I am excited to share that we plan to launch the new college website on Monday, Aug. 13. Phase one of the launch plan includes all top level pages, program and academic department pages, all EOC pages, as well as many others. While all pages of the site will launch in a mobile responsive format, work will continue throughout the fall semester to move remaining pages into our new Content Management System.
Sandi Eyerman, Halea Dickinson and others in Communications and Marketing and ITS have worked very hard to develop the site while managing other existing and important priorities. As we prepare to go live, I want acknowledge their dedication and leadership on this project while pointing out some of the many benefits of the new site:
- It is mobile responsive! More than half of all visitors currently use our site on a phone or tablet. They’ll now see content formatted specifically for a mobile device.
- We’ve improved the site’s information architecture, layout, navigation and search engine optimization with our external audiences in mind. So, the new site is more user-friendly for prospective students, parents, alumni, community members among others.
- We have a new content management system. The college has licensed and implemented Cascade 8 (a Hannon Hill product), a CMS designed specifically for higher education clients. This provides greater efficiencies and tools to manage more than 1,500 pages of content with a variety of design elements.
- ITS has the web site on a new server with an updated operating system and security features.
- The site is fully accessible to individuals with disabilities and compliant with ADA standards.
- It includes more college testimonials and student, alumni and partner stories as well as data points to communicate key value messages.
- The EOC has a distinct visual identity to distinguish it from the college.
As you may know, we’ve held several town hall meetings, conducted surveys and focus groups and posted regularly in the Campus Chronicle to update the college community on our progress with this major project. As we prepare to go live, please know that we will continue to meet with colleagues to review the content and develop solutions as needed. The new site will be a significant change from what we have now, however it will always evolve and should be viewed as a living, breathing document.
Thanks for your support and partnership as we prepare to go live and continue to make improvements.
Published: Tue, 31 Jul 2018 12:10:26 +0000 by d.kennedy1