The registrar’s website is an important (but often overlooked) tool for communication and service delivery. Dan Vainner and Jason Cronkrite from Grand Valley State University discuss the ways that they used analytics, an iterative development cycle, and some creativity to transform their website, adding function AND fun. 

Guests: 

Dan Vainner, Associate Registrar, Grand Valley State University
[email protected] 

Jason Cronkrite, Assistant Registrar, Grand Valley State University
[email protected] 

Key Takeaways: 

• Think of your content development as the foundation from which to build--you’re building a web *presence* not just a web *site.*;
• Analytics are your friend: monitor the pages on your site that are getting the most hits, see if you can make them even more effective in delivering content (OR if you need to revise a different process somewhere else to avoid making people go to your website in the first place);
• Campus partnerships with Communications & Marketing teams and IT can make a big difference;
• Have fun with it. Remember that students and parents are people and work to both inform and entertain; Creativity is a bonus. 

References and Additional Reading:

Grand Valley State University Registrar website

Grand Valley State University’s Pyramid of Power for Web Presence

AACRAO Core Competencies:
Technical Knowledge
Problem Solving

Web design and content writing tips:

https://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/web-design-tips/
https://www.orbitmedia.com/web-content-writing/