Web Steering Committee Minutes
April 26, 2001
Attending: Steve Blodgett, Steve Butts, Jim Evans, Pete Gilbert, Ruth Lanouette, Michael Thorp, Nancy Truesdell
The meeting began just after 3 p.m. and persisted for the proverbial hour. As previously agreed upon, the World Wide Web Steering Committee (W3SC) concentrated on two documents that had been prepared with input from the web working group and previously distributed: (1) position description for a director of web development and (2) RFP for web page design services.
Mr. Blodgett summarized the background that has led to the description of a proposed staff position, Director of Web Development. Clearly, Lawrence needs additional web site support, though opinions have differed on the emphasis which should be given to a new position. Some have sought a visionary person who would serve as a catalyst or leader. Others have advocated a hands-on person who would assure more timely or more thorough updates and fast corrective measures. In the end, the proposal is shaped as a composite, thus requiring a dual skill set. Furthermore, the title implies a certain level of maturity, i.e., significantly beyond entry level.
Concern was raised about the large number of bullets, though some would be urgent and others would become more prominent over time. It was agreed that "student organizations" would be added after "staff" in the "ability to work effectively with" phrase under knowledge and skills required. The working group had grappled inconclusively with where best to locate this position within the university. W3SC likewise did not attain finality on that question, but did favor a positioning somewhere within public affairs or the office of the academic dean. There was agreement that the web site and its support should be "part of the enterprise, not part of a part of the enterprise" and should articulate and foster the academic mission. Mr. Butts will write a cover memo and pass it around for W3SC review before taking this request to the president's administrative staff.
Mr. Gilbert introduced the draft RFP for Web Page Design Services and responded to questions. About $15,000 may be available for the contract work. Vendor submissions would come back to our current webmaster (Mr. Gilbert). The chief deliverable would be templates that bring both a new visual design and an improved navigational design to Lawrence's web site. Questions were raised about assistance for handicapped viewers, indexing, search list prominence, and ease of use of the templates from a site-maintenance perspective. Mr. Gilbert will edit the draft of the RFP, for instance to add something about seeking a recommendation on content maintenance software. Mr. Blodgett will see about getting similar RFP documents from peer institutions.
We have chosen to meet at 3 p.m. every second Thursday for the remainder of the term: May 10, May 24, and June 7.
James Evans, Secretary Pro tem