc.
• Surveys of students, faculty and staff will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
• Keep in mind the difference between local and global information. An event of interest to NSM may not be of similar interest to CLASS or the College of Architecture, while a presentation by a Nobel Prize winner will have much more widespread interest. When selecting your preferred audience, think carefully about who would truly benefit from receiving the notice. Be prepared to make a case if there is some question about appropriateness.
• Requests to send an email distribution multiple times to the same audience should specify the number of times along with the dates of distribution. Such requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
• Keep The Daily Cougar as well as your college- or division- affiliated newsletters in mind as possible alternative communication vehicles. Additionally, the university’s homepage offers an opportunity to promote your event.