North Carolina State University’s Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) plays a critical role in education, research, and public impact across North Carolina and beyond. The department’s work spans infrastructure, sustainability, environmental protection, and applied engineering — areas with direct, visible impact on society.

As the department evolved, leadership recognized that its communications had not kept pace with its ambition or reach. Marketing efforts were fragmented, key materials felt outdated, and there was no consistent framework guiding how stories were selected, structured, or shared across channels.

CCEE needed more than refreshed materials — it needed strategic marketing leadership, clearer structure, and repeatable workflows that could support long-term engagement with alumni, donors, partners, and prospective students.

The Challenge

The challenge was one of coordination, clarity, and scale.

CCEE needed to:

• Modernize its communications to align with the university's burgeoning academic and industry prominence

• Align leadership and stakeholders around a shared narrative and strategy

• Create consistency across print and digital channels

• Manage complex projects involving many contributors

• Build systems that would outlast any single publication or redesign

This required an embedded partner who could lead strategy, facilitate alignment, and execute — not a one-off vendor delivering isolated assets.

Our Role

Parallel² partnered with CCEE as a fractional marketing leader, working closely with department leadership over an extended period.

Our role combined:

• Strategic guidance and decision-making support

• Workshop facilitation and stakeholder alignment

• Project management across complex initiatives

• Hands-on contribution where needed to maintain momentum and quality

Rather than focusing on individual deliverables, the engagement centered on establishing a coherent marketing system that could support the department’s goals over time.

Approach

Strategic Foundation & Alignment

The work began by clarifying CCEE’s role within the broader NC State ecosystem and defining how the department should present itself to different audiences. This included aligning on:

• Core messages and themes

• Audience priorities and conversion goals

• The balance between research depth and accessibility

• How to consistently communicate impact

Workshops with department leaders and key stakeholders were used to surface perspectives, align priorities, and build shared ownership of the strategy.

Establishing Structure & Workflows

A major focus of the engagement was creating structure where none previously existed. Parallel² helped define:

• Editorial frameworks for publications

• Content planning and review workflows

• Roles and responsibilities across contributors

• Processes for maintaining consistency and quality

These systems reduced friction, improved collaboration, and enabled the department to manage future initiatives more confidently.

Annual Magazine

As part of the broader strategy, Parallel² led the creation of the latest issue of Design & Deliver, CCEE’s annual departmental magazine.

Beyond defining the editorial framework, Parallel² contributed extensively to:

• Project management across authors, reviewers, and stakeholders

• Copywriting and editorial development

• Graphic design and layout

• Ensuring alignment with both CCEE and NC State brand standards

Importantly, the magazine was designed not as a one-off artifact, but as a template and model for future publications.

A copy of the 2025 magazine can be found here →

Website Overhaul & Ongoing Digital Strategy

Parallel² also played a key role in overhauling the CCEE website, treating it as a strategic communications platform rather than a static information repository.

This work included:

• Improving user experience and navigation

• Restructuring information architecture around audience needs

• Updating content and copy to emphasize impact and clarity

• Defining conversion paths for prospective students, donors, and partners

• Establishing an ongoing content and communications strategy

The goal was to ensure the website actively supported engagement and funding efforts, not just awareness.

Key Insights

Effective marketing for an academic institution requires systems, not campaigns. Without shared structure and workflows, even strong content becomes fragmented and difficult to sustain.

Leadership alignment emerged as a prerequisite for consistency. Workshops and facilitation created space for shared understanding, enabling faster decisions and clearer direction across initiatives.

Finally, acting as a fractional marketing leader — embedded rather than external — allowed Parallel² to balance strategic oversight with practical execution, ensuring progress without sacrificing quality.

Outcome

The engagement transformed how CCEE approaches marketing and communications. Rather than operating reactively, the department now has clearer direction, stronger alignment, and repeatable systems to support long-term engagement.

Key results included:

• A unified marketing and communications strategy aligned with departmental goals

• Clear editorial and content frameworks for print and digital channels

• A modernized annual magazine with a scalable production model

• Improved website structure, content, and user experience

• More efficient collaboration across contributors and stakeholders

• Greater leadership confidence in how to communicate impact and attract funding

A copy of the 2025 magazine can be found here →

Reflection

This work demonstrated the value of treating marketing as an ongoing leadership function rather than a series of deliverables. By combining strategy, facilitation, structure, and execution, Parallel² helped CCEE move from fragmented efforts to a more confident, coordinated approach to communication.

The result is a department better equipped to tell its story, engage its audiences, and sustain momentum as it continues to grow.