UAB Mass Email Communications Policy

Any one-time message addressed to multiple recipients that needs to be sent from a "special" address rather than a user’s personal address is considered a mass email. Mass emails sent to all faculty, staff, and students are reserved for special circumstances and require approval from UAB Marketing & Communications. Mass emails sent within a school or division must be approved at the top of that hierarchy.

To initiate the process, complete the AskIT Mass Email Request form. Once all approvals are granted, Central IT will construct the list and send the email. Allow seven business days for completion of the request.

General Criteria for Campuswide Emails

UAB recognizes faculty, staff, and students have an interest in keeping their accounts free of emails that are unsolicited and, perhaps, irrelevant to them. To reinforce best practices, these guidelines address instances in which campuswide mass email requests will be considered and approved:

• The message should relate to changes in programs, policies, or procedures that may require action — or limit it.
• The message should be relevant to most members of the UAB community in the context of their role within the university.
• The message should be time-sensitive.

Requests that do not meet these criteria may not be approved, and requestors will be directed to Best Practices for Internal Electronic Communications to learn more about other ways to reach intended audiences.

Checklist for Submitting and Fulfilling Requests

1. Obtain needed approvals.

• Emails to large numbers must be approved based upon the organizational hierarchy. If the message is addressed to all faculty, staff, and students, approval is required from UAB Marketing & Communications. Deans can approve a targeted distribution within their school, and a vice president can send to all members of their division, etc. Sending to recipient addresses that are not in the UAB Directory is problematic and may cause complaints and/or outside mail services to block email from UAB. If this is required, special approval will be needed.

2. Provide all required content elements:

• A date and time to send the message — preferably during non-business hours
• A valid From: address — usually a Resources or other non-personal departmental account
• A Subject: line for the message
• The full body of text as it is to appear in the email distribution. Note: if the message has clickable links embedded in it, the visible URL must match the real URL, or the message will most likely be flagged as a phishing attempt and rejected by some mail systems.

3. Approve and release final draft for distribution.

• A proof copy will be sent to the requestor before the email is sent. The requestor must approve this final copy for it to be distributed. If necessary approvals are not submitted within the scheduled timeframe, the email will be delayed.