Some of the new features include a top row of useful links, a new web-based campus directory, a right-side menu for prospective and new students, hot topics, department highlights, and many more enhancements.
“It's been two years since we redesigned the UIS home page. Technology has changed and so have viewer preferences. We made changes based on our own research and incorporated features most requested by prospective and new students,” said Sherry Hutson, director of the office of web services. There is an additional new feature - users can select from two color themes. One theme is darker and includes more color. For those who prefer it, there is also a theme with more subdued color and clear dark-on-light contrast for the text.
“Our staff works very hard on the design and programming of the page to make it attractive, functional, and accessible to a wide variety of users,” said Hutson.
Visitors to the website will notice that the way the university’s name appears on the website has changed. Effective immediately, the university is dropping use of the word “at” and will be known as University of Illinois Springfield or, simply, Illinois Springfield. This is a decision by the Chancellor’s Cabinet.
The change modernizes the UIS graphic identity and better reflects it's status as a U of I campus. It also addresses a very real confusion between “at” and “@” when used on the website, our most important recruitment tool. The change does not alter our legal, statutory name, nor does it require purging signage or documents where it does appear. In fact, the original name remains on very permanent structures such as entrance signage, the colonnade, and the tile floors in UHB and PAC.
This new presentation does not contradict anything already in place on campus but will represent the graphic identity to the outside world going forward. There will be a period of transition and, at times, it may seem confusing. If you have questions or concerns, please direct them to Derek Schnapp at dschn3@uis.edu or Michelle Green at mgree1@uis.edu.
Related Links:
UIS Home Page: www.uis.edu/
Office of Web Services: www.uis.edu/webservices/
4 comments:
Seriously? We're dropping the "at" in UIS' name? How many meetings and University dollars were wasted on this brilliant idea? It sickens me to realize that this is how my ever-increasing tuition funds are being spent. The article didn't mention if the other U of I campuses are following suit. Isn't it best to present a cohesive statewide campus image, with similar naming conventions among all three campuses? I personally think this is ridiculous. These frequent name changes--Sangamon State, UIS (both with and without the "at")--convey to the public that UIS is enduring an identity crisis.
From the way it was described it doesn't sound like the name change will require much monetary loss. Since the administration is not changing signage around campus or letterheads and documents. Also, since when do we have to only make changes that Urbana-Champaign and Chicago have done first?
Personally, I think the name sounds much better and is less clunky to say. Dropping an article hardly qualifies as an "identity crisis".
Luke,
"At" is a preposition, not an article.
Excuse me. Dropping a preposition hardly qualifies as an identity crisis.
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