The University uncovered a new and improved version of its former website just in time for the start of the 2013 Fall semester.
The process of creating a brand new website was overseen by Dr. Robert McCaig, Vice President for Enrollment Management, and led by Sarah Savarese, Director of Enrollment Publication and Communications. Christine Benol, Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management, was among the many people in the department who also helped with the redesign.
Benol explained that the previous website was launched in 2006 and was slightly modified in 2010. The website’s current design has been the biggest update since then.
“We wanted to enhance our site visitors’ experiences. The look was in need of an update while incorporating more modern web features and addressing noted concerns that were received about the prior site,” Benol explained.
The new website embodies a much more vibrant and modern look than the previous. The homepage allows visitors to choose which resources they need most by creating separate tabs for specific groups of people: current students, alumni, parents and family, faculty, and even prospective students.
There are drop-down menus displayed on the homepage that show important statistics in terms of the University’s “Academic Excellence,” “Personalized Education,” and “Great Location.” Campus news, the campus events calendar, and the University’s social media contacts are also displayed on the homepage.
Also new to the website this year is the “Faces of Monmouth” feature, which spotlights individual University students and their college experiences.
Because social media plays such a large role in the lives of so many people, it is important for the University to have a strong presence on the Internet. The website is often a person’s first glimpse at the University, so it is imperative that the site showcases all of this institution’s best features in a professional, modern, and effective way.
According to Benol, “Our website is the best instrument we have for reaching a large audience and for recruiting future students and future faculty to Monmouth.”
Most feedback that the enrollment management department has received about the changes has been positive. Alyssa Healey, sophomore health studies major, likes the new design. “The designated sections are quicker to find and easier to access because, while there was nothing wrong with the old web page, this one is less cluttered and makes Monmouth look much more up to date,” she said.
Katie Gatto, an Information Technology professor at the University, also feels good about the new website. “It’s a pretty good redesign,” she said. “It’s good at compartmentalizing things and not making people have to search around to find everything that they need.”
But unlike Healey and Gatto, there are still a few people on and around campus who do not feel as positively about the new website.
Cara Turcich, senior political science major, said, “It’s hard to find things on the website that are important to me, such as the calendar. I think the University should have put their resources into fixing the logistical issues then dealt with the unnecessary cosmetic changes.”
In regards to the negative feedback that has been received about the website, Benol said that most of it has been incredibly helpful and has allowed for certain problems to be fixed. Regardless, with a website that includes over 5,000 pages, it is difficult to immediately fix every issue that arises.
Though the new website was just recently launched, it is a fluid project and changes will be made as the department sees fit. Benol said, “We have 211 Content Managers across campus who are keeping their information fresh and relevant for our visitors. We will continue to add features that enhance the visitors’ experiences.”
PHOTO TAKEN from www.monmouth.edu
