Bulletin News

01/21/2010 

President Erik J. Bitterbaum shared the new look of SUNY Cortland’s Web redesign as part of his State of the College address on Jan. 21 in Corey Union Function Room. The revamped Web site is scheduled to launch in March.
 
“The Web Redesign Team is excited to be so close to revealing the new Web site to the campus and world at large,” stated Tracy Rammacher, director of publications and electronic media. “While we have made great strides in creating the site, we want people to know that because of its dynamic nature, the Web always will be a work in progress.”
 
Along with Rammacher, the Web Redesign Team includes: Michelle Cryan, Web communications manager; Gradin Avery, associate provost for enrollment management and marketing; and Loren Leonard, Web development support specialist in the Memorial Library.
 
The redesign work began in earnest last April after having been stalled for months because of budgetary issues, noted Rammacher. The design concepts were created by Dot CMS of Miami, Fla., the firm that developed the College’s content management system.
 
“Besides having a fresh and current feel, the new Web site is now more user oriented,” she said. “In the past, the College’s site had been set up to reflect the campus organizational chart. Now, it is geared toward the user experience.
 
Also, the text, photos and graphics for the site incorporate the College’s brand attributes. The home page photo, containing the word ‘Momentum,’ mirrors the admissions viewbook cover and provides continuity between what prospective students, our primary audience, are seeing both in print and on the Web.”
 
All the pages will use a common template, including a consistent header and footer. The new site will feature links for specific audiences, such as future students, current students, parents, faculty and staff, alumni and the community.
 
“Quick links will be replaced by a search box for people and the site,” said Rammacher. “Also, many new pages, photos and content, as well as faculty, student and alumni profiles, will be revealed in the redesign.”
 
Some of the subject areas for the new Web pages include: community, employment, off-campus locations, teacher education, hands-on learning, quality of student life, athletic excellence, champions, honor societies, faculty excellence, student excellence, on-campus living, off-campus living, visitor's guide, offices A-Z and health and wellness.
 
“The ‘About Us’ page will feature brand attributes, while the ‘We are Red Dragons’ page focuses on campus leadership,” explained Rammacher.
 
She said that future plans involve incorporating the College’s athletics site into the new look and also creating a new fund raising site.