WRITING
TIPS
Wharton’s brand strength depends on clarity, consistency, and credibility in every communication. This page provides quick-reference writing tips to help you meet those standards, no matter the format or audience. From sentence structure and grammar to cultural sensitivity and alumni affiliations, these best practices are designed to help you write clean, professional copy to align with Wharton’s expectations. Use these tips to avoid common errors, maintain a global tone, and deliver content that reflects the scale, rigor, and reputation of the School.
General Writing Tips
- Incorporate Wharton values in your writing whenever possible. All of our communications tell a story about the School, and it is important that we all work together to communicate a consistent message.
- Make your writing accessible to a global audience — and be sensitive to varied cultural perspectives. Avoid using contractions (e.g., “can’t” for “cannot”) or idiomatic expressions (e.g., “bottom line,” “have it made,” or “set up shop”). Additionally, add the U.S. country code, +1, to your phone number in email, letters, and other correspondence to similarly internationalize your communications. Example: +1.215.898.1179 (phone).
- Choose simple and direct language (e.g., “use” rather than “utilize”).
- Write in a style that is formal but not stiff. Use active verbs wherever possible. Example: “The Wharton School attracts the world’s best and brightest students,” rather than, “The world’s best and brightest students are attracted to the Wharton School.”
- Vary sentence length. A short sentence can add impact as well as “breathing room.”
- Use language that suits the medium. For example, online text requires easily scannable copy with shorter sentences that use hyperlinks to provide more in-depth information.
- Consider the diversity among the School’s alumni base and student body when selecting examples or quotations, and be sure to include a variety of viewpoints.
Alumni Affiliations Rule
Affiliations are an important indicator of Penn alumni status. The letters correspond to a school within the university, and the numbers correspond to the year of graduation. It is possible to use more than one set of letters and numbers for one alumnus. Below are the rules for how to properly write name affiliations for Wharton. For school abbreviations, refer to The Pennsylvania Gazette.
Example: Patrick Harker, CE’81, GCE’81, GRE’83
Note: This alumnus did not receive a degree from Wharton, so there is no “W” or “WG” affiliation.
Affiliations in Practice
1) First Last Name
2) Comma (,)
3) Letter(s)
4) Apostrophe (‘)
5) Graduation Year
DO:
First Last, W’25
First Last, W’25, WG’25
Separate two or more affiliations with a comma.
DON’T:
W25, WG25
(W25) (WG25)
This does not have apostrophes. Do not use parentheses.
Correspondence
Your every email and letter represents Wharton. Be professional and use your Wharton signature for official university communications only.
Email Style and Signature
Remember that an email is an online letter. Set up defaults in Outlook preferences.
- Do not add social media icons or emojis.
- Do not add events or product promotions/advertisement.
- Do not include other personal or non-university information.
- Link to Wharton assets only.
EMAIL
Font style of body copy: Arial, 12-point font
EMAIL SIGNATURE
Font style of signature: Arial, 12-point font
Name: Font color black and bold
Title: Font color black and italic
Address block: Darkest gray color (RGB 68, 68, 68), and not bold
Signature Block
All the elements of a signature block
Jane Wharton
Director, MBA Admissions
MBA Program Office
320 Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall (optional)
3620 Locust Walk (optional)
Philadelphia, PA 19104 (optional)
+1.215.898.1272 (optional)
mjane@wharton.upenn.edu
The Wharton School
University of Pennsylvania
Signature Block (Minimum)
Shorter signature block without address information
Jane Wharton
Director, MBA Admissions
MBA Program Office
+1.215.898.1272
mjane@wharton.upenn.edu
www.wharton.upenn.edu
The Wharton School
University of Pennsylvania
Small Signature
Can be used as an alternate signature when forwarding or replying
Jane Wharton
Director, MBA Admissions
MBA Program Office
The Wharton School
University of Pennsylvania
Forms of Address
Academics, College, or University
|
ADDRESSEE
|
ADDRESS
|
SALUTATION
|
|---|---|---|
| Dean | Dean [Full Name] | Dear Dean [Last Name] |
| President | President [Full Name] | Dear President [Last Name] |
| Professor | Professor [Full Name] | Dear Professor [Last Name] |
Clerical and Religious Orders
|
ADDRESSEE
|
ADDRESS
|
SALUTATION
|
|---|---|---|
| Archbishop, Eastern Orthodox | The Most Reverend [First Name], Archbishop of [Place Name] | Your Eminence |
| Archbishop, Roman Catholic | The Most Reverend [Full Name], Archbishop of [Place name] | Your Excellency |
| Archdeacon, Episcopal | The Venerable [Full Name], Archdeacon of [Place Name] | Dear Archdeacon [Last Name] |
| Bishop, Episcopal | The Right Reverend [Full Name], Bishop of [Place Name] |
Right Reverend Sir or Dear Bishop [Last Name] |
| Bishop, other Protestant | The Reverend [Full Name] | Dear Archdeacon [Last Name] |
| Bishop, Roman Catholic | The Most Reverend [Full Name] |
Your Excellency or Dear Bishop [Last Name] |
| Cardinal | His Eminence [First Name] Cardinal [Last Name] | Dear Archdeacon [Last Name] |
| Clergyman/woman, Protestant |
The Reverend [Full Name] or The Reverend [Full Name], D.D. |
Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name] or Dear Dr. [Last Name] |
| Dean of a Cathedral, Episcopal | The Very Reverend [Full Name], Dean of [Place Name] | Dear Dean [Last Name] |
| Monsignor | The Right Reverend Monsignor [Full Name] | Dear Monsignor |
| Patriarch, Greek Orthodox | His All Holiness the Patriarch of [Place Name] | Your All Holiness |
| Patriarch, Russian Orthodox | His Holiness the Patriarch of [Place Name] | Your Holiness |
| Pope | His Holiness the Pope |
Your Holiness or Most Holy Father |
| Priest, Roman Catholic |
The Reverend [Full Name] or The Reverend [Full Name], S.J. (or other order) |
Dear Reverend Father or Dear Father |
| Rabbi, man or woman |
Rabbi [Full Name] or [Full Name], D.D. |
Dear Rabbi [Last Name] or Dear Dr. [Last Name] |
Government Officials
|
ADDRESSEE
|
ADDRESS
|
SALUTATION
|
|---|---|---|
| Ambassador, U.S. | The Honorable [Full Name], The Ambassador of the United States |
Sir/Madam or Dear Mr./Madam Ambassador |
| Ambassador to U.S. | His/Her Excellency [Full Name], The Ambassador of [Place Name] |
Excellency or Dear Mr./Madam Ambassador |
| Secretary General, United Nations | His/Her Excellency [Full Name], Secretary General of the United Nations | Dear Mr./Madam/Madame Secretary General |
| United Nations Representative, U.S. | The Honorable [Full Name], United States Representative to the United Nations |
Sir/Madam or Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name] |
| United Nations Representative, foreign | His/Her Excellency [Full Name], Representative of [Place Name] to the United Nations |
Excellency or Dear Mr./Madam [Last Name] |
| Assemblyman/woman | The Honorable [Full Name] | Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name] |
| Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court | The Honorable Justice [Full Name] |
Dear Sir/Madam or Justice [Last Name] |
| Cabinet Member | The Honorable [Full Name], Secretary of [Department Name] |
Sir/Madam or Dear Mr./Madam Secretary |
| Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court | The Honorable [Full Name], Chief Justice of the United States | Dear Mr./Madame Chief Justice |
| Commissioner | The Honorable [Full Name] | Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name] |
| Governor | The Honorable [Full Name], Governor of [State Name] | Dear Governor [Last Name] |
| Judge, federal | The Honorable [Full Name], Judge, United States District Court |
Dear Sir/Madam or Judge [Last Name] |
| Judge, state or local | The Honorable [Full Name], Judge of the Court of [Place Name] | Dear Judge [Last Name] |
| Mayor | The Honorable [Full Name], Mayor of [Place Name] | Dear Mayor [Last Name] |
| President, U.S. | The President | Dear Mr./Madam President |
| President, U.S., former | The Honorable [Full Name] | Dear Mr./Madam [Last Name] |
| Representative, state | The Honorable [Full Name], [State Name] House of Representatives | Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name] |
| Representative, U.S. | The Honorable [Full Name], United States House of Representatives | Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name] |
| Senator, state | The Honorable [Full Name], [State Name] State Senate, [State Capital Name] | Dear Senator [Last Name] |
| Senator, U.S. | The Honorable [Full Name], United States Senate | Dear Senator [Last Name] |
| Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives | The Honorable [Full Name], Speaker of the House of Representatives | Dear Mr./Madam Speaker |
| Vice President, U.S. | The Vice President of the United States |
Sir/Madam or Dear Mr./Madam Vice President |
Military and Naval Officers
|
ADDRESSEE
|
ADDRESS
|
SALUTATION
|
|---|---|---|
| All ranks | [Rank and Full Name], USA/USN/USCG/USAF/USMC/USPHS/NOAA | Dear [Rank and Last Name] |
Professions
|
ADDRESSEE
|
ADDRESS
|
SALUTATION
|
|---|---|---|
| Attorney |
Mr./Ms. [Full Name], Attorney at law or [Full Name], Esq. |
Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name] |
| Dentist | [Full Name], D.D.S. | Dear Dr. [Last Name] |
| Physician | [Full Name], M.D. | Dear Dr. [Last Name] |
| Veterinarian | [Full Name], D.V.M. | Dear Dr. [Last Name] |
Special Groups
Learn about the brand guidelines for your specific group.
The Brand Guideline Sheet is included with each logo system. This essential resource offers a clear visual and technical breakdown of the logo architecture, including the approved color palette and specific usage requirements. Created with accessibility in mind, these guidelines empower all team members — regardless of design expertise — to apply the Wharton visual identity with precision, ensuring brand consistency across every platform. The PDF is editable (similar to an EPS file); just ask your vendor to open the file in their vector software (e.g., Adobe Illustrator or Figma).
PennKey login is required.