Concord University Website gets an Update: New and Improved

Concord University students may, over the past week, have received an email from Jamie L. Boggs, Director of Application & Web Development, with a link to a survey and what appeared to be a beta version of an update for Concord University’s official website. This is because Concord University is in fact undergoing an update. According to Boggs, the current model of the website was implemented in 2009. “Our first-time freshmen this fall would have been in 5th grade when this design was implemented!” It was reflective of the cutting-edge web designs of the time when the original iPhone was released. Now, seven years and seven generations of iPhone later, Concord University decided that it was time for an update. 

    Boggs stated that it is his responsibility that students are able to access the information that they need. He said, “It [the site] needs to inform and engage prospective and current students, alumni and donors, and parents and the community.  It needs to do this while projecting the Concord brand.” There is more to the site than what is displayed in the browser, he said. Behind the scenes, there is a Content Management System (CMS) that “…streamlines the creation of pages and centralizes design.” The software allows for content to be more easily posted, as well as making it more secure. One of the main reasons for the update is to upgrade the CMS so that Concord University will be more secure. 

    The new website design was created by Larry Zande, a web developer, and Boggs; several students also helped construct the site during the developmental period. “The look and feel of the new website was a collaborative effort between our team and our former graphic designer, Lance McDaniel.  His original web design mockup was the seed that eventually became the site you see in the survey e-mail, he said. Their objectives for the new site was to have a modern, cohesive design, to build it with mobile devices in mind, to emphasize student-centric navigation, to have an updated CMS for security and feature improvements, to have more effective site-searching so a student can find what they need right away, and to increase availability so that students will be able to access the Concord University website, even during a power outage. 

    Development of this new site first began in 2014, and has continued more or less until the present day, while preparations for the transition have been going on as early as 2012 or 2013. The design mockup was completed in 2014 and has been improved on ever since. In addition to all of this, the navigation study was completed at the end of 2014. Boggs said, “We have been transitioning sites individually by department for the last couple of years.  The last remaining items are the new home page, main navigational menu, and the About Concord section.”

    At the time of writing this article, the survey on the beta version of the site is still up and available for students to complete as well as to provide feedback. Boggs stated that all of the complaints and comments will be taken into account during the final stages of the development of the new website. Boggs also added that overall, the reception and comments that they have received thus far have been positive. “There is a possibility that the survey data gets shared to the community in some fashion.  We may even post it to the new website when it goes live!” The new website will be launched on September 24, 2016. Students with questions and comments may contact Jamie L. Boggs via email at boggs@concord.edu.