Eastern will launch a new Web site shortly after commencement in May. The site will feature more appealing photographs and a new design that is more organized and easier to navigate. Due to strategic marketing purposes, the web team would not release a shot of the new site.
“We want the new site to be more marketing oriented but also effective as a source of information,” said Dr. David King, executive dean of CCGPS and the head of Eastern’s marketing team.
Vice President of Student Development Bettie Ann Brigham said that the Web site is at the center of Eastern’s marketing campaign. She noted a predicted decrease in college enrollment over the next 10 years as a reason for focusing more on marketing.
“Our [current] Web site is stale. As a prospective student, there has to be new things up there for you to look at,” King said. “The Web site is a critical venue for us to push out Eastern’s story and encourage prospective students to look into us.”
King and Brigham agreed that Web sites are oftentimes the first way that prospective students learn about colleges. They added that other colleges are also updating their Web sites so making the site unique is important.
Quincy Adam, Eastern’s web manager and graphic designer, pointed out a new content management system that will allow end-users to manage content. This will help Eastern to “maintain a consistent look across the entire Web site.” He observed that the old Web site made it easy for users to get lost.
“If people don’t know anything about Eastern, our new organization will hopefully make the Web site easier for them to find things,” said student development office manager Katie Brenneman.