UWM’s web presence is the university’s online identity, reflecting the quality and reputation of the institution. It is our number one recruitment tool, having reach and impact that surpasses all other communication channels. For many, it is their first encounter with and first impression of the university.
Prospective students consistently report that the quality and usability of a university’s website can influence whether they will consider that university in their search process. For UWM to be competitive in the higher education digital landscape and for its online presence to support UWM’s 2030 Action Plan commitment to students’ academic and personal journey, it is essential that UWM.edu deliver a unified, on-brand, welcoming and inclusive experience.
UWM Student-Centric Web is a multiphase university initiative that builds upon the goals of UWM’s Web Identity 2.0 initiative, which are to improve the quality and consistency, accessibility and efficiency of maintenance of UWM’s web presence. Student Centric Web aims to further improve UWM.edu with a focus on the needs of prospective and current students.
Phase 1
MarComm is partnering with the Carnegie Dartlet Web Team on the first phase of Student-Centric Web. Carnegie’s work includes:
- Establishing a new navigation system and content structure for UWM.edu that aligns with how students search for information.
- Optimizing content and layout of key student-facing webpages, such as academic programs, admissions, cost and aid and student services and resources.
- Creating audience specific pages so that future students, current students, parents and family can easily find information that is relevant to them.
- Identifying opportunities for content consolidation and reduction.
- Establishing a web governance framework to ensure a healthy web presence over the long term.
Phase 2
After the engagement with Carnegie concludes, UWM will implement Carnegie’s recommendations over the course of the following year.
University Community Involvement
Making UWM’s web presence student-centric has a direct impact on UWM’s ability to recruit and retain students. Ways that the university community will be involved in this important work includes:
- Stakeholder discovery sessions with Carnegie
- Student user experience research
- Survey of website content authors
- Workshops on critical aspects of web content management, such as writing for the web, accessibility and search engine optimization
- Web governance
Initiative Contacts
If you have questions about the Student Centric Web initiative please don’t hesitate to reach out to:
Lead: Mark Jacobson, Director of Web, markj@uwm.edu
Co-lead: Regan Jacobson, Web Creative Director, jacobsr@uwm.edu