A major redesign is on the docket for Lee University’s Web site, bringing the aging site into the Web 2.0 era before the beginning of the spring semester.

In addition to a brand new look, personalized user accounts and a system for departments to update their own pages will make the site easier to use than ever before, programmer analyst Breanna Gray said.

“It’s a completely different look but it’s going to be really nice,” Ms. Gray said.

A senior at Lee, Ms. Gray is the project manager for a team of four student workers responsible for the transition from the site’s current design to the new system.

Project Beginnings

Datatel Incorporated (the network company behind Colleague and WebAdvisor) met with Lee’s web development committee last year to discuss revisions to the school’s site, Ms. Gray said. Datatel then implemented requested features into a redesigned site and presented the concept to the committee.

“It’s a long process; we’ve got about 7,500 Web pages on the site,” said Nate Tucker, associate director of Information Systems & Technology. “[Now] it will be easier to maintain.”

Upgrading the current site requires a manual update to all 7,500 pages., unlike the new system, which will allow for a redesigned look to be easily added across the entire site, Tucker said.

The site’s current style has stayed stagnant since January 2004. Lee University’s web presence was first launched in January 1998, more than ten years ago.

Redesigned Look

“Students will notice a new look and feel,” said Craig Gray, director of Information Services & Technology.

The new site highlights a prominent photograph in a banner at the top of every page while two columns on the right side provide relevant links and information.

“Each section page has its own general color scheme,” Ms. Gray said. “It’s generally the same layout; everything should be easy to find.”

Departing from the traditional white background, new pages are wrapped with a blue frame featuring light and dark tones.

The Lee Flame logo also watermarks the primary content on every section page of the new site.

Pages will also include an integrated search bar in the top right corner and a new breadcrumb navigation system in the opposite corner that shows users a trail of previous pages.

User Accounts

Visitors to Lee University’s site will also be able to create online accounts that tailor the site according to their preferences.

“Prospects will have information that’s personalized to them,” Tucker said. “We can target their interests; the content will be delivered based on their interest.”

For example, when a prospective student creates an account, a personalization form appears. Prospects can select their top choices for majors and select their interests in clubs, organizations and sports.

A student who selects an interest in baseball will receive information about that sport integrated with other data on the site, Tucker said.

In turn, Lee’s baseball coach could receive a list of all potential students who had expressed their interest in the team, Ms. Gray said.

The data gathered will be utilized to create different audience groups on the site, she said.

In the future, LeeUniversity.edu accounts may merge with existing campus computer log-in accounts, Ms. Gray said, especially for faculty and staff.

Content Management System

“Administrators will have a whole new system to manage content,” Mr. Gray said. “We’re creating a common [theme].”

Implementation of a content management system for the first time will allow specific departments on campus to control the content on pages relative to their office, Tucker said.

“This new software will allow us to focus on the template,” he said. “The offices will be responsible for keeping the content fresh.”

At present, university departments go through a tedious process to get their page on the Web site updated, Ms. Gray said.

For instance, if there was a change in the faculty of the Department of Communication,  an e-mail would have to be sent to the web development team to request changes.

The team, comprised mostly of students, does not have direct access to the live site.

“It can take a couple days just to get a simple date change made,” Ms. Gray said. 

The new system will allow departments to make simple text changes themselves.

With greater access, however, comes greater security concerns.

The web development team grappled with the decision to let departments post to the live site, Ms. Gray said, but she suggests that even small changes will still have to be viewed and approved by her team.

“[This] is more secure than anything we’ve ever done,” Ms. Gray said, noting that it took more planning than ever before to get it right.

Devoting less time to making small changes will bring big changes to the way the web team operates, Ms. Gray said.

“The web development team will be focused on making the site better rather than just keeping it up to date. We’ll have time to focus on improving rather than just on maintaining…Honestly, the best feature… is the [content management system].”

Other Features

The new site will debut what Tucker called a “true electronic application,” digitizing every step of the admissions process for prospective students. The new online application will save admissions department employees from having to retype data gathered in applications.

Weather advisories and school closings can also easily be posted and distributed across the site with the new system, Tucker said.

“Right now our goal is to get to a point where we’re up and running,” Ms. Gray said, noting that adding interactive media features like videos and blogs could be explored in the future.

The internal goal for completing the transition to the new site is within a few weeks, she said.

“I know we’re not going to, at the moment, meet our projected deadline,” she said, adding that dates have continuously moved because of scheduling issues.

Mr. Gray said the changes to the site should be complete and online before the spring semester begins.

“[The new site] will not be so extravagantly different that you’re not going to know how to use it,” Ms. Gray said. “There was kind of a big fuss when we switched from Lee Central to WebAdvisor and there’s always going to be a little bit of resistance to change. I think that once people get used to it and get a feel for it, they’re really going to love it.”