Memorial’s Web site (www.mun.ca) will get a whole new look in the weeks to come but the changes go well beyond the choice of colours and the design of the pages.

In 2003, a team from University Relations and Computing and Communications, sponsored by the Web Implementation Committee, launched a major initiative to redevelop the university’s main administrative Web pages.

The redesigned site includes 120 new pages of content written specifically for the Web. The front page will allow Memorial to highlight feature stories and photos about new developments taking place at the university.

“We wanted the new site to have a distinctive look and identity, with consistency throughout the site,” said Paul Whittle, Web manager, University Relations.

Major administrative and academic departments, including Research, Alumni Affairs and Development, and Student Recruitment, have opted to apply the new look to their pages. Other departments and faculties can adopt some or all of the design elements.

The new cohesive look helps Memorial’s new associate director of marketing, Sandy Mercer, in her efforts to develop and promote the university’s “brand.”

“Memorial has its own unique selling points – the features that makes us appealing to potential students or faculty members,” said Ms. Mercer. “The new Web site does a great job of highlighting those strengths and creating a positive and lasting impression of Memorial.”

A major feature of the site is its Content Management System, developed by CCWebworks.

“The system makes it easier for people at Memorial to make changes to their individual pages, ensuring that the content on our site is always current and accurate,” said Mr. Whittle.

“But the system also allows us to change the look of all the pages at once, which will be a great help when we decide to redesign the site in the future,” said Rohan Sooklal, supervisor of CCWebworks.

Mr. Whittle will present the new design on April 29 at Memorial’s Web Days event. The redesign team will send out announcements to the university community to advise people of the official launch date for the new www.mun.ca.