Top > Webmaster > 2006 > October > 2006-10-19

Webmaster Left Out of University Website Renovation

SVSU, a leading university, has decided to renovate its home website this spring, and the staff behind the revamp and restructuring has been refining the appearance and functionality of the site. The new ?theme? that will be given to the homepage has been in place since March 15th, 2006, with ITS, University Communications, working in conjunction with many other parties to successfully display the image that students, faculty, webmasters, and the entire university community want to convey to the outside world.

?My primary role is how our Web site interacts with potential students. [It] isn`t the implementation side of it,? said Jason Swackhamer, the webmaster who works for University Communications as the director of Web Communications, since the post was created two years ago. His division operates under the auspices of Student Services. The new design was agreed upon only after a collaborative effort between his department and representatives from all over the University. This webmaster finds it important to have the whole picture before offering the final portrait of the university online.

Nearly six months later, the redesign is still not complete. That is because this webmaster?s work is never really done. Part of his job is to collect feedback and turn that feedback into tangible designs. He loves receiving comments from students and faculty members alike, and conducts focus groups to learn more about the overall feeling on campus.