January

Digital Team provides an update on Academic Programs, ADA compliance

Team members accomplished a lot in 2017, but there’s more in store for 2018.

By Nathan Solheim

January 10, 2018

It’s not every digital team that can launch several new websites, help improve University ADA compliance and debut a new web design all in the same year.

But MSU Denver’s Digital Team did all those things in 2017 and a lot more.

“We have over 300 web authors on campus and we don’t have an opportunity to spend time with each one of them, so we want to reach out and update them about what happened last year, build the web author community, keep everyone informed and take suggestions,” said Miguel Garza Wicker, MSU Denver’s director of digital strategy.

Garza Wicker outlined the Digital Team’s top projects from 2017, which included:

• Development and launch of the University’s most current web design.
• New content for the academic programs part of the website — one of the most visited areas of the website.
• Web accessibility improvements and ADA compliance.
• How to use content from the Insider and the Early Bird on departmental websites.
• A new President’s website that displays new design trends and solutions.
• Updates to the Champions website and virtual tour.
• “Bienvenidos,” a marketing site to support the HSI initiative.
• Branded "Run Your Own Road" microsites that helped capture inquiries.
• Support for University marketing efforts.
• Software upgrades of the University’s web content management system, Terminal Four.

Garza Wicker added that more than 80 MSU Denver employees took web content management system training last year, which included 34 new web authors.

Garza Wicker also outlined what’s in store for the year ahead. The University’s web content management system will now update monthly. In addition, the Digital Team will launch monthly open labs for web authors to get in person assistance with their websites. Garza Wicker also said new projects are planned for prospective students and the Admissions website.

The Digital Team also plans to send out surveys during spring semester with the aim of improving support for web authors.

“We maintain over 10,000 pages and it’s a community effort so we rely on web authors and departments,” Garza Wicker said.

The Digital Team, which is part of MSU Denver Marketing and Communications, includes Chris Mancuso, manager of web communications and Mai Linh Nguyen, front end web designer.

For more information, please visit msudenver.edu/wcms.