Spring Break
University begins to update Web site in order to create a Brandeis brand
Senior Vice President for Communications Lorna Miles said the Web site will be uniform and easy to use.
by Matthew Brock
News | 1/15/08
Posted online at 4:48 AM EST on 1/15/08
/ Last updated at 7:01 PM EST on 1/15/08
The Office of Communications and Library and Technology Services recently launched a redesigned Web site to create a more usable, uniform site as part of an ongoing effort to develop the Brandeis brand.
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences' home page was the first to undergo modifications, and the University site was modified shortly after Thanksgiving break. The rest of the site is now continuously being updated.
The new homepage prominently features four large links leading to pages about Brandeis' campaign for social justice, the "four pillars" of Brandeis' core philosophy, things to do in the Greater Boston Area and donating money.
The home page also contains links to news releases about the University organized in categories, as opposed to the old site that that listed everything at once. There are also a series of links about applying to the University's various schools, making it easy for prospective students to learn a lot about the University straight from the Web site.
Anna Tomecka of LTS and Assistant Vice President of Communications Ken Gornstein spearheaded the effort to redo the Web site.
The update process is ongoing, said Vice President for Students and Enrollment Lorna Miles, and is expected to be complete within a year due to the size of the project.
Miles said it is necessary to update the Web site because the old model was "woefully inadequate, and the design [was] very simplistic."
The changes to the Web site are part of a Universitywide branding effort, Miles said. The goal of this effort is to create a uniform look, or logo, for all of the University's sites, so that people automatically know that the site belongs to Brandeis. Her hope is that all of the University's departments will adopt uniform branded templates for their sites, which number close to 240.
In addition to creating a sense of uniformity, these templates will give the departments a greater amount of control over their Web sites. LTS developed a new content management system that allows the departments to edit their own sites, Miles said. Under the new system, departments can choose from a variety of templates and edit them as if they were using a word processor.
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences' home page was the first to undergo modifications, and the University site was modified shortly after Thanksgiving break. The rest of the site is now continuously being updated.
The new homepage prominently features four large links leading to pages about Brandeis' campaign for social justice, the "four pillars" of Brandeis' core philosophy, things to do in the Greater Boston Area and donating money.
The home page also contains links to news releases about the University organized in categories, as opposed to the old site that that listed everything at once. There are also a series of links about applying to the University's various schools, making it easy for prospective students to learn a lot about the University straight from the Web site.
Anna Tomecka of LTS and Assistant Vice President of Communications Ken Gornstein spearheaded the effort to redo the Web site.
The update process is ongoing, said Vice President for Students and Enrollment Lorna Miles, and is expected to be complete within a year due to the size of the project.
Miles said it is necessary to update the Web site because the old model was "woefully inadequate, and the design [was] very simplistic."
The changes to the Web site are part of a Universitywide branding effort, Miles said. The goal of this effort is to create a uniform look, or logo, for all of the University's sites, so that people automatically know that the site belongs to Brandeis. Her hope is that all of the University's departments will adopt uniform branded templates for their sites, which number close to 240.
In addition to creating a sense of uniformity, these templates will give the departments a greater amount of control over their Web sites. LTS developed a new content management system that allows the departments to edit their own sites, Miles said. Under the new system, departments can choose from a variety of templates and edit them as if they were using a word processor.
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