The University’s Web Transformation project continues to gather momentum, with a number of major milestones reached recently.
The project – which seeks to not only improve the aesthetic design, content and technology components of our website, but also Macquarie’s digital governance, culture and communications – was formally approved by the Finances and Facilities Committee of University Council last week.
Richard Powell has also recently joined Macquarie as project manager on the initiative. Rich has worked with the web for 14 years in banking, government and not for profit.
He has managed web teams and projects that have changed navigation, made websites accessible to people with disabilities, transformed searching, changed web technologies, researched student needs, increased customer satisfaction, rebranded websites, made sites more prominent in Google, sold more products, taken websites mobile, and adopted social media.
Most recently he was Web Manager at Griffith University in Queensland during the last four years, where he oversaw a similar project to the one to be undertaken here at Macquarie.
“So much of what we do these days is online, and that’s true for universities also,” says Rich. “Some people might look at revitalising a website as large as Macquarie’s as a daunting job, but I find it incredibly exciting.
“Ultimately websites are not about technology but about people. They help us present ourselves to the world, and communicate with each other and our students. This project includes not just the public website but also staff and student intranets, so it’s a great opportunity to help the whole University community in a very real and tangible way.”
Rich is currently based in the BD Building but will be moving to Lincoln so that he is easily accessible to students and staff. The project has already been highly consultative in its scoping phase, and that will definitely continue according to Rich.
“The Macquarie website belongs to us all,” he says.