Emmanuel Launches New Website for Start of Academic Year
September 10, 2007
After nearly two years of planning, development and production, the new Emmanuel College Website was launched in the beginning of September. The site, which includes a variety of new content and features that will further engage and inform viewers, better communicates the rich experiences available at the institution.
Last fall, Emmanuel engaged BigBad, Inc., a New England-based interactive agency, to assess the College's online communications and present recommendations for a strategic approach to the site's design. Taking into consideration the many changes that have occurred at Emmanuel in the last several years, the College and BigBad set out with the objective of improving Emmanuel's Web presence, all the while assembling a site that would comprehensively communicate not only the institution's academic excellence, but the strong sense of community life both on and off-campus as well.
Web Editor Shauna Billings, who manages the site's content and operation, says the effort required the assistance of many unsung members of the College. Input from faculty, staff and students through a Website advisory committee, behind-the-scenes work by the Information Technology Department, and summer support from a team of student interns, for instance, all played significant roles throughout the development process in order to make the project a success.
"This site has truly been a campus-wide effort, and it's something the entire community can be proud of," said Billings. "It has been such a great experience to be part of something that really has the support of the entire Emmanuel community, and to help craft what will be the introduction and welcome to Emmanuel College for many people the world over."
Some new items Billings expects viewers will appreciate include the "Looking Closer" feature, which offers in-depth looks into special components of the College such as Emmanuel's academic approach, mission & spirituality, and the extended classroom, and the student, faculty and alumni profiles which offer personal insights from fellow community members.
As part of the second phase of Emmanuel's site redesign, the new athletics home page will be launched in mid-November. In conjunction with CSTV, a company that has redesigned the athletic sites of more than 300 colleges and universities, the new athletics homepage will give fans easier access to scores, stats and news on all their favorite Saint teams.
"CSTV works with the top college athletic Websites and we are very excited about our partnership with them," said Associate Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director Alexis Mastronardi. "Like the main college Website, our new athletic page will have a new and improved look and feel. CSTV offers greater capabilities from an athletic standpoint, including the possibility of listening to games live and video feeds. We are looking forward to the launch of our new site soon."
In addition, faculty Web pages, pages for student organizations, work and blogs will soon be included. Overall, Billings believes the new comprehensive site will provide an excellent outlet for expressing the special qualities Emmanuel has to offer.
"Emmanuel College is a place of personal connections and innovation, and it sits in the center of one of the country's most sophisticated and exciting cities," she said. "This is a campus where you get smiles and hellos as you walk between buildings. It was important to show this friendliness through the colors, photos and stories chosen to be displayed on the site."