Page 16 - Laker Connection Fall 2012

DREAMS. MADE REAL.
The Office of Image and Communications Who We Are
Before a prospective student experiences the exceptional beauty and warm hospitality of the Clayton State Univer- sity campus, he or she will likely make a virtual visit to Clayton State’s homepage, www.clayton.edu. And now, with the forthcoming introduction of www.clayton.edu/madereal, visitors can learn more about the University’s commitment to student suc- cess and the personal significance of “Dreams. Made Real.” to our students, faculty, and staff, thanks to the Office of University Image and Communications.
Clayton State’s web presence has been undergoing a signif- icant transition with more to come. Since July 2010, the Office of University Image and Communications staff has been involved with a project to convert the entire website into a Content Man- agement System (CMS). This project has been accomplished with collaboration from the Office of Information Technology and Services (product installation, configuration, and servers) and the Center for Instructional Development (faculty web pages).
In August 2011, the Image and Communications staff began migrating approximately 7,000 web pages into the CMS as well as providing ongoing support for web design, development, and maintenance to all campus units. The conversion is the first stage of a two-part plan to upgrade the University website. The second stage will entail enhancements in the appearance, look and feel, and content for target audiences. Brand elements will be phased in throughout the remainder of this year and into 2013.
The website is an institution’s most essential marketing tool. A CMS enables consistent usage of identity elements, integrates cohesive graphic design features, and incorporates elements of an- alytics tracking. The system has the added benefit of drawing from a single source for information that appears in multiple locations and offers more efficient management of multiple websites.
In addition to website support, the Office of University Image and Communications, now in its 10th year, assists with pro- moting the University through a variety of activities. Many of these are closely connected with University Relations, and the two
The Office of Image & Communications recently converted the Clayton State University website, www.clayton.edu, into a Content Management System (CMS). CMS enables the University web to be more functional for maintenence and more cohesive and organized for users.
departments act as a team to handle requests for graphic design assistance with publications and other materials, photography, and campus event coverage.
The online master calendar of events is maintained with input from University Relations and information from campus constituencies. The calendar places a ready resource for all events at the fingertips of both internal and external audiences. RSS feeds from the calendar may be added to various website locations to augment departmental promotion.
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THE LAKER CONNECTION