Faculty & Staff Engagement

The newsletter is sent out twice a week to all employees, and the Faculty and Staff Dashboard is a website for readers to access content in one consistent location. Find out what types of content we include and how to submit yours.

Content Guidelines

We want to make it easy for our audience to find important information they need. Before submitting your content, take a moment to consider if it is related to a broad initiative or event and if it is relevant to faculty or staff members across our three campuses and does it highlight the priorities outlined in What's Next: The SFU Strategy.

Create suitable content

Content submitted to the dashboard should be relevant to all staff and faculty. Examples of content we are looking for include:

Ambassador stories: Stories about individuals or teams and their contribution to SFU’s priorities, including how they go above and beyond to create community, advance SFU’s mission, and make the university a great place to work and learn
Achievements, appointments and announcements: Examples include a profile of a new or celebrated faculty or staff member, calls for award nominations, information about a new faculty-led initiative, or personnel changes
Operational updates: Information related to university operations that is relevant to faculty and staff, including new policies or procedures, changes to on-campus services, and construction notices
Resources: Tools, templates, guides, instruction manuals, new training modules and other information that will help faculty and staff learn and grow
Your content should also align with one of the priorites identified in the What's Next: The SFU Strategy: Uphold Truth and Reconciliation; Engage in Global Challenges; Make a Difference For B.C.; or Transform the SFU Experience

See below for what content goes on what SFU channel.

SFU News

Research breakthroughs and discoveries
Experiential learning
How knowledge benefits society
National or international recognition
Cultivating dialogue on important issues
Campus expansion
Presidential priorities (EDI, reconciliation, student experience)
Institutional announcements

Faculty & Staff Dashboard

Updates and progress on university and presidential priorities
Information to help people do their jobs
Stories that build pride among faculty/staff
Executive personnel changes
Resources, tools, events and workshops
Service, safety and operations updates

Faculty/Department News Sites

Research findings
New faculty members or visiting scholars
New programs and course offerings
Updates on faculty-led initiatives
Stories about outstanding students
Local or provincial recognition

Make your content stand out

Tailor your content to your audience. Take a minute to put yourself in the shoes of faculty and staff who read the newsletter. Write copy that highlights aspects of your event or story that is most valuable and engaging to them.

Write action-oriented headlines that are accessible and engaging. Headlines should:

Stand on their own without supporting copy
Articulate your key message and how your audience stands to benefit

Don’t submit the same content twice

Based on our metrics, repeated content sees an average 60% drop-off in clickthrough rates from one newsletter to the next. If an update is worth sharing again, re-write it to emphasize a different angle to draw in new interest.

Communicators Toolkit