2008 Woodie Awards
University Web site not overhauled as planned
By: Beth Prusaczyk
Issue date: 9/21/06 Section: News
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President Richard Meyers announced in his Town Hall meeting in April 2006 that Webster's homepage would be completely overhauled by the end of summer in 2006.
The summer came and went and while the entire Web site is not finished, there are pages within the site that have been redone, such as the School of Communications and the Admissions page.
Director of Marketing and Interactive Media Dan Perkins said the overhaul of the Web site is a large production that actually began four years ago.
"We have made tremendous strides this summer, but a few technical issues forced us to push back our initial launch date slightly," Perkins said.
The expected launch date is now Nov. 1, said Deborah Dey, vice president of Students and Enrollment Management.
"The whole Web site won't be done on Nov. 1 but the first few links down the page will be," Dey said.
The changes include: new templates, new navigation bars, a new homepage and reworking the information architecture. Information architecture is what site a user is taken to when a link is accessed.
Besides the design changes, two new initiatives are being worked on ? one already accessible to the public. The Active Admissions initiative is for graduate student recruitment and gives prospective graduate students the option to apply online, something that was previously not offered. Students could download a hard copy of an application and send it in but not apply online.
Since July 2006, 30 percent of the graduate students that have been accepted to Webster used the online application, Dey said.
Prospective undergraduates will also get the chance to apply online starting in November 2006, Dey said. The application fees will remain as $50 for graduate applications and $35 for undergraduate.
The goals of the new Web site center around accessibility. Perkins said one of the goals is to enhance the ability of students, faculty and staff to find the information they want and need.
The summer came and went and while the entire Web site is not finished, there are pages within the site that have been redone, such as the School of Communications and the Admissions page.
Director of Marketing and Interactive Media Dan Perkins said the overhaul of the Web site is a large production that actually began four years ago.
"We have made tremendous strides this summer, but a few technical issues forced us to push back our initial launch date slightly," Perkins said.
The expected launch date is now Nov. 1, said Deborah Dey, vice president of Students and Enrollment Management.
"The whole Web site won't be done on Nov. 1 but the first few links down the page will be," Dey said.
The changes include: new templates, new navigation bars, a new homepage and reworking the information architecture. Information architecture is what site a user is taken to when a link is accessed.
Besides the design changes, two new initiatives are being worked on ? one already accessible to the public. The Active Admissions initiative is for graduate student recruitment and gives prospective graduate students the option to apply online, something that was previously not offered. Students could download a hard copy of an application and send it in but not apply online.
Since July 2006, 30 percent of the graduate students that have been accepted to Webster used the online application, Dey said.
Prospective undergraduates will also get the chance to apply online starting in November 2006, Dey said. The application fees will remain as $50 for graduate applications and $35 for undergraduate.
The goals of the new Web site center around accessibility. Perkins said one of the goals is to enhance the ability of students, faculty and staff to find the information they want and need.
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