Organized Entities

The full official name of the board and the alumni association is capitalized:

• the Union College Board of Trustees, the Union College Alumni Association

But in subsequent references, use the briefer, lowercased version:

• the board of trustees, the alumni association

The same is true for graduating classes:

• The Union College Class of 1986, or the class of '86

Likewise with government offices:

• On first reference call it the New York State Department of Education, but afterward, call it the state education department.

As a proper name, the Federal Reserve Bank is capitalized, but general terms like “federal scholarship” or “national offices” or “state championships” are lowercased.

Note: New York state, not New York State except when it is used as part of the name of an organization

• New York State Thruway
• New York State Legislature
• New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Capitalize the names of official committees or clubs:

• The Academic Affairs Committee
• The Interfraternity Council
• The Faculty Review Board

In subsequent reference, just use “the committee,” “the council” or “the board”

Don’t capitalize the “the” preceding names of businesses, groups, etc.:

• the New York Times, the Metropolitan Opera, the Beatles (except at the beginning of a sentence)