A screenshot of the home page of CSU-Pueblo’s website. A full website redesign is currently underway.

The CSU-Pueblo web redesign project is on track for implementation during the fall 2016 semester.

Some of the planned improvements include a revised calendar and a more effective news system. The aim is also to improve the functionality and overall structure of the website. The site will work on devices from smartphones and tablets to laptops and desktops.

Since the redesign of the Colorado State University-Pueblo website started in October last year, manager of the Instructional Technology department at CSU-Pueblo Adam Pocius and CSU-Pueblo lead web developer Lallo Vigil have been working closely with IT contractor Beacon Technologies.

Phase one of the three-phase process, which is nearing completion, included finalizing the strategic plan for the well anticipated project. The plan will be presented to President Lesley Di Mare and the web development committee within the coming weeks.

Phase two will involve the creation of a mock-up of the new site, as well as the implementation of certain design aspects.

The project has faced a few challenges since its start. Meetings had been scheduled between focus groups from CSU-Pueblo and the Beacon Technologies when a recent snow storm brought campus operations to a halt.

The team managed to reschedule some of the meetings and was also able to recruit students who reside on campus to participate in the focus groups.

“It worked out amazingly. We got a lot of great input from the student population about the direction they want to see the website go in,” Pocius said.

Staff and faculty members also participated in meetings, some of which were conducted online.

“Beacon was able to figure out what our university needs based on what we discussed with them, and all the different groups they met with,” Pocuis added. “They heard the same message from students, faculty and staff and we’ve been able to pull that together a good plan.”

The next step is focused on the content audit, which will take place across campus.

“We have over 5,000 pages on the site and we need all the content experts –people in different areas and division – to look over the content, consolidate it and refresh it,” he said.

Vigil and Pocius expressed their appreciation for the efforts made by students, faculty and staff in order to make the project feasible.

“We hear your concerns and we’re going to be addressing them with the new website,” Vigil said.

Feedback received from students indicated that they felt like the current site was not geared towards the student culture at CSU-Pueblo.

“We are looking at making the site more campus-centric by adding more pictures of the campus and highlights of events happening in real time to make it more student friendly,” Pocius said.

The team envisions the Email Digest, a centralized digest that contains information about events on campus that was implemented Aug. 12, will be based on news and event feed from the site, rather than a standalone email.

The team invites students to email them at webdev.csupueblo.edu about any issues  they experience with the current site.

Albeit on track and within the budget, the project needs more physical involvement from students. Various positions are available to students who are interested in work study or internship opportunities related to the project, including those with graphic design and writing background.

As part of their research, Pocius and Vigil attended sessions across campus in order to assess students’ opinions of CSU-Pueblo and found that the most prevalent theme was the university’s diverse culture.

“Focusing on that diversity and showing that off through the website is really important,” said Pocius, who thinks that the current website needs redesigned to represent this important aspect.

Another important goal of the project is to create more involvement between CSU-Pueblo and the surrounding community through highlighting the on-campus resources available to students.  Vigil commended the staff at Outdoor Pursuits for their proactivity in getting students involved in activities both in and outside Pueblo.

The team estimates that the entire redesign should be completed midway through the fall 2016 semester, barring unforeseen issues.

Image courtesy of csupueblo.edu

The CSU-Pueblo Foundation has designated $125,000 from the Lois W. and J. Roland Mathis Education Fund to provide scholarship opportunities for graduate students during the 2016-2017 academic year.

The new scholarship opportunity replaces funds from the Regional Access to Graduate Education program, which previously helped fund grants for graduate studies, according to a CSU-Pueblo news release. The RAGE fund was exhausted during the 2015-2016 academic year.

CSU-Pueblo Foundation’s Director of Annual Giving and Scholarships and CSU-Pueblo alum Nick Potter said he wants to encourage qualifying students to apply for the scholarship. “We want students to know that funding is still available to them, just from a different source.”

“The foundation’s goal is to keep up with needs in the local community and securing ways in which to meet those needs,” Potter added.

The CSU-Pueblo Foundation had previously limited funds to aid post-baccalaureate students with scholarship assistance. The recent grant from the Lois W. and J. Roland Mathis Education Fund to the Foundation made it possible to contribute $125,000 toward supporting graduate students, as part of an endeavor to provide scholarship opportunities to all eligible CSU-Pueblo students.

Increased funding is aimed at boosting enrollment in graduate studies and improving the graduation rate of students enrolled in master’s degree programs at CSU-Pueblo.

Eligible scholarship recipients must have a 3.0 GPA and be enrolled in full-time or part-time studies in one of CSU-Pueblo’s nine graduate programs, which includes chemistry, bio-chemistry, biology, English, history, industrial and systems engineering, business administration, nursing and education.

Graduate students, including national and international applicants, can access the online application, which is separate from the undergraduate scholarship application, through their Personal Access to Web Services account, starting March 1. To be considered for Fall 2016-2017 scholarship awards, applications must be submitted by the priority deadline of April 1, 2016.

Potter said the CSU-Pueblo Foundation staff is constantly reevaluating the financial needs of the local community to find ways in which to meet the changing financial climate.

“The university is constantly changing because it serves such a unique area of society.  CSU-Pueblo and the university system support everybody in finding their careers and what we do is based on that,” he said.

“CSU Pueblo students should know that we award about a million in scholarships for the campus,” he said, “which for a campus of our size is a really good dollar amount to be able to offer to our students. These come in terms of talent scholarships for art, music, athletics and to students who are financially needy and students who are academically worthy.”

In the news release, Todd Kelly, CSU-Pueblo Foundation President/CEO, said “The Mathis Fund offers CSU-Pueblo a great opportunity. Through this fund, we can provide scholarships to graduate-level students and the effects of the loss of the RAGE program can be minimized.”

Potter reiterated that CSU-Pueblo offers approximately 800 scholarships from roughly 200 funds to its students.

“We make it really easy for students to complete one application and then we do the matching for them,” Potter said.  He also encourages students to follow up after they’ve applied for a scholarship.

“The squeaky wheel gets the grease!” he added.

For more information, students can contact the CSU-Pueblo Foundation at 719-549-2380.

ASG senator Shawn King hopes to make change on campus. | Photo courtesy of csupueblo.edu

Colorado State University-Pueblo student Shawn King believes students should use their strengths to engage in the university.

King, who represents the Associated Students’ Government as senator of the College of Education, Engineering, and Professional Studies, is set to graduate from CSU-Pueblo in May 2017.

“The opportunity to make a meaningful change in campus life and to positively impact each student’s experience while attending CSU-Pueblo is just as rewarding as earning any college degree by itself,” King said during his campaign for ASG senator.

He double majors in engineering and mathematics with an emphasis in mechatronics, and transferred from Pikes Peak Community College in the fall 2014 semester to pursue an undergraduate degree.

King, who hails from Texas, grew up in a military family and spent seven years in Germany before moving to Colorado Springs, where his dad retired from the Air Force.

His duties as ASG senator include setting up a Dean’s Advisory Council and liaising with engineering students to ensure that they are kept informed of any changes in the program.  He also serves as parliamentarian for the senate, which involves ensuring that Robert’s Rules of Order standards are followed during ASG procedures.

Aside from a full load of 19 credits this semester, King is involved in various organizations and committees on and off campus, including the Student Technology Fee Committee, the Information Technology Board Committee, the Higher Learning Commission Accreditation Criterion 5 Planning Committee, the ASG Internal Affairs Committee and the Parking Advisory Committee.

“Anytime anyone compares the successes of CSU-Pueblo, they look at the Hasan School of Business which is ranked among the top 15 percent of business programs nationwide,” King said. “What I would like to see is the other colleges and the other programs on campus get that kind of recognition and I want to see those programs improved and be successful.”

He got an engineering internship at UTC Aerospace Systems in Colorado Springs in June 2015, which has been extended until he graduates from CSU-Pueblo next year. Once he graduates, he said, he wants to continue pursuing work in the Aerospace industry.

King cites his sister as his role model because of her display of inner strength and perseverance in overcoming tremendous personal challenges.

His goal as ASG senator is to facilitate recognition of some of the lesser known programs at CSU-Pueblo.

King is also a member of the CSU-Pueblo’s Robotics team.

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles about members of the Associated Students’ Government at CSU-Pueblo.

Nicole Hulet | Photo courtesy of csupueblo.edu

For Colorado State University-Pueblo biology major Nicole Hulet, involvement is key to making a difference on campus.

Voted senator of the College of Science and Math and Speaker Pro-tempore of the Senate of the Associate Students’ Government in April 2015, Hulet is involved with several organizations on campus.

Hulet, who declared minors in chemistry, communication and rhetoric and accounting, is set to graduate from CSU-Pueblo in May 2017.

A Boulder native, Hulet considers her parents to be her biggest role models and sources of inspiration. She makes time in her busy schedule to mentor her younger twin sisters who are college freshmen, and credits her boyfriend of two years, Luke Poole, for being her biggest fan and sounding board.

Hulet holds certifications as nursing assistant and phlebotomist and expressed a desire to eventually secure a position as dean of a hospital, while continuing studies toward graduate and doctorate degrees.

Her many leadership roles include serving as co-president of SOUL, a student organization that educates students about drug and alcohol abuse prevention, working as senior resident assistant for Walking Stick Village, and facilitating activities for CSU-Pueblo’s Outdoor Pursuits. Hulet is also involved with the Leadership Education and Development program through the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership.

Hulet is the vice president of a local chapter of the Rotaract Club, a volunteer and leadership organization on campus, and recently became involved in the new “Love Your Melon” organization, which raises funds for pediatric cancer research.

Hulet admits to a tendency to spread herself too thin by taking on too many responsibilities at once, but her love for CSU-Pueblo and its students drives her to make a success of everything she embarks on.  She said she is passionate about academics, public speaking and making a difference at CSU-Pueblo.

She recently declared a third minor, in accounting, which seems a natural fit.  Her dad runs his own CPA firm in Boulder and her mom is a bookkeeper.

Hulet considers her strengths to be her “easygoing but strong leadership style” and her compassionate nature, which Hulet credits to her mom.

“My mom once put a Band-Aid on a wild frog,” she said.

Hulet, who was voted CSU-Pueblo’s 2015 homecoming queen alongside homecoming king Jonothan Stephenson.

“It was such an awesome experience for me to be acknowledged by my school in that way,” she said.

Hulet said the ASG aims to implement more student-oriented traditions at CSU-Pueblo.

“Our biggest goal is getting traditions for our students to be more engaged in what’s going on, not just in athletics,” she said.

Hulet has a passion for the outdoors and blues music. She relishes the opportunities afforded her by her involvement in Outdoor Pursuits to participate in activities and excursions, including a recent dogsledding trip to Leadville.

When she’s not at school, Hulet said she watches reruns of the “The Office” and volunteers at a local animal shelter. Hulet, who has a passion for inspiring others to overcome personal challenges and thrive, lives by the adage, “life is five percent of what happens to you and 95 percent of how you handle it.”

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles about members of the Associated Students’ Government at CSU-Pueblo.

ASG vice president Gene Wilson

Colorado State University-Pueblo student Gene Wilson was elected as vice president of the Associated Students’ Government in April 2015 and is looking forward to his future. Wilson, a political science and Spanish major with a minor in communication and rhetoric, has set his sights on attending law school after he graduates from CSU-Pueblo in May 2016.

Wilson lives with his family in Fountain and is the second youngest of four siblings.  His father, a retired United States Army veteran, manages a lumber mill in Fountain and his mother runs a day care and cleaning business from their home.

Wilson and current ASG president, Sarah Zarr, combined efforts and ran as a team in the organization’s 2015 presidential campaign, representing the school’s Legendary Party. Wilson stated that although he and Zarr are complete opposites, they work well together as a team.

A big part of Wilson’s responsibilities as ASG vice president includes taking responsibility for setting up frequent committee meetings.

He is also involved in a number of other student organizations, including the University Budget Board, Student Technology Fee Committee, the Alumni Board, Student Fee Governing Board and Enactus. He also previously served as vice president of CSU-Pueblo’s award winning forensics team.

Wilson offered some advice to students who are interested in ASG.

“You have to have a passion for the school. No matter how busy you get, keep the passion to make changes around campus,” he said.

His hope is to inspire ASG student senators to continue what he and Zarr started.  He subscribes to the motto, “no risk, no reward.”

Wilson, who writes constitutional policies as part of his ASG duties, developed an interest in law after observing proceedings in the Colorado State Appellate Court while attending Fountain-Fort Carson High School. His professional role model is Chris Turner, a well-known Pueblo attorney and CSU-Pueblo alumnus.

Wilson aspires to practice as a criminal defense attorney once he finishes law school and hopes to work his way up the legal ranks to become a judge.

Wilson remains optimistic about the future of CSU-Pueblo, despite decreasing enrollment numbers due to the lack of higher education funding.  One of his goals is to create a school environment that will draw new students to the school.

“I want students to come to CSU-Pueblo and feel a sense of pride at attending our school,” Wilson said.

During his limited free time, Wilson makes time to volunteer in his local community. He spends much of his time travelling with the forensics team. In 2012, he volunteered in the Obama/Romney presidential race. For fun, he hikes the Manitou Springs Incline and reads books by his favorite author, Stephen King.

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles about members of the Associated Students’ Government at CSU-Pueblo.

ASG senator Antonio Huerta | Photo courtesy of Antonio Huerta

For Colorado State University-Pueblo student Antonio Huerta, college is filled with leadership and responsibilities.

Huerta was elected as senator for the Associated Students’ Government at CSU-Pueblo in April.

Huerta, who spends the majority of his time coordinating events, volunteering and attending ASG committee meetings, is completing a Master’s in Business Administration at the Hasan School of Business, while serving as academic senator of the HSB.

He plans to graduate at the end of the fall 2016 semester.

Huerta, a Colorado native, was born in Pueblo and grew up in the small southeastern town of Granada. He obtained an associate’s degree at Lamar Community College at the same time he graduated from high school.

Huerta said his experience in ASG has been “eventful.”

“There is a lot more to ASG than just going to meetings and voting,” he said. His responsibilities include serving on the Student Fee Governing Board, the Student Athletic Fee committee, Dining Services Advisory committee, Dean’s Advisory Council, and Student Recreation Operations committee.

Aside from his ASG workload and being a full-time student, Huerta also manages to be involved in various other organizations both on and off campus.

He helps to organize the annual Entrepreneurship Competition, which is sponsored by the Healy Center in the Hasan School of Business. The goal of the competition is to spur economic growth in Southern Colorado.

Huerta is also a member the Enactus Club, an organization that is currently focusing its efforts on a sustainability project, the College Assistance Migrant Program and the President’s Leadership Program.

Huerta and his fellow classmates have recently taken on a project in the Pueblo community, as part of their PLP responsibilities, that involves the remodeling of part of the El Centro Del Quinto Sol recreation center on the east side of Pueblo. He is very passionate about volunteering in the local community and relishes the positive influence he can make on the lives of less fortunate youths.

Huerta hopes to secure an internship in the summer, but his back up plan is to learn the ropes in his grandmother’s title insurance business in Lamar. He has set his sights on creating much needed economic growth in the region. Eventually, he plans to put his knowledge and skills to use on a corporate level.

His role model is Apple founder Steve Jobs because of the mogul’s tenacity and success despite facing many personal and professional challenges during his career.

Huerta, whose many obligations includes working as a graduate assistant to the graduate program director, Kristyn White Davis, is a go-getter who considers leadership to be one of his strongest suits.

Huerta hopes to leave a legacy at CSU-Pueblo by making a positive impact.

One of his concerns is the ever-shrinking enrollment numbers at the university.

“I want to do something that will bring students here,” Huerta said. He thinks CSU-Pueblo lacks the college vibe that most university-oriented towns exude because of its location.  Furthermore, he believes that people come to Colorado expecting to see mountains and to be able to experience the year-round activities the state has to offer.

Huerta has a knack for leadership. He believes that the key to being a good leader lies in the ability to facilitate change by leading and helping others.

“I don’t like the whole concept of being a boss and telling others what to do,” he said. “I like the concept of being a leader and to be able to lead people to something great” he said.

Huerta continually aspires to make a positive impact at CSU-Pueblo, and said he needs to focus on being more compassionate when the situation calls for it.

During his limited free time Huerta does CrossFit at a downtown gym. He also to be a referee for all the intramural team sports at CSU-Pueblo, but the games conflict with his current school schedule. He said he is partial to football, and said he’s a New England Patriots fan.

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles about members of the Associated Students’ Government at CSU-Pueblo.

Dean of Library Services Rhonda Gonzales said she encourages student feedback for CSU-Pueblo’s strategic plan. | Photo courtesy of library.csupueblo.edu

Recent updates have been made to the 2015-2020 strategic plan for Colorado State University-Pueblo and the committee behind it is encouraging student feedback as priorities are set for 2016.

A revised version of the plan, which was originally implemented on Nov. 7, 2014, was released at convocation in the fall semester. CSU-Pueblo’s provost, Rick Kreminski, and Dean of Library Services Rhonda Gonzales served as co-chairs on the project.

The Strategic Plan Task Force included faculty, administrative and classified staff, as well as students. The team worked on the university-led initiative for several years. The implementation team, which included several faculty members, was tasked with prioritizing the goals, objectives and strategies incorporated in the finalized plan.

“During the spring and summer, we worked with groups across campus to fill in the X’s and Y’s of the measures,” Gonzales said in an email. “The revised version was released at convocation this fall semester. Now we’re working on setting priorities for 2016 and collaborating with groups to ensure that progress is made.”

The plan’s efforts are intended to support CSU-Pueblo’s mission, which is that “Colorado State University-Pueblo is committed to excellence, setting the standard for regional comprehensive universities in teaching, research, and service by providing leadership and access for its region while maintaining its commitment to diversity,” according to the plan.

During the planning stages, faculty and and staff participated in meetings and team building exercises aimed at obtaining input and feedback for the working document. The most current version includes specific measurable objectives.

“The strategic plan is intended to help lead the university on a path towards sustainability,” Gonzales said. “If students want the university to remain a strong institution that they are proud to be graduates of, then investing their efforts in helping make the plan successful will ultimately help us all achieve our goals.”

The main objectives of the plan are to increase enrollment, retention and graduation rates and numbers of graduates. Furthermore, the focus is on providing students with excellent and relevant academic programs, advising and financial aid programs that help students succeed, diversity, affordability and student life.

Gonzales emphasized that student involvement is key to the success of the five-year plan.

“We need to hear the students’ voice, so student participation in committees and student responses to emails and surveys are very helpful,” she said. “Also, students can help create a positive perception of CSU-Pueblo and help us recruit by spreading the word that this is a great place to get an education.”

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in the most recent survey to assess which objectives are most urgent to prioritize in the coming year, at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9BJDX8V.

“Strategic planning is something that students should care about. Enrollment, retention, and a high graduation rate signify a healthy, sustainable and relevant institution. Undergraduate degrees give CSU-Pueblo the necessary authority in the workplace and facilitates increased earning power,” Gonzales said.

The strategic plan is available to view on the CSU-Pueblo website in the I:\University Common\ Strategic Plan 2015-2020 folder.

The General Classroom Building coffee shop opened Nov. 4. | Photo by Keelan Bailey

The Coffee Lounge located inside the General Classroom Building at Colorado State University-Pueblo officially opened for business Nov. 4.

The goals behind building the coffee shop were to provide students with a place to study or take a break before, between and after classes, and to provide a stop on the way to other parts of the campus.

“I believe the goals are starting to be realized, based on recent observations,” said John Barnosky, director of Planning and Construction at CSU-Pueblo.

The lounge currently offers coffee drinks, espresso, cold drinks, pastries and some grab-and-go items.

The space was designed by Gwen Gilley, of Hord Coplan Macht Architects, while Claudia Walters, Chartwells Director of Dining Services, played a key role in ensuring the design fit Chartwells’ requirements.

Barnosky said the project was met with some challenges. The shop’s opening was delayed a few months after the opening of the new classroom building, which welcomed its first classes this August.

“Designing the food service equipment into the allotted space, late delivery of menu boards, and re-order of some equipment parts that didn’t fit. Furthermore, new software upgrades for point-of-sale cash register took longer than anticipated,” Barnosky said.

“The original vision was for an informal gathering space that would allow engagement of students and faculty in a ‘coffee shop’ atmosphere,” he said.

The original equipment budget for the GCB Coffee Lounge was $21,000, which included furniture, equipment and countertops.

Key players in the project included Grady’s Restaurant and Bar Supply of Pueblo, which supplied the majority of the equipment, and G.H. Phipps Construction Co., a general contractor that built the space. Furniture was provided by the Colorado Department of Corrections.

Incarcerated CSU-Pueblo student Robert Chan won an honorable mention from the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity. | Image courtesy of eliewieselfoundation.org

An incarcerated Colorado State University-Pueblo student won an honorable mention in a prestigious essay contest.

Robert Chan, who is serving a life sentence in a California prison for killing a young man more than two decades ago, received the honorable mention and a $500 award from the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity for his submission, “From Shackles to Square Hats: Higher Education and Lifer Prisoners.”

Chan wrote the essay for a sociology class and is currently attending CSU-Pueblo through the Extended Studies program.

The Prize in Ethics Essay Contest, sponsored by the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity in New York, is an annual competition that challenges college students in the United States to submit essays on the urgent and complex ethical issues that confront us in the modern world. The first prize of $5,000 was awarded to Alexandra Stewart from the University of New Mexico for her essay, “Ethics of Transcendence.”

Chan’s 14-page essay centers on the the ethical issues involved with allowing “lifers” – prisoners serving a life sentence – to pursue a college degree at the taxpayer’s expense.

Throughout the essay, Chan questions why he should be allowed to pursue an education at all, let alone with public assistance, since he stole all such privileges from the man he killed 21 years ago.

The cost of tuition is the same for all college students who are enrolled in independent study courses, whether they are incarcerated or not. In certain cases, institutions offer fee waiver programs, scholarships and grants to less fortunate students.  Prisoners are required to complete at least a G.E.D. while in prison, giving them the ability to earn a small income from chores performed behind bars.

CSU-Pueblo’s Office of Extended Studies currently serves 50 incarcerated students, some of whom are pursuing degrees. Colorado is one of only a handful of states that provide college resources through extended study programs to incarcerated students.

According to a recent CSU-Pueblo news release, “CSU-Pueblo also was approached by the Department of Corrections in Colorado to partner in applying for a Federal Pell Grant Experiment, which would provide a waiver to schools selected for the experiment to allow them to issue Pell grants to otherwise qualified incarcerated student under specific conditions.”

Chan, who originally discounted the notion of furthering his education behind bars, changed his mind when he received an invitation to participate in a pilot program that allowed prisoners to pursue an associate’s degree, with the aim of providing knowledge and skills they can utilize beyond prison walls.

Chan decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree after completing his associate’s degree, but struggled to secure funding. After applying 11 times to various institutions, he secured a scholarship from the Davis-Putter Scholarship Foundation this past year.

Associate Professor of sociology/anthropology Chris Messer was impressed by how well Chan articulated the ethics associated with providing educational resources to prisoners who are unlikely to benefit from it in the immediate future.

“Robert was enrolled in a course with me last year, and I could immediately tell he was a gifted student who had a knack for writing,” Messer said in the news release. “Just as he did in the class I instructed, Robert asks critical questions and offers a compelling analysis. I’m more than grateful for the opportunity to have served as his faculty sponsor for this prestigious program.”

In the essay, Chan expressed his gratitude for some of the less obvious benefits he gained from the opportunity to further his education.

“College made us stakeholders in our own lives again. This meant being responsible for ourselves, for each other, for our families and friends outside, for those injured by our crimes, for the local community, and for society at large,” he wrote.

Chan is set to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from CSU-Pueblo in 2016.

A screenshot of the CSU-Pueblo website’s homepage. The site has not been redesigned for eight years.

A complete redesign of the Colorado State University-Pueblo website started this past week and is anticipated to extend through the next five to eight months.

The website is overdue for a refresh. Manager of the Instructional Technology department at CSU-Pueblo, Adam Pocius, said websites are typically redesigned or updated every five years. The CSU-Pueblo website has not had a complete overhaul in the past eight years.

Pocius said that the main goal of the redesign is to optimize the website for mobile devices, enhancing its usability and extending the backend tools for web editors to post quality content.

“We’ve been working well over the last year to research what we need to do to better for our website,” Pocius said.

One of the main focuses is usability and consistent presentation of quality content. The redesign will incorporate improvements to the current information architecture, navigation structure and its presentation on smart devices.  “We want to address the issue of responsive design for mobile devices,” Pocius added.

Pocius confirmed that Information Technology Services department is partnering with IT contractor Beacon Technologies for the project, which will include consultation in developing the online strategy, optimization for mobile devices, responsive templates and part of the subsequent phase-in of actual content that will be migrated into the templates.

Search engine optimization is another main focus for the team.  “The way algorithms – implemented by search engines – interpret smart devices, is integral to the effectiveness of the site getting users to content they are searching for,” Pocius said

The budget for the redesign is $100,000, which will mainly fund contracted work and does not include the CSU-Pueblo team’s salaries. Beacon is responsible for assisting in development of the web strategy, templates and for creating various mock-ups for approval from the web committee, which has not been confirmed yet.

“When you talk about a college nowadays, it’s not necessarily the physical campus anymore.  When you say CSU-Pueblo, the first place you think about is the digital side of it. If you think about our campus outside of a 50-mile radius, the only thing people would know about is what they would gather through our website. What we are trying to do is build a better window to see our university,” Pocius said.

“Quality content provided by our web editors through this new website will provide a clear picture of who we are,” he said.

The key players from CSU-Pueblo include Pocius, web developer Lallo Vigil, and network administrator Greg Hoeck. Many constituent representatives will form part of the web committee that will provide input and approvals throughout the entire process.

“The progress of the project will be measured by a timeline with set goals for deliverables. The emphasis, however, is on doing it right and not rushing it,” Pocius said.

A transition will take place from the current content management system, SharePoint, to Cascade. The team has employed four student work-studies, who are responsible for checking the website for missing links, updating content, and other issues that deter optimal usability. Other key issues include ensuring that quality control standards are met, and that compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act is consistently enforced.

“It’s a big picture project and something we intend to be a positive for the university,” Pocius said of the project.

Pocius wants users to know that the website will be different, and the platform will include vast improvements, thereby making it more efficient and user-friendly for users, while giving current web editors better tools to get quality and timely content posted.

The new architecture will also alleviate server-related issues, making it possible to maintain ongoing communication on campus.

Pocius emphasized that a survey will be distributed within the next month, via various communication methods, aimed at getting input from users about what they expect from the redesign.

The deadline for implementation is fall 2016.