Social Media

All Policies › Administration & Operations › Social Media

Responsible Office

Vice President for Enrollment

Policy Owner

Office of Marketing & Communications

Policy Contact

Director of Marketing & Communications

Issued

2022-02-14

Last Revised

2026-10-01

On this page: Policy Statement · Reason for Policy · Policy Scope · Procedures · Frequently Asked Questions · Forms · Appendices · Additional Contacts · Definitions · Responsibilities · Related Information · History

Policy Statement

Social media must be used in a manner that complies with university rules, policies, and procedures documented in the student, staff, and faculty handbooks.

University employees can only post on behalf of the university in an official capacity if explicitly authorized.

The university does not endorse or use any social network communication service or media sharing service as a secure means of communication for online business transactions, academic information, advising, or matters involving personal information.

Creation of Official University Social Media Accounts

All university departments and employees must receive approval from the university Office of Marketing & Communications before starting an account using the North Central University name. Marketing will review all requests and will help determine the best platform to accomplish the requester’s needs, as well as ensure that there is no existing account that could meet those needs better.

Confidential and Proprietary Information

University departments and employees must abide by FERPA, HIPAA, ADA, and NCAA policies. Posting information or photos about individuals without their written consent can constitute an invasion of privacy that may violate Minnesota and federal privacy laws.

Protect Individual and University Intellectual Property

Only share copyrighted information with the copyright owner’s consent unless an exception applies. The U.S. Copyright Office enforces U.S. copyright law and provides resources on Fair Use and other exceptions. Questions about fair use or copyrighted material should be directed to the Office of Marketing & Communications or university counsel.

Any use of university logos, trademarks or other images must have prior approval. Do not use official logos, trademarks, or any other university images on personal social media sites. Do not use the university’s name to endorse a product, cause, or political party or candidate.

Using or posting stock art, photography, and video without explicit permission from the source is also strictly prohibited.

Respect University Time and Property

Employees may, on occasion, utilize social media and the web for personal matters in the workplace. Employees may engage in incidental personal use of social media in the workplace so long as such use does not consume significant time or resources, interfere with operations and productivity, or violate university or department policies.

Be Aware of Terms of Service

Comply with the Terms of Service of any social media platform used.

Administration

All official university social media accounts must have at least two administrators. The Office of Marketing & Communications must be an administrator on all official university social media accounts.

Emergency and Crisis Situations

In the event of an emergency or crisis situation, administrators of university social media accounts must only share approved messages by the Office of Marketing & Communications or appropriate emergency response team.

Personal Use of Social Media

Personal communications made via social media are not exempt from the laws and regulations that govern personal liability across general and traditional forms of communication. Such communications should not indicate that the individual is speaking on behalf of the university.

Clearly Identify Your Personal Communications

Individuals must use care to separate business and personal use and may not use university social media accounts to distribute personal communications. Employees who use personal social media channels to talk about work or university-related matters are asked to disclose their affiliation with the university. Employees may consider adding a disclaimer to their social media accounts stating that their thoughts are their own.

Protected Activity

Nothing in the university’s social media requirements restricts an employee’s ability to engage in concerted, protected activity under the National Labor Relations Act with fellow employees regarding wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. The university encourages employees to use established processes and direct complaints or concerns about their job or working environment to supervisors, local or university administrators and the Office of Human Resources.

Reason for Policy

North Central University acknowledges that social media may be used to further the university’s mission by providing channels of interaction and engagement between the university and its constituents, its stakeholders, and other organizations.

The purpose of this policy is to encourage the use of social media by institutional users while making sure usage is in line with applicable state and federal laws and regulations, and to provide protection to the university’s reputation and other members of its community. While this policy primarily focuses on social media accounts that are university-owned and university-controlled, it will also provide general guidelines regarding personal use.

Policy Scope

All university community members. This includes, but is not limited to employees, students, regents, agents, and affiliates.

Procedures

There are no procedures associated with this policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I start a social media account for my department?

A: Yes, with approval. Departments and employees must get approval from the Office of Marketing & Communications before starting any account that uses the North Central University name.

Q: Can I post on behalf of NCU?

A: Only if the university explicitly authorizes you to post in an official capacity.

Q: How many administrators does an official account need?

A: At least two, and the Office of Marketing & Communications must be one of them.

Q: Can I use NCU logos on my personal accounts?

A: No. Do not use official logos, trademarks, or other university images on personal social media, and do not use the university’s name to endorse a product, cause, party, or candidate.

Q: Can I post photos of students or coworkers?

A: Get written consent first. Posting information or photos of people without consent may violate privacy laws, and FERPA, HIPAA, ADA, and NCAA rules still apply.

Q: Can I use social media at work?

A: Yes, for incidental personal use that does not take significant time or resources, interfere with work, or violate university or department policies.

Q: What should I post during an emergency?

A: Official account administrators must share only messages approved by the Office of Marketing & Communications or the appropriate emergency response team.

Q: Can I talk about my job on my personal accounts?

A: Yes. If you discuss work or university matters, disclose your affiliation with NCU, and consider a disclaimer that your views are your own. The policy does not limit protected activity under the National Labor Relations Act.

Q: Who do I contact with questions?

A: Contact the Office of Marketing & Communications at 612.343.5005 or marketing@northcentral.edu.

Forms

There are no forms associated with this policy.

Appendices

Appendix A: Social Media Guidelines

Best Practices

The following list of best practices gives some insight into strategies and protocols to help build a solid social media profile and better engage friends, fans, and followers in a social capacity. These can be applied to anyone in the university community.

Think twice before posting

Behavior in social media is no different than in e-mail, public speech, classroom lecture, conversation with friends, or a poster on a wall
Anything considered inappropriate offline is likely also inappropriate online
Privacy does not exist in the world of social media. Consider what could happen if a post becomes widely known and how that may reflect both on the individual and the university.

Post accurate, concise, and useful information

Make sure you have all the facts before you post and strive to be as accurate as possible
To avoid having to post corrections or make retractions later, fact-check all information with sources before you post and cite and link to your sources whenever possible
If you make a typographical or grammatical error, correct/edit it quickly and visibly. Do not simply delete a post if responses get heated or if the post was not initially well received. Let the post run its course and craft a follow-up response if necessary. Do not delete the comments of other users on your shared posts
Brevity is key when crafting messages for social media audiences

Be respectful

Always respect the dignity of others and only engage in civil and thoughtful discourse of opposing ideas. Refrain from arguing with others. Do not remove a follower from social media out of anger
Post meaningful, respectful comments – do not spam or make remarks that are off-topic or offensive
If you feel overwhelmingly angry or impassioned about a subject, think twice before posting. Just like other forms of communication, individuals are encouraged to wait until they feel they are in a calmer state of mind to post
Whenever possible, take a heated conversation offline by suggesting a one-on-one interaction such as a phone call or other direct message exchange
Always give proper credit for others’ work, and make sure you have the right to use something before you publish

Do not post anything that you would not say at a public forum

Cyber bullying will not be tolerated. Cyber bullying can and will lead to legal action with detrimental consequences by the university or law enforcement officials. Being behind a screen does not exempt an individual from carrying on in a civil manner.

Protect your identity

While you want to be honest about who you are, do not provide personal information that scam artists or identity thieves could use against you
Do not list your home address, telephone number or any other confidential personal information
To avoid security breaches or hacking, change passwords to social media profiles two or three times a year

Identify your views as your own

If you identify yourself as a university faculty or staff member online, it should be clear that the views expressed are not necessarily those of the institution
If you post content to personal channels that may potentially conflict with the position of the university, add a disclaimer such as, “Views expressed here are not supported by North Central University” or “Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer”

Posting on Behalf of a University Account

If you post on behalf of an official university department or unit, the following policies apply, in addition to all policies and best practices listed above.

Acknowledge association with North Central University.

If you are representing the university when posting on a social media platform, acknowledge the department/team/organization’s association with the university. While you do not have to necessarily clarify yourself as an individual poster, be clear that the profile or account is associated with the university in some capacity.

Notify the Office of Marketing & Communications

University departments that have a social media page or would like to start one should contact the Office of Marketing & Communications to ensure all institutional social media sites coordinate with other university sites and their content.

Have a plan and a strategy

Departments should consider their messages, audiences, and goals, as well as a strategy for keeping information on social media sites up-to-date. The Office of Marketing & Communications can assist and advise with social media planning and best practices.
Ask your supervisor for input or contact the Office of Marketing & Communications if you are unsure about posting something or responding to a comment.
Do not post self-promoting material or make “sales pitches” on social websites. Based on social media algorithms, promoting events on social media channels can have a negative impact on the effectiveness of current and future messages.
Make sure you are contributing information that will be of use to readers. Do not create a social media account simply for the sake of having it.
Social media presumes 24/7 interaction and requires diligent attention and care.
Post meaningful updates regularly.
Respond appropriately to posts, comments and interactions in a timely fashion.

Link back to the University

Whenever possible, link back to the university website. Ideally, posts should be brief, redirecting a visitor to content that resides within the university web environment.

Protect the institutional voice

Posts on social media sites should protect the university’s institutional voice by remaining professional in tone and in good taste. No individual unit should construe its social media site as representing the university. Consider this when naming pages or accounts, selecting a profile picture or icon, and selecting content to post. Names, profile images and posts should all be clearly linked to the department or unit rather than to the institution. The Office of Marketing & Communications is the main administrator for university-wide channels and typically the sole individual sharing content on those channels. In addition, the Office of Marketing & Communications will perform audits of university channels and take action to remove any dormant or ineffective accounts.

Coordinate with the Office of Marketing & Communications

Coordinate with the official university social media channels when posting university-wide news. Do not be the first to announce major university or departmental news on a social media site unless pre-approved by the Office of Marketing & Communications.

Additional Contacts

Subject	Contact	Phone	Email
Primary Contact	Office of Marketing & Communications	612.343.5005	marketing@northcentral.edu
Employee Contact	Office of Human Resources	612.343.4412	hr@northcentral.edu
Student Contact	Office of Student Development	612.343.4450	studlife@northcentral.edu

Definitions

Copyright

A form of intellectual property law protecting original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works. A copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation – only the way these objects may be expressed.

Social Media

A software system or service provided via the Internet used to communicate and share information between people through interactions with video, audio, text, or multimedia. Examples include, but are not limited to: Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and other similar services.

Responsibilities

University Community Members

Adhere to university social media requirements.

Office of Marketing & Communications

Administer university social media accounts.
Monitor university social media accounts.
Approve university social media accounts and social media users.

Office of Human Resources

Educate employees on social media requirements.
Investigate and adjudicate employee violations of social media requirements.

Office of Student Development

Educate students on social media requirements.
Investigate and adjudicate student violations of social media requirements.

Related Policies & Procedures

Related Legislation & Regulations

Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA)
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)
NCAA Division III Manual
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS)

History

Amended

2026-10-01 – Non-substantive updates (e.g., titles, office names, contacts, and copy errors); moved the Social Media Guidelines appendix onto the policy page; added frequently asked questions.

Issued