Website Modifications and Updates

Last year we rebuilt our website from the ground up using a dynamic content management system. We encouraged visitors to offer feedback. Acting on many comments received from our students, faculty, and the general public we’ve been looking at ways to improve the effectiveness of the web site’s layout. That work has produced what you see now. The content management system remains the same, but the look and feel of the site has been improved. Please read on for a summary of these changes.

Unified Layout

We realized that while many people appreciated the look of our last home page, it was heavy on visuals and did not display a lot of information in a convenient format. We’ve thus reorganized the home page while retaining some of the same style.

What Has Stayed the Same

• Quick links at the top of every page
• A “breadcrumb” trail of links in the header
• A rotating image on the home page
• Login and user account management links in the header

What Has Changed

• Search box now integrated into the header of every page
• Site map grid has been refined and clarified
• News items given more prominent position on home page
• Fewer upcoming calendar events are shown, but now include a handy date indicator
• New quick link boxes for RSS feeds and full news and calendar archives

For the most part, the overall layout strategy of the site has remained the same. In addition to this, the home page and the interior pages have the same base layout.