University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 1 UMR's State of the Web Meg Brady Asst. Director, Client Services Presented to UMR Chancellor’s Council September 4, 2001 by

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 2 Your Internet Image is Everything!

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 3 UMR’s Web Presence New Staffing Allocation Vision, Mission, Goals Expected Outcomes

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 4 New Staffing Allocation approved by Chancellor Thomas, April 6, 2001 One additional position in Computing and Information Services (CIS) –GOAL: With existing Webmaster, improve campus-wide Web support and overall Web presence Two additional positions in University Advancement (UA) –GOAL: Improve UMR’s online publications and promotional Web presence and overall external visibility on the Web Formalized procedures and planning ensure both groups work together as one team

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 5 New Staffing Allocation : Who are they? Computing and Information Services (CIS) Cheryl McKay, I-Net Administrator, Webmaster Debra Jolin, I-Net Administrator, Web Developer University Advancement (UA) Jennifer Lynch, I-Net Administrator, Web Designer/Editor Open position, I-Net Administrator, Web Developer Formalized procedures and planning ensure both groups work together as one team

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 6 New Staffing Allocation: CIS Web Staff “Webmaster” is responsible for overall UMR Web presence and serves as UMR’s Web representative. Beyond the UMR gateway, responsibilities include technical and design standards for official UMR Web pages, campus image library, search engine and supporting database information utilities and coordination of underlying computing infrastructure changes “Web developer,” under the direction of the Webmaster, has responsibility for implementation of Web designs and standards, assisting Webmaster in implementing UMR Gateway pages and related CGI and other programming, and provide technical support to departmental and UA Web staff Working closely together and with CIS, UA and the WebCrew, these positions will enhance internal web support, improve overall quality and consistency of UMR’s Web presence, and ensure underlying technical capacity and reliability issues are addressed

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 7 New Staffing Allocation: Univ. Advancement Web Staff “Web designer/editor” will have responsibility for Web content, navigation and visual design of externally directed pages and online publications, Web project management for UMR promotional campaigns, strategic planning jointly with CIS Webmaster and ongoing communication between UA and CIS Web activities “Web developer,” under direction of “Web designer/editor,” will have responsibility for implementation of UMR publications such as an online Alumnus magazine, the Admissions Viewbook, and any promotional campaigns such as recruiting or fundraising that have corresponding print materials Working closely together and with public relations, publications, and CIS Web staff, these positions will enhance and improve UMR’s Web and online publications image

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 8 Web Staffing What (or who) is the WebCrew? The WebCrew is a group (175 so far) of departmental staff who play one or more of the following roles in the official web pages for their department. –Hands-on web authors / page creators –Content providers –Decision makers / administrative oversight

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 10 Our Vision In our vision for UMR we see: A cohesive Web presence that positively and accurately projects UMR’s image to the world, and presents campus web information to our visitors’ (customers’) satisfaction. A Web presence that provides information and functionality to students, faculty, staff and others in the UMR community in a way that facilitates UMR’s mission. A self-supporting web development environment in which UMR web authors have achieved a level of proficiency in web publishing equal or greater to their proficiency in other media, where campus information is published first in the Web, then in other media.

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 11 Our Mission 1. Create a Web presence that adds value to: –Campus campaigns to recruit students, raise funds and promote a positive Web image of UMR; –Campus initiatives to retain and educate students, both on- campus and at a distance; –Strategic campus initiatives to achieve other academic, administrative and outreach goals. 2. Promote a web development environment that makes the most effective use of available effort, proficiency and computing technologies in achieving Web Goals.

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 12 Immediate Initiatives Formalize official UMR web presence standards and publishing processes Establish short and long term plans for UMR’s web presence

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 13 Web Goals Short Term == 6 –12 months Recruit, hire, train 3 new web staff Design and publish Viewbook as interactive web site Review and interpret STAMATS report for information applicable to web presence Publish first version of Web standards Publish short and long term plans for UMR’s web presence Re-implement e-commerce Guiding Principle #1: Design for customer satisfaction (target audience satisfaction) Current Highest Priority: Potential students and their parents

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 14 Web Goals Short Term == 6 –12 months Train 100% of hands-on WebCrew members to an intermediate competency level in Dreamweaver Address PeopleSoft impact to Web presence and related processes Address Section 508 of Americans with Disabilities Act regarding accessibility of our Web presence Continuously assess customer satisfaction with current UMR web design and navigation and the potential actions for improving satisfaction Guiding Principle #2: Seek compliance with evolving UMR web standards and procedures Current Highest Priority: Participate in WebCrew development

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 15 Web Goals Mid-range == 1 – 2 years Establish global navigation bar and UMR branding for all official sites Eliminate tilde (~) from official UMR URLs Improve UMR’s ranking in search returns of major higher-ed Web search engines, and as budget allows purchase web “banner ad” links to UMR Continue to increase proficiency and effectiveness of WebCrew, CIS and UA Web staff through ongoing training curriculum Guiding Principle #3: Assure effective use of UMR resources Current Highest Priority: Dreamweaver training for WebCrew

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 16 Web Goals Mid-range == 1 – 2 years Address academic, retention-directed, distance education Web issues Establish a pilot project to identify and use “Web coordinators” within schools and divisions to focus and support scarce Web staff resources more effectively Continuously assess customer satisfaction with UMR web design and navigation and the potential actions for improving satisfaction Guiding Principle #4: Plan for change and continual improvement Current Highest Priority: Take incremental steps. Know where you are going.

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 17 Web Goals Expected Outcomes Web publishing processes are integrated with existing campus efforts so that every promotional campaign and institutional publication includes a Web component, allowing UMR to be more competitive in the Internet media Measurable increase in visitors’ satisfaction with UMR’s Web presence, particularly prospective students and their parents Measurable increase in UMR WebCrew’s satisfaction with Webmaster/web staff support and their own effectiveness in Web maintenance

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 18 Web Goals Expected Outcomes Measurably higher ranking in targeted search engine results Measurably more consistent design, navigation and branding in UMR’s overall official Web presence Resource allocations continue to reflect the level of campus commitment necessary to sustain the necessary growth of UMR’s Web presence (e.g., web banner ads, support of distance/online educ., server upgrades, software, facility space, staffing, training, student workers) Guiding Principle #5: Measure outcomes and evaluate progress Current Highest Priority: Determine benchmark measures

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 19 We can do this! We have the experience We have the specialized training We know Web development processes We have a technical infrastructure on which to build Our new, dedicated Web staff will enable UMR to produce measurably better results on the Web in less time than ever before

University of Missouri-Rolla Computing and Information Services 20 Presentation is posted online at