Sharing academic unit news and information with alumni, donors, and friends is an important means for community building and keeping others informed of the latest happenings and developments at WSU.
CAS Communications provides support for the digital distribution of up to two e-newsletters per unit per academic year. We also provide proofreading and editing support as needed.
We look forward to supporting and sharing your unit’s news and accomplishments!
Example newsletters:
Getting started
Identify a project manager within your unit
Identify a designated project manager who will be responsible for collecting (or identifying) the content to be highlighted in the newsletter. This content may require creating posts in WordPress and then providing associated URLs, acquiring imagery, drafting or acquiring a message from the chair/director, and any other content needs for the newsletter. The project manager will work directly with the CAS Communications team to prep, review, and approve the newsletter for distribution.
Contact the CAS Communications team
Reach out via email to the communications team at cas.news@wsu.edu a minimum of three weeks prior to a target distribution date. The communications team will then submit a request to the WSU Foundation to acquire a current alumni subscriber list, which can take up to 10 days to receive.
Newsletter production process
- Email CAS communications at cas.news@wsu.edu to inform that a newsletter distribution is requested. Provide a target distribution date within your email.
- Provide unit approved content to the CAS communications member who followed up to your initial email. This approved content may include the following: introduction or message from the chair/director, URLs to posted content to be featured in the newsletter, any additional body copy, and the closing copy. Note that all emails will have GIVE and Update Your Information embedded links.
- CAS communications will proofread and do light editing on provided content. Then the email will be created in MailChimp, and a test version will be circulated to the project manager for review and approval.
- After CAS communications receives approval from the project manager, the draft email will be finalized and scheduled for the agreed upon date.
Self-Distribution
Regardless of the process, for quality assurance (proofreading, WSU brand editorial style, etc.), CAS Communications recommends providing access and adequate time (a minimum of 72 hours) to review all newsletters before you publish.
Questions? Contact the CAS Communications team at cas.news@wsu.edu.
FAQ
How do we email the newsletter to our alumni?
Once your content has been proofread and approved, we’ll work with you to produce a WSU-branded HTML email. Upon your approval, the email distributed via in–house software to an address list provided by the WSU Foundation via CAS Communications. A refreshed address list (not more than 30 days old) is required before each send and may take up to 10 business days to obtain.
What are the costs to the unit?
At this time, CAS Communications will cover the costs of template design, HTML email creation, and distribution for up to two issues per year per unit.