As the in-house creative services team for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, we elevate the profile of the college and its people by providing communications strategy, print and digital design, videography and sound mixing, newsletters, website design, and written articles.
CALS Communications operates under a “service model” whereby our funding is partially derived from billable projects submitted by units, departments and individuals within the College. We are happy to work within your budget to deliver a product you’re happy with.
Additional Fees
Project Management Fee:
Projects <$1,000 = $50, or
Projects >$1,000 = 5% of project cost (excluding vendor/print costs)
Video Services Equipment Fee = $60 Applies to video projects that require our videographers filming new content.
Department website migrations to new NC State theme
Crafting job descriptions for communications positions
Need Web Help?
Whether you need to report a bug or just have questions and need help from an expert, please email all web-related inquiries to cals_wordpress@ncsu.edu.
Your question will be sent to the CALS Office of Information Technology (OIT) who will determine if they can fix the problem for you or if our Communications team is a better fit to address your needs.
Very impressed with the prompt delivery of the art and the quality design. We are fully satisfied and cannot thank CALS Comm enough for all their help with this quick turnaround. We truly appreciate it!
Amy Beitzel
Office of College Advancement, CALS
Submit a Story Idea
CALS Communications regularly writes news stories highlighting the breadth and depth of the College. We are always looking for story ideas and we do not charge a fee for written articles.
Student success, faculty profiles, prestigious awards and achievements, ongoing research, extension and outreach, donors and partnerships.
What we DON’T write stories about:
Events
Certain awards and grant announcements
External media features
If you or someone you know has won an award, received a grant, or been featured in the media, we’d still love to hear about it. We will consider announcements like these for the “Weekly at a Glance” section of the CALS Weekly newsletter.
How (and Why) to Include Communications in Grant Proposals
Oftentimes, PIs don’t factor in their future communications needs when submitting proposals. By the time the need for a one-pager, infographic, or website arises, they don’t have the funds to accomplish their communications goals. That’s why our team is partnering with the NC State Proposal Development Unit (PDU) to create guidelines (COMING SOON) for incorporating CALS Communications’ services into your grant proposals. In this guide, you will find a list of services most commonly used by faculty, how they can benefit a project or program, and budgetary recommendations, all of which can act as boilerplate language to be customized for your specific grant or proposal.
If you want to include CALS Communications into your proposal, but need more guidance, please contact us as at cals_communications@ncsu.edu for a customized budget recommendation based on your anticipated needs.
Patty and the CALS Comm. team delivered as always. They are an essential partner in our ongoing efforts to support hundreds of Extension experts and grow awareness of our people and programs across the state.
Of course! We would love to be involved with your project in the beginning stages and would be happy to provide free consultation services in a 30-minute intro call. Based on the details you do know about your project, an expert on our team can help you think through your project goals, deliverables, strategy, timeline and budget.
As early as possible. The more notice we have about a project, the better we can plan and prepare. If you know you’ll have a project for us in a specific month of the year or you have a recurring project, but don’t quite know the exact start date yet, that’s okay! Let us know and we’ll pencil you into our project calendar to ensure we can work on your project. This is especially helpful during the spring and fall semesters.
Certain projects may take longer than you might think, particularly when we factor in time for review and edits with your team and/or if travel is involved. We want to provide you with timely, high-quality work that you’re happy with while also managing many projects at any one time, so the more time you can give us, the better.
Before the project begins, you will be provided with an estimate of how much the project will be. At that time, we will also confirm the Project and Phase in which the final invoice will be billed from. At the conclusion of every project, a final itemized invoice will be shared with you for review and final approval. Our Client Relations and Business Manager will process the invoice as an IDT through the CALS Business Office for their approval and then to the University Business Office for their final approval and transfer of funds. This process can take up to two (2) – three (3) weeks.
Yes. If you indicate in your project request form or in the intro call that you need items printed, we will coordinate the printing and mailing of your items. The cost of printing will be included in the initial quote for the entire project. Please allow extra time for your project and reach out as early as possible if you need items to be printed.
We now charge a flat hourly rate for all services. We will send you a quote for your project after you have submitted a project request and we have had the intro call based on how long we anticipate your project to take.
Yes. Depending on your communications needs, we can work together to come up with a customized package that will fit your budget and goals. This is usually a good fit for unique campaigns or if your unit/department needs supplemental communications support for a temporary period.
Yes, NC State has a comprehensive set of branding and identity guidelines, which can be viewed online at brand.ncsu.edu. Every college and unit at NC State must follow these brand guidelines and we’re happy to help you navigate them. We offer individual brand consultations and are also happy to review any designs to make sure that they comply with the guidelines. These services are offered free of charge.
