Learn how CU System Administration enhanced both owner and customer experience by implementing a web-based Content Management System (CMS) and a web oversight/development committee.

Understanding the problem:

CU System Administration is composed of many separate units that provide distinct services and leadership to the CU campuses. Until last year, the CU System websites presented a variety of platforms, technologies, navigations, features, and branding. There was little communication between the System offices, leaving units mostly on their own to make web content and design decisions. The result was a lack of coherence within the overall organization … and often confusion on the part of website users. Furthermore, the fragmented state of the CU System web made it difficult to obtain an overall statistical picture and report on it to internal and external customers.

Creating a solution:

In response to these technological and business process challenges, the office of University Relations (UR) implemented a web-based Content Management System (CMS) for all CU System Administration units. It also established a System Administration Web Team (SAWT). The core team included UR Web Developer Jon Arnold and colleagues Cathy Beuten and Melanie Jones.

• The CU System CMS (cu.edu web) provides a user-friendly interface with a variety of built-in leading-edge tools that facilitate distributed web content creation and management.
• The SAWT group brings together representatives tasked with stewardship and continued enhancement of cu.edu to assure that priorities are tracked and best practices are identified and adopted.

 The ultimate goal (and accomplishment) of the cu.edu initiative is to fix the various departments and service centers squarely in context – considering them from a System perspective rather than as individual silos of activity. While this has resulted in significant human and technical resource savings at the CU System Administration level, there is no doubt that the main beneficiaries have been the internal and external customers – the website visitors themselves.

To learn more about the CU CMS and the SAWT committee, take a look at Jon's submission to the CU Shared Practices (CUSP) website.