A New Look for the Bulletin

Have you noticed this week’s Bulletin looks a bit different? You’re not mistaken. We’ve refreshed and expanded the faculty and staff news site and a created a more user-friendly version of the weekly email we send out to drive people to the site.

For those interested in campus news, from profiles of outstanding colleagues to details of the latest research advances to the scoop on upcoming events, the Bulletin is the place to go. In fact, we’re updating the Bulletin daily with new features and news articles so you don’t have to wait until that weekly email shows up in your inbox to find out what’s happening at NC State. Just bookmark the site and drop in often.

The redesign of the Bulletin is the first phase of an overall redesign of internal communications that will keep the Wolfpack community better informed about need-to-know information and the daily developments and people at NC State.

“NC State is a large and vibrant community with more than 40,000 students, faculty and staff who are constantly on the move,” says Brad Bohlander, the university’s chief communications officer. “We’re committed to developing a communications infrastructure that matches the excitement and passion we see all around us.”

New Features

The new format offers readers an easier way to find the types of news and features that appeal to them. The site is divided into popular categories: research and innovation, people, service and community, awards and honors, human resources and finance, and campus. There are also links to the most recent national and international media stories written about the university. And we added dedicated sections for multimedia elements, including featured photos and featured videos.

The new format also allows content to be shared more easily via email and social media.

Shaade Oliveros Tavares, a design professional in Web Communications, helped redesign the Bulletin. Her goal was making the layout more readable, especially via mobile devices, and encouraging readers to visit daily.

“Ultimately, we want readers to visit the Bulletin as frequently as they would other news outlets. The Bulletin will hopefully become the go-to place for NC State information,” she says.

More Interaction

Web developer Josh Rucker says another goal was improving the comments section and adding frequent reader polls.

“We want more reader interaction and insight into which content people enjoy and appreciate,” he says.

Editor David Hunt says the new design provides more opportunities to showcase the people, ideas and innovations that make NC State a remarkable place to work. He believes the site can also be a catalyst for sparking conversations across campus on topics people care about, from the realignment of business services to the location of food trucks.

“Building a strong campus community requires open and frequent communication,” he says. “We’d like to see the Bulletin become a place where the exchange of ideas is nurtured, and where conversation leads to consensus.”

While changing the name is possible in the future, for now the Bulletin remains the Bulletin and News Services will continue sending a weekly email to faculty and staff.

“Good internal communications helps us all stay connected and promotes campus pride,” Bohlander says. “People in the community ask us about NC State because they know we are part of it—now we’ll all have more information to share.”