College Email: Guidelines and Best Practices
As part of Montgomery College's commitment to effective communication and organizational
excellence (Strategic Plan Goal 3), all email communications must align with the College's
mission and maintain professional standards. Policy 62003–Public Information, Communications, and Marketing (PDF, 
) and Policy 66001–Acceptable Use of Information Technology (PDF, ) establish frameworks for responsible information exchange both externally with the
public and internally among faculty, staff, and students.
To preserve broadcast email for official College communications and ensure policy compliance, all employees and students must observe these guidelines.
Use of College Email Accounts
College email accounts are designated for official College business only, supporting our educational mission through:
- Official College communications;
- College updates and announcements;
- Urgent notifications and essential deadlines;
- Administrative coordination.
- Email communications must align with the College’s business and mission purposes and
maintain professional standards as outlined in Policy 66001: Acceptable Use of Information Technology (PDF, ) .
The following activities violate College policy and are not permitted. This list is not exhaustive:
- Using College email for personal fundraising or sales;
- Promoting external businesses or services;
- Organizing events unrelated to College business;
- Sending mass emails (per policy 62003 (PDF, ) ) without prior authorization, unless communicating college business with your assigned
unit or department;
- Sending messages that may be perceived as harassing, inappropriate, or unprofessional.
Important Considerations
Public Records
Under the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA), College email communications are public records and may be subject to disclosure requests.
Security Requirements
Per Policy 66001 (PDF, ) , users must:
- Report phishing emails and suspicious communications immediately;
- Use College IT resources without compromising system integrity;
- Follow established security protocols to protect College data.
Mission Alignment
All technology including the use of email must support the College's educational mission and comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws as required by the College’s Acceptable Use Policy.
Broadcast Email Guidelines
Broadcast email is any message sent to 50 or more recipients. Departments with more than 50 members may send internal communications specific to their area without prior approval. All broadcast emails must comply with Montgomery College guidelines, procedures, and applicable state and federal laws.
Authorization
Only the following College offices and positions have automatic authorization to send broadcast emails to collegewide groups (all employees, all students, campus-based staff and faculty). To request broadcast email approval, contact the authorized office you report through.
- President
- Chief of Staff
- Senior Vice President of Student Affairs
- Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs
- Senior Vice President of Administrative and Fiscal Services
- Senior Vice President of Advancement and Community Engagement
- Rockville Campus Dean
- Germantown Campus Dean
- Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus Dean
- Director of Governance
- Elected Union leaders
- Office of Communications
- Office of Compliance, Risk, and Ethics
- Office of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging
- Office of Facilities
- Office of Human Resources and Strategic Talent Management
- Office of Information Technology
- Office of the President
- Office of Public Safety, Health, and Emergency Management
Recommended Communication Channels
For employees and students not authorized to send broadcast emails, the College offers additional opportunities to promote events and news broadly to the College community via the following communication channels:
Requests must be submitted by Montgomery College faculty or staff. Student requests should be approved and submitted by a Student Life advisor, or academic department/club advisor.
For more information on promoting Montgomery College news and events, visit the Office of Communications webpage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Only the approved list of individuals and offices can email all MC students or MC employees. Contact the approved individual or office in your chain of command to submit the broadcast email request.
Access to group email inboxes needs to be approved by the director of the office/department. The director needs to send approval to the IT Service Desk in order to grant access.
No. We do not have the ability to target students that attend a specific MC location.