Solidifying a new positioning with a warm interface, intuitive navigation, and a close connection to the publications.
The Client: Hartwick College is a "residential liberal arts and sciences college. We specialize in bringing the world into the classroom and sending our students out into the world" (http://www.hartwick.edu/x15.xml).
The Challenge: Located in the nation's most competitive admissions market, which is increasingly driven by Internet traffic, Hartwick College had a content-rich, homegrown Web site with a variety of graphical interfaces. A fresh, consistent site would help revitalize the college's marketing efforts - but the admissions season would occur a full five months before the college's marketing research and repositioning were completed. Hartwick couldn't wait - a new site could help to garner applicants and help the college to tell its story during the all-important fall season.
The Realization: The college's site is well-integrated with its printed admissions materials, and applications have increased. According to Vice President and CIO/CFO Ellen Falduto, the redevelopment process fostered institutional consensus around the site's purposes - a focus that's proven invaluable. And, with a new set of workflow tools and new standards, staff have taken over site management with ease.