You may have noticed that UM has a new homepage today. You may not have noticed another web launch that happened at the same time.
The UM Office of Alumni Relations and Alumni Association unveiled a new website this morning. It’s the first departmental site to use Cascade, the University’s new web content management system.
Previously, the alumni office contracted with a local technology company to design and host its website. Crystal Wood, alumni records manager, said it took about six weeks to create the new site. One part-time staff member who has no technical web training did most of the site development.
“The content management system is really easy to use, and it has a lot of flexibility,” Wood said. “The process was easy and we were able to provide input on the template design.”
Wood also said the CMS helped develop a site that meets accessibility needs.
“It made us look at our site in a whole new way,” she said. “The CMS forces you to do things in a way that is accessible.”
The new alumni site also incorporates campus-hosted blogs and wikis. The blogs will keep alumni informed about news and events while saving on mailing costs. The wikis will be used by various alumni association boards and groups to collaborate from a distance.
