Penn State Intercom......March 29, 2001

Team working to
maximize University's
exposure on the Web

By Tysen Kendig
Public Information

To a quarter-million people each day, the face of Penn State is the face of Penn State's World Wide Web presence.

As higher education continues to grapple with the co-existence of clicks and mortar in the shaping of an institution's perception in the electronic age, the application and impact of the Internet continues to expand without pause. Minus a strategy for a coherent Web presence and future development of practical and innovative Web-based services, a university risks losing an opportunity to shape its future in an evolving electronic world.

According to a report issued last summer by the Web Strategies and Directions Task Force charged with evaluating the role of the Internet in the day-to-day operations of Penn State, the University must move rapidly to harness Web innovations -- existing both in practice and imagination -- that will put it at the forefront of online education, communication and service.

Enter the Web Strategies Implementation Team. Formed under the auspices of the Office of the Provost and headed by Fred Loomis, special assistant to the provost and director of the Solutions Institute in the School of Information Sciences and Technology, the team will guide the implementation of strategies for greater uses of the World Wide Web across the University's multiple missions of teaching, research and service.

"The Web Strategies Implementation Team has been charged with developing an action plan in response to the guidelines established by the Web Task Force last summer," said Loomis. "Our vision is to have all academic and administrative units embrace the Web as a fully integrated and dynamic tool for promoting access and service. We hope to achieve a Web presence that is the foundation for a community that serves and engages all University constituents."

Among the goals that will guide this lofty ambition are increasing communication and e-commerce via the Internet; using applications to integrate the University's missions; improving relationships with Penn State constituents through Web-based information and service portals; and enhancing the overall Web presence of the University.

In the end, the team will recommend strategies; identify best practices from other institutions and proactive units within Penn State; and develop a roadmap for increasing University-wide awareness and skills regarding the methods, models, tools and training for use of the Web in academic, administrative and business capacities. The team also will determine which Web projects are most critical to the University's long-term success in this realm.

"Universities are distinct -- we're not the same as businesses or government organizations," said Rodney Erickson, executive vice president and provost of the University. "There is a much broader range of people that we must reach."

Erickson will chair the Web Strategies Implementation Steering Committee, which consists of budget executives and administrators whose units are most influenced by Web advancement.

"I'm confident that we've assembled a team here that will help Penn State take advantage of the ever-evolving technological opportunities and become a leader in the deployment of the Web," he added.

Information on the goals, progress and structure of the Web Strategies Implementation Team, as well as resources for Web development, will be posted to the Web in the near future at http://www.web.psu.edu/.  

Tysen Kendig can be reached at tysen@psu.edu.

Back