Web Training

The external Lawrence University website is primarily intended for people who are learning about, considering or engaging with Lawrence. 

Key audiences include prospective students and families, alumni and donors, community members, visitors, employers, partners and members of the media. 

Current students, faculty and staff information will typically be linked on inside.lawrence.edu as it becomes a space for internal audiences. We understand that some areas may overlap, which the web team can help strategize.

Inside Lawrence is primarily intended for current students, faculty and staff. 

Internal processes, instructions, forms, employee resources, student resources and other information intended mainly for the Lawrence community generally belong on Inside Lawrence. 

As a general rule: 

• Public-facing, recruitment-focused and community-facing content belongs on the external website. 

• Internal procedures, resources and operational information belong on Inside Lawrence. 

Some information may appropriately appear in both places, but it should be written and organized for the audience using each platform. 

Lawrence is taking a limited, intentional approach to artificial intelligence on the university website, and it will evolve as conversations occur this fall (2026).

The website itself was designed and developed by people. Our current public-facing use of AI is limited to a task-focused support tool on a small number of pages. It is not used across the entire website, and visitors are not required to use it.

The tool is designed to help visitors, particularly prospective students and families, find answers to common, less-nuanced questions when a staff member may not be immediately available.

Here is how we are approaching its use:

• It uses selected Lawrence information. The tool responds based on content Lawrence has specifically made available to it rather than independently searching the broader internet for answers about the university.
• Its scope is intentionally limited. It is designed for specific website-support purposes, and response length is limited to help keep answers focused.
• It does not have access to personal university records. The public website is not integrated with individual student, faculty or staff records, private university accounts, admissions records or other internal systems containing personal information.
• People remain part of the process. The tool includes a pathway for visitors to seek assistance from a person when a question cannot or should not be answered through the automated experience.
• It does not replace Lawrence employees. AI can help visitors locate straightforward information, but it does not replace the expertise, judgment, relationships or decision-making of faculty and staff.
• We are evaluating its use. Starting with a limited implementation allows Lawrence to consider usefulness, accuracy, accessibility, privacy, resource requirements, sustainability, visitor experience and other potential impacts before considering broader applications.
• We use AI selectively. AI requires computing resources and can introduce risks as well as benefits. We believe its use should have a clear purpose and provide meaningful value rather than being adopted simply because the technology is available.
• Our practices will continue to evolve. Lawrence is developing broader institutional guidance around artificial intelligence. Website use will follow applicable university policies and future guidance as that work develops.

Our goal is to use emerging technology thoughtfully while maintaining human oversight, protecting privacy, supporting accessibility and preserving the human relationships that are central to the Lawrence experience.

The public Lawrence University website does not have automatic integrations or connections to personal student, faculty or staff records. Data sharing is optional.

After launch, the web team will continue improving both sites through ongoing Growth-Driven Design sprints informed by institutional priorities, audience needs, data, accessibility, compliance, and feedback.

Routine factual corrections and content updates can be requested through your area’s site editor, or through web_marketing@lawrence.edu. Larger requests involving new features, modules, or other significant changes will be evaluated and prioritized through future sprints.