University's Web Home Being Remodeled

Located at http://www.wright.edu, the university's World Wide Web pages provide accurate, consistent and timely information for both internal and external audiences. The CWIS serves as a central repository for frequently accessed internal information - including campus calendars, course descriptions and job postings - as well as access to related information all over the world. It's also a powerful recruiting tool for prospective students who rely increasingly on the Internet to "visit" college campuses. WSU's web site allows an international audience to immediately access information and campus web publishers to continually update that information.

The Wright State site, which evolved from dozens of independent web sites across the campus, should see significant additional growth and development over the next few months. Plans include:

• designing a new look for the main home page and those linking directly to it;
• restructuring links for easier navigation of the entire site;
• soliciting page publishers for areas of the university not yet represented on the web site;

• providing online application forms for admission and financial aid;
• adding graphics and photos; and
• marketing the site to both internal and external users.

The Office of Public Relations recently hired Donna Hamilton to serve full time as CWIS administrator (or webmaster). (see sidebar) WSU's Computing and Telecommunications Services (CaTS) purchased a new UNIX-based computer to store web files and run the web server software. Both investments, from the new initiatives fund set up for 1996-97, are part of WSU's increased commitment to technology.

Any department, staff member or faculty member may request an account on the university's main web server to provide information about Wright State programs, events and services. Information on publishing university web pages and requesting web server accounts may be found at http://www.wright.edu/aboutwsu/publish/publish.html. Guidelines for creating a web page are outlined in this document. The guidelines may be adjusted when an official WSU web policy is approved later this year by the CWIS Advisory Committee.

Appointed by the provost, the Advisory Committee advises the CWIS administrator in developing and managing the CWIS and setting policy and/or procedures on content, security and legalities. Four subcommittees report to the Advisory Committee: administrative, design, instructional applications and legal. Both the Advisory Committee and subcommittees comprise staff, faculty and student members. Joseph Coleman, assistant provost for budget, and Barbara Winters, associate university librarian, serve as co-chairs.

For more information about WSU's web pages, call Donna Hamilton, at 775-3232, or send e-mail to: donna.hamilton@wright.edu.

Hamilton serves as webmaster for Wright State's web site on the Internet. Working closely with the CWIS Advisory Committee appointed by Provost John Fleischauer, she is responsible for enhancing and maintaining the university's top-level web pages and assisting departments and units in developing linked web pages.

In 1996, Hamilton helped create the "Mary" page on UD's web site, which won an Award of Merit for Electronic Communications from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). During her tenure at UD, she also worked on the university's Campus Report, which won an IABC Award of Excellence in 1995, and the University of Dayton Quarterly, which won Grand Gold Medals from the Council for Advancement and Support for Education (CASE) in 1993 and 1994.