The EICC Office of Marketing and Communications works closely with the Chancellor, Board of Trustees, senior leadership, faculty, and staff to ensure all marketing efforts support institutional priorities, as well as promote our programs, services, and impact on students and the communities we serve.

The marketing team’s primary focus is to support and advance enrollment and retention, and all requests are weighed and prioritized within that lens. If a project has no direct tie to enrollment and retention, the team may recommend other avenues in which to share the information and/or reach an intended audience.

The team is responsible for:

Creating and executing communication plans that support EICC strategic priorities.
Creating and leveraging marketing and advertising investments.
Maintaining the EICC brand.
Writing, designing, and coordinating production of all external marketing materials.
Maintaining and updating the EICC website and social media channels.
Institutional video editing and production, and photography directly related to enrollment.
Media relations and crisis communications.
Coordinating and preparing EICC leadership and faculty for media interviews and public addresses.
Serving as EICC spokespeople when appropriate.
Using data insights to inform strategy, measure ROI, and guide continuous improvement.
Ensuring accessibility, compliance, and usability in all digital communications (e.g., ADA/Section 508 for web).
Supporting events and community relations that drive awareness and enrollment.
Exploring and adopting new platforms, technologies, and trends in digital marketing, advertising, and storytelling.

Our brand is one of EICC’s strongest assets — it connects who we are with the students and communities we serve. The elements outlined in this guide — our logo, colors, voice, and tone — work together to express our mission, reflect our values, and strengthen recognition across Eastern Iowa.

This guide, along with the policies that support it, helps protect our brand identity and uphold our legal and ethical responsibilities to our students and communities.

The following procedures apply to all EICC departments, programs, faculty, and staff, unless otherwise noted. With the exception of the use of the EICC name, logo, and Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Statement (EEO), these policies do not apply to materials created by students for student organizations or events.

Gray circular icon with an exclamation mark, indicating an alert or important notice. Marketing has final approval of all text, messages, design, photographs, web pages, graphic representation, and artwork for any materials that represent EICC.

Marketing Requests

All marketing requests should be submitted via an online form at eicc.edu/marketing. Doing so places your request directly into a project management system and production schedule. Please submit a request as soon as possible: at least six weeks in advance if it is a printed piece that must be mailed, and at least three weeks in advance if it is digital marketing, such as an email or social media post. If a requested project has no direct tie to enrollment and retention, the team may recommend other avenues in which to share the information and/or reach the intended audience.

We encourage student organizations and campus foundations to contact the team with questions about, and assistance with, design, content, placement, and production of materials.

EICC Name and Logo

While our campuses and facilities may be diverse, they all operate under the legal entity and accreditation of Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC), which is our unified identity and brand. It is crucial that all faculty, staff, departments, and programs adhere to approved EICC logos, publication guidelines, and graphic standards for official purposes, covering both internal and external printed and electronic materials, including emails. Modifying the logo in any way is prohibited.

Individual campus logos have been phased out, except permanent building signage. If you come across marketing or promotional materials featuring a campus-specific logo, an outdated EICC logo, or need to provide an updated logo to an external organization, please notify the team.

We no longer reference the college as ‘Eastern Iowa Community College District,’ nor its abbreviation, EICCD.

Gray circular icon with an exclamation mark, indicating an alert or important notice. Do you have a flyer, brochure, or rack card that is more than a year old? Send it our way for a quick review. We’ll make sure it meets EICC brand and style guidelines. If it needs some work, we’ll add it to the production schedule!

Marketing to External Audiences

To maintain brand consistency, all marketing or promotional materials targeting external audiences must either be created or pre-approved by marketing. This includes:

Flagship website pages and content
Student recruitment materials
Newsletters
Magazines
Flyers
Booklets
Rack cards
Program brochures
Posters
Postcards
Signs
Promotional emails
Electronic and print advertisements
Institutional videos
Media releases
Institutional social media
Emergency communications
Institutional audio-visual presentations
Branded promotional items/swag
PowerPoint/slide deck templates and other branded presentation tools
Digital signage (e.g.: campus TVs)
Sponsored content/native ads

Departments, programs, faculty, and staff seeking new or updated promotional materials should submit an online marketing request. For scheduling purposes, provide six weeks lead time for a printed piece, and a minimum of three weeks for digital marketing such as email, social media, etc.

Departments may not create their own marketing materials. All promotional content for EICC programs must be developed or approved by marketing.

Marketing to Internal Audiences

The team can assist in the creation, production, and distribution of new and updated materials for large internal audiences, such as employee handbooks, reports, and emails.

To help us plan efficiently, please provide a six-week lead time for a printed piece, and a minimum of three weeks for website or electronic communications. Depending on timing and workload, the team may recommend other avenues in which to share the information.

Digital Accessibility and PDFs

As a public institution receiving federal funds, EICC is legally responsible for maintaining compliance with federal digital accessibility standards established under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Beginning in April 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice will require all public colleges and universities to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards under the ADA’s new Title II web and digital accessibility rule.

EICC must also ensure that all digital content adheres to the four foundational principles of digital accessibility — Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR) — across every aspect of its digital presence, including the website, social media, internal systems, and both internal and external email communications. Meeting these standards ensures that EICC’s digital materials are accessible to all members of our community and are usable across devices and assistive technologies.

When the marketing team produces materials specifically for print, those files are optimized for that format. Print-designed PDFs are not distributed digitally because they are not guaranteed to meet accessibility standards or to provide a consistent user experience in digital environments.

If content from a printed piece must be shared electronically, the marketing team will create an alternative, accessible version — such as a web page, HTML email, or fully remediated PDF — to ensure compliance with accessibility standards and maintain the integrity of EICC’s communications. This practice reflects EICC’s commitment to inclusion, accessibility, and the highest standards of communication.

EEO Statement

EICC is dedicated to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for our students, faculty, and staff. Required by federal regulation, the college’s nondiscrimination statement is designed to make clear to prospective applicants or participants the college’s commitment to equal opportunity in employment and equal access to its programs and activities. All marketing materials, institutional, and departmental publications that describe or invite participation at the college must contain this full statement:

It is the policy of Eastern Iowa Community College District not to discriminate in its programs, activities, or employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, creed, religion, and actual or potential family, parental or marital status, as required by the Iowa Code §§216.6 and 216.9, Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d and 2000e), the Equal Pay Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 206, et seq.), Title IX (Educational Amendments, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1681-1688), Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794), and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12101, et seq.).

If you have questions or complaints related to compliance with this policy, please contact EICC’s Equal Employment Opportunity Officer/Equity Coordinator, Eastern Iowa Community College District, 101 West Third Street, Davenport, Iowa 52801, 563-336-5222, equity@eicc.edu or the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Building, 1244 Speer Boulevard, Suite 310, Denver, CO 80204-3582, Telephone: 303-8445695. FAX: 303-844-4303; TDD: 800-877-8339 or Email: OCR.Denver@ed.gov

A shorter statement can be used in limited, special circumstances, but must be approved by marketing. Before use, confirm that this statement is accurate and up to date at eicc.edu/eeo.

Media Relations

Effectively promoting EICC programs, students, faculty, and our community impact involves strategic media relations. The coordination of all proactive interactions with the press is the responsibility of Associate Director of Marketing and Communications. They manage the timing and distribution of media releases, pitches stories to specific reporters, and fosters relationships with key editors and reporters from local news outlets.

We encourage faculty and staff to contribute by sharing story ideas, requesting press releases, or volunteering their subject-matter expertise to the media. We will assess all requests, but note that the department cannot guarantee media coverage even if a release is issued or a story pitched.

In the event you are contacted directly by the media, please contact the Associate Director for Marketing and Communication and they will respond.

Media on Campus

In all media interactions, EICC complies with all state and federal laws, including:

The Freedom of Information Act, which provides public access to public documents and meetings, unless specifically exempted by statute.
The Family Education Rights and Private Act (FERPA), which protects certain student information.
The Clery Act, which requires that we issue timely warnings to the campus regarding acts of crime that may pose a public danger.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which protects health information where applicable.
Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)/Section 504, which ensure nondiscrimination and accessibility.

Crisis Communications

In the event of an emergency or crisis, all public statements, news releases, and social media posts must be coordinated through marketing in collaboration with EICC leadership.

No department or employee should issue statements on behalf of the college without prior authorization. Timely, accurate, and coordinated communication ensures public trust, protects EICC’s reputation, and supports the safety of our community.

Website

The eicc.edu website serves as the primary platform for engaging with prospective and current students and was purposefully designed for effective communication. The marketing team is responsible for its design, and maintaining, updating, and adding new content. All EICC brand and style guidelines are strictly followed. All website pages about programs, student services, campus resources, and continuing education will be reviewed annually by the team in partnership with the pertinent faculty, staff, and leadership.

To request a change, addition, or deletion to the website, submit a Marketing Request. Note: the marketing team plays no role in the operations of EICConnect, Lumens, or the college catalog.

Social Media

The Marketing team is responsible for EICC, CCC, MCC, and SCC social media accounts on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. While we value engagement on our flagship social media pages, EICC has the authority to monitor, restrict, or take down content at its discretion. We reserve the right to suspend, terminate, or delete access to our official social media pages without prior notice. Comments or posts that are considered abusive, offtopic, or inappropriate will be removed.

Students, faculty, and staff can request an EICC-related social media account to represent a club, program, or service in which they are directly involved. Please outline the purpose and intent for the account and email the request to any member of the marketing team. Student organizations must obtain approval from the faculty/staff advisor first.

Marketing will create the account and share administrative privileges with the person who will post and monitor the account. All EICC-related social media accounts are reviewed annually to ensure the program or organization is actively posting and the page continues to fulfill the purpose and intent. Marketing will suspend or delete inactive accounts. In addition, EICC retains the right to delete comments or posts that are considered abusive, off-topic, or inappropriate.

Branded Merchandise

EICC is committed to protecting the strength and consistency of its brand. To maintain a unified identity, all branded merchandise — including apparel, promotional products, and giveaways — must adhere to the following procedures:

Approved Vendors

All merchandise must be purchased exclusively through EICC-approved vendors. The list of approved vendors is maintained by marketing and available upon request. Purchases from outside suppliers, online retailers, or unlicensed vendors are prohibited unless otherwise approved.

Collaboration with the Office of Marketing and Communications

Faculty and staff must coordinate all merchandise projects with marketing. The team will guide appropriate product selection, ensure compliance with institutional branding, and manage vendor relations. Early involvement is encouraged to allow for design development and production timelines.

Design Approval and Artwork

All designs must be reviewed and approved by marketing before production. Only the team’s graphic artists may provide official artwork files to vendors. Logos, wordmarks, and taglines must follow established brand standards. Unauthorized alterations or recreations of EICC graphics are strictly prohibited.

Brand Standards

Merchandise must reflect the professionalism, inclusivity, and mission of EICC. All items must comply with EICC’s brand guidelines, including proper logo usage, colors, clear space, and sizing rules. Items deemed off-brand, misleading, or inappropriate will not be approved.

Ordering and Billing

After design approval, the team will coordinate with the approved vendor to place the order. In most cases, departments are responsible for costs.

Compliance

Items that do not follow these procedures may not be distributed, worn, or used to represent EICC. Marketing reserves the right to halt or reject any project that does not meet brand standards. Repeated noncompliance may result in restrictions on departmental purchasing.

Videography and Photography

Marketing manages videography and photography for the website, promotional items, marketing assets, and selected events.

Photo and video requests can be submitted via a marketing request. If a student or class is asked to participate in a photoshoot or video for EICC, they will need to sign a model release form, which can be found at eicc.edu/marketing.

If people, including children, are present at a campus event, it is considered a public event. Marketing has the right to publish photos and videos from these events for use on social media, marketing materials, and other promotional purposes. However, if minors (including high school career academy or concurrently enrolled students) are participating in a planned marketing photo or video shoot, a minor release form with a parent or guardian signature is required.

Photos for social media may be taken by the marketing team or in collaboration with faculty, staff, or students for EICC’s social media accounts.

Faculty and staff headshots are taken during professional development days. New employees, or employees needing updated headshots, can schedule a session via the online headshot request form at eicc.edu/marketing. All headshots are taken at the SCC Urban Campus by a member of the marketing team. Note: AI-generated images will not be accepted in place of actual headshots.