Members of North Carolina Central University Web Services team present strategies for aiding university admissions web presence to attract new students. The team presented at the 2009 Thurgood Marshall College Fund MUPIE in New Orleans, LA, on March 17, 2009.

2. Introductions and Brief History
Team Members:
• Damond Nollan
• Derek Brinson
• Darin Tyler
• Michael Render
• Teccara Carmack
• Chesiree Mooring
Overview:
• Where We Were
• Where We Are
• Where We’re Going

3. Web services history
• The Upside
– Largest increase in enrollment in any university’s history
during this same period
– Our website’s reliability, usability, and overall quality
increased in the same period that our enrollment
increased by record numbers (Howard University DLL
Study)
– One of the first universities to broadcast live
commencement activities
– WNCU 90.7 FM
– Established Web Internship Program (W.I.P.)
• The Downside
– No Web Standards/Policy, No Consistency
– Difficult to Navigate
– Information was hard to find and often times outdated
– NCCU’s administrators ran web content, thus turning the
web into a large administrative document.
• How is that a problem? Administrators do not
enroll; students do.
– Under resourced
– Unmanaged
– Under valued
– Browser compatibility issues

4. Where We Were
• Where We Were
– Web Team started as team of one that was lead by a committee
– All work was done on a part time bases as a part of desktop support
services
– Web projects where not determine by priority, but by “who do you
know” or “first come, first serve basis”
– Some departments handled their own content and design. Others
outsourced design work, but lacked the technical maturity to
maintain the content.
• As a result, ITS performed maintenance work on unfamiliar
sites, in turn, increasing the level of difficulty.
• When and Why Did It Get Better?
– Decision makers recognized the need to manage our website.
– Today, a cohesive top-notch website is not a luxury - it is a necessity.
– NCCU began the life-long process of learning to leverage the web
site as a business tool.

5. Lessons Learned
• Make Your Right Hand Talk to Your Left
– All departments should be trying to go into the same direction
– Effectively communicate your enterprise web strategies
• Get Real Web Expertise
– Web Manager
– Developers
– Designers
– Content Writers
• Give Experts the Backing of Policy
• Deliver Comprehensive Enterprise-Wide Web Services
• Adhere to web standards
– Better cross-browser compatibility
• Management Content Effectively
– Internal vs. External Content
– Centralize and consolidate information. This Creates Ease-ability to manage
content. Duplication leads to Inaccuracies.
– Prioritize content
– Know the difference between Static and Dynamic
– Content Management vs. Business Management
– When NCCU’s web site content was run by our administrators, it became a big
administrative document. How is that a problem? Administrators do not enroll.

6. Lessons Learned (cont’d)
• Create Compelling and Relevant Content
– Create Professional Quality Graphics
– Keep Content Up-To-Date
– Remove Clutter
• Be concise. Web user’s do not read – they scan.
– Improve Information Architecture
• Increase Usability and “Findability”

7. Where We Are
• Resources and Tools
– S.C.R.U.M.
– Web Liaisons
– Student Web Services Internship Program
– Google Analytics
– Feedback Application
– Streaming Media
– Content Management System
• Cohesive Web Strategy
– Acquiring advocates (professorate, administrative,
student, etc.) of the university web strategy
– Web Liaisons
• Fulfils our need to collaborate with campus
representatives
• Content is managed by those who know it
best
– Maintaining a consistent vision and agenda across
different teams and different levels of
management
– Creating a unified web presence
• Uniform look on all pages
– Developing policies and guidelines
– Prioritized our services towards Prospective
Students
– Meet the needs of the University vs. the needs of
a single department.
• All Boats Rise

8. Where We Are (cont’d)
Web Applications

9. Where We’re Going - The Future
• More efficient Web-based applications
• Creating a Web Presence for Mobile Devices
– Apple iPhone & iTouch
– BlackBerry
– Windows Mobile and other Smart Phones
• Utilizing Cloud Computing
– Google Apps,
– Eye OS
– Aviary
• Better implementation of Web 2.0
– More than just a pretty face
– Application based web design driven by compelling content
– Refocus on content
• Content is king
• Data Warehousing for Business Intelligence and Predictive Analysis

10. Where We’re Going - The Future
For NCCU, The Future is B.I.:
Business Intelligence,
Data Warehousing,
Data Mining
Predictive Analysis
Definitions:
Turning data into information and information into knowledge.
Utilizing enterprise data to make decisions of value to your business.

11. Where We’re Going - The Future
Today, BI is in a similar place that
the WWW was circa 1990
– Fortune 500’s current BI expenditures resemble
their Web expenditures in early ‘90s
– Why is this important?

12. Where We’re Going - The Future
Q: How Are We Doing?
A: From last year’s ____ Report…

13. Where We’re Going - The Future
Q: How Are We Doing?
A: From last year’s ____ Report…

14. Where We’re Going - The Future
How Are We Doing?
”Last week’s numbers and trends
indicate…”

15. Where We’re Going - The Future
How Are We Doing, *Now*?
As available  Scorecard
Right This Instant!  Dashboard
• Overall Retention Rate – by Class, by Residence
• GPA or Drop/Add Rate – by Class, Overall, by Major
• Research Money In vs. Out
• Turnover Rate of Faculty and/or Staff
• Time to Graduate (AKA “Length of Stay”)

16. Where We’re Going - The Future
B.I. is not just for execs
Students also ask, “How am I doing?”
• The Obvious Questions
– GPA
– Percentile Rank
– Total Amount Due (with drill down to particulars)
• Map residence addresses by block
• “Students Who Took This Class Also Liked…” (Amazon app)
Better Service = Better Retention

17. Where We’re Going - The Future
Online Reporting is only the
Beginning of B.I.
• Data Mining
– Consider Harvard Business Review Study
Diapers and Beer  Valuable Business Decisions
• Predictive Analysis
– Modeling the Future
What if…?

18. Where We’re Going - The Future
How You Can Leverage BI, Today
You already own the data
Now, make it work for you
Your competition is

19. Where We’re Going - The Future
The Big Uneasy
Does all of your data come from the same
source?
• Data Integration
• Data Governance
• Data Management

20. Where We’re Going - The Future
Data Integration
Pull today’s data together coherently
• ETL Tools
• Data Mappings
Putting this cart before the horse causes
many a BI project to fail.

21. Where We’re Going - The Future
Data Governance
C-Level Management setting policy for the
entire enterprise/institution
• Data Standards
• Culture Change
• Top Down (the tail can’t wag the dog)

22. Where We’re Going - The Future
Pitfalls & Caveats:
Remember that, Do-It-Yourself BI will only
take you so far  Get the expertise
– No need to re-invent the wheel
– Vendors with experience in higher education
One Size Does NOT Fit All
– Understand your data, fir$t
– New skill sets need to be part of the BI Team
– Database Admin <> Subject Matter Expert <>
Business Analyst <> Data Architect

23. Where We’re Going - The Future
Be Patient
• Not a magic bullet
• Will not be ready overnight
• Can be part of an agile environment, with small,
incremental implementations
BI is a program, not a project