By Victoria Harris —

The University of Louisville announced Jan. 6 that it will be revamping its digital presence. They are doing so to attract the most talented and diverse students and employees. 

Two main committees helping make this transition are the Web Improvement Executive Committee and Steering Committee. 

Chief of Staff Michael Smith heads the Web Improvement Executive Committee. The committee also consists of leaders from Enrollment Management, Information Technology Service and the Office of Communications and Marketing. This committee is in charge of making sure the decisions and changes made are in accordance with the Strategic Plan’s vision.

“During the transition from Kansas to Louisville, it became obvious to both Dr. Bendapudi and I that U of L’s digitial presence was in need of attention,” said Smith. “Within the first few months, conversations began with other university leadership that led to initial work by the Office of Communications in Fall 2018.”

The Steering Committee will be in charge of making sure that concerns from all departments are heard. Amber Peter from the Office of Communications and Marketing will head this committee, with membership representing the College of Arts and Sciences, the Delphi Center, Undergraduate Affairs and the Alumni Association, among others.

Students will also influence the trajectory of this project. Smith said, “The Steering Committee has a student representative, and it is our hope that the committee will work with other student groups on campus—SGA and others—to bring their ideas and concerns to the table.”

Smith said that a big problem with U of L’s current web presence is the “all-in-one” approach which can make finding information confusing. Because of U of L’s current web situation, this process will be broken into multiple phases and is expected to be finished early 2022.

Smith said this will not take the normal three-to-five year time period that most colleges do. “We are in the discovery phase right now, so we don’t have a solid timeline, but our users will begin to see changes in 2020,” said Smith.

To stay informed and updated on how the process is going, those following can visit the Web Update Improvements website.

“As I’ve said, this is a long and messy process,” said Smith. “In the end, this will be worth it.”

File Photo // The Louisville Cardinal