Information & Workflow

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Email message classes
   1. Emergency Message
   2. Priority Message
3. Email request procedure
   1. Determine target audience
   2. Create message content
   3. Obtain approval from audience-appropriate authority
   4. Format the request
   5. Submit the request

Introduction

• A broadcast or mass email message is one that:
  • Is distributed to either the entire NC State campus community—students, faculty and staff—or to a combination of these groups
  • Can be a key strategy to effectively and efficiently inform the campus community about topics of broad interest.
• Broadcast email is not an alternative to individual, unit, or college mailing lists. Such lists are generally more appropriate for the majority of announcements and similar campus communications.
• Having an established request procedure for broadcast email:
  • Maximizes its effectiveness.
  • Ensures that it is used sparingly and appropriately.
  • Reduces unopened email, cluttered inboxes and wasted email resources.

Office of Information Technology staff will maintain email lists, forms and equipment necessary to distribute broadcast email. For related policies, see:

• REG 01.25.09 – Privacy/Confidentiality, Release and Security of Protected Health Information
• POL 08.00.01 – Computer Use Policy
• REG 08.00.02 – Computer Use Regulation

Email message classes

Currently, there are two classes of broadcast email: Emergency Message and Priority Message.

Emergency Message

• The WolfAlert Emergency Notification System is used to convey information concerning imminent threats, Crime Warnings and Safety Notices.
• University Police, University Communications and Emergency Management and Mission Continuity are responsible for message creation and distribution.
• Messages are sent to all active unityID@ncsu.edu addresses.
• More information on emergency notification and crisis communications can be found on the Policies, Rules, and Regulations website.

Priority Message

• Highly important, non-emergency information; e.g.,
  • Essential to academic or professional well being
  • Concerning federal reporting requirements
  • Having broad or timely impact
• Is scheduled in advance
  • Must be no sooner than two business days after the date of the request.
• Created by members of the university administration, such as the Office of the Provost, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Finance & Administration, etc.
• Addressees cannot opt-out of receipt

Examples:

• For the entire NC State community
  • Mandated information about peer-to-peer file sharing, discrimination, harassment, or illegal drug use
  • Flu vaccination schedules
• For students
  • Enrollment submission process update
  • Unique, short-term opportunity; e.g., presidential visit to campus
• For faculty
  • Updates of important business or academic processes
• For staff
  • Changes to the employee annual evaluation process that impact EHRA and SHRA non-faculty positions

Email request procedure

• Follow this procedure to ensure that your broadcast email meets all the requirements for distribution.
• This procedure will be updated as NC State implements new communications system tools.

Determine target audience

Select the recipients for the email.

• Students
• Faculty
• Staff
• Combination of these

Create message content

The content of a broadcast email must meet ALL of the following criteria.

• Has clearly designated target recipients.
• Relates to at least one of the following.
  • university’s mission
  • strategic plan goals
  • business functions.
• Abides by applicable university policies.
• Is significantly beneficial to all target audience members.
• Is not primarily a marketing message, but instead focuses on information dissemination.
• Is clear.
• Is concise.
• Does not contain attachments.
  Instead, provides web links to necessary information.
• Includes a reply-to address(es) for the person(s) who will be responding to recipients’ questions and comments. (This address will not be seen in the message, but responses will be forwarded to this address.)
• Is in ready-to-mail form. Minor edits are permitted, but major rewrites require resubmission of the request.

Obtain approval from audience-appropriate authority

Before submission, every email message must be approved by the designated authority for the selected target audience, as indicated in the table below. The approval authority will

• Verify that the email meets all criteria for message content (above).
• Verify appropriateness of the target audience.
• Either approve distribution of the email
  or
  provide reasons for an unapproved email to the person who initiated the request.

NOTE:

• If the designated approval authority cannot be reached in a timely manner or if there are other extenuating circumstances, then either of the following can serve as the approval authority:
  • Chief Information Officer (CIO)
  • Chief Communications Officer (CCO).
• Matters concerning technology should go to the CIO.
• Matters concerning message and content should go to the CCO.
• If there is a disagreement about the use of the broadcast email system, the CCO and CIO have authority to intervene.

Format the request

The Broadcast Message Request form that you will use to submit your request requires ALL of the following:

• Date of the request
• Person initiating the request (Name, campus email, phone)
• Other person (if any) to contact about the request (Name, campus email, phone)
• Intent:
  • Explain the need to send the content to the specific target audience
    and
  • Explain how it meets all the criteria for message content.
• From:
  • Name of the unit or person who is sending the message; e.g.,
    • NC State Human Resources
    • Marc Hoit, Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
  • All mail sent using this service will be from “broadcaster@ncsu.edu”
• To:
  Specified target audience (above).
• Subject:
  Short title that clearly informs the recipient about the nature of the content
• Approval:
  Designated audience-appropriate approval authority
• Reply-to address:
  • Must be a valid address to which recipients can follow up with questions.
  • Will not be included in the message, but will have replies forwarded to it.
  • Will be in this format:
    broadcaster+short address@ncsu.edu
    e.g. broadcaster+title-ix@ncsu.edu
• Date to be sent:
  Preferred date or date range.
  NOTE: Must be no sooner than two business days after the date of the request.
• Message:
  Ready-to-mail content of the message  
  or
  URL of a Google doc containing the content, with view permission granted to NC State addresses.
  See Create message content for criteria (above).

Submit the request

Complete and submit the Broadcast Message Request form.