Information Technology
IT Support

Location
Meriam Library, Room 142
530-898-4357
itss@csuchico.edu

Business Hours
7:30am-5:00pm
Monday–Friday
Closed on weekends and holidays

Website Strategy

Chico State has kicked off a comprehensive web project as a strategic investment in the University’s long-term success and enrollment growth.

Website Strategy Overview videoKey Components

  • website redesign - graphical elements and fonts used on web pages will reflect the university rebrand more closely. High-level pages first, then the rest.
  • site slimming - reducing 17,000+ web pages down to 2,000–4,000 pages.
  • content strategy - a process that ensures quality assurance and that the number of pages remains manageable after site slimming.
  • training - best practices will be developed and individuals responsible for the maintenance of web content will be trained on the new process.

Problems to Solve

The website redesign and strategy is being developed to solve these problems:

  • it's difficult to navigate the website
  • Google search results can be hard to use and contain outdated information
  • major inconsistencies exist across websites
  • unprofessional-looking pages are diminishing the brand image
  • we are not optimizing the website in a strategic way because the maintenance of a decade-plus of bloat requires too much time and energy.

Consequently, the Chico State website is underperforming as a marketing tool to attract prospective students and is not serving current students, staff, and faculty as well as it should.

Timeline

Updates will roll out in phases, with phase one—focusing on pages very important to prospective students—launching in August 2024.

FAQs for Program Pages Questionnaire

  • Why do I have to do this?

    This is an important and mandatory piece of the website redesign process to help grow enrollment. These program pages, supported by Provost Cornick, will help prospective students better see what programs Chico State has to offer and find the right one to meet their interests. Our current experience asks prospective students, most of them first gen, to comb through various college and department pages with inconsistent information and stylings to find degree info, making it hard to compare programs and in some cases, encounter out of date, inaccurate, or duplicated information. These new pages will have a consistent format, live in a single location, and focus on what makes your program different from one at any other University by highlighting the academics alongside career outcomes, involvement opportunities, and more. There are also benefits for SEO and discoverability, allowing more people to find your degree info.

    We have asked for your help in providing some basic information to ensure the page writers have the best and most up-to-date info, right from the source—you—rather than Google. Thank you for your support in this effort.

  • Can I just copy what we wrote for the Catalog? How is this different?

    This questionnaire is simply asking for bullet point-style information, rather than fully written copy, so there's no need to copy from the Catalog. UComm's writers will craft the pages using the provided information AND your existing information in the Catalog to highlight on what makes your program different from one at any other University by uplifting the academics alongside career outcomes, involvement opportunities, and more.Unlike the Catalog, which supports current students in understanding degree requirements, these pages are primarily focused on attracting new students to your program. They will be written in easy-to-understand language and make it simple to compare and "shop" for degrees, and will link to your Catalog page for deeper details

  • Can I have someone else from my department fill out the form?
    Yes, you may ask a colleague who is knowledgeable about the program to submit the form on your behalf. You can simply share the link and which program(s) they should submit for. Alternatively, you can provide them this Word document template to fill out and return to you, which you can then use to fill out the form. The Word doc method is a good one if you would like to review responses before they are submitted.
  • My major has multiple options. Do I need to submit a form for each one?
    No, you do not need to submit the form for each of your major's options. The options will be presented on the same major page (e.g. the Journalism BA page will feature both the "news editorial" and "public relations" options). Please include bullet points about each option throughout the questionnaire or in the additional information section at the bottom.
  • What if there’s a section that doesn’t apply to my program or I don’t have an example?

    If a question doesn't apply to your program, you can put "N/A" and skip the question.

    If you're having trouble finding an example that fits the prompt, feel free to get creative in your interpretation to share something else great about your program! The more information you provide, the more our writers will have to work with to help prospective students find your program. We understand some programs (especially minors and certificates) may not have as robust examples to choose from, so please just do the best you can, but it's OK to leave something blank (or "N/A") if needed.

  • What does “Catalyst for Change” (or other pillars) on the form mean?

    You can think of the brand pillars like topical "buckets" that help group together proof points in a way that builds a cohesive Chico State story.

    • Catalysts for Change – mostly focuses on academics and how our students/faculty are doing cutting-edge research and learning. This also includes rankings or special accreditations for your program
    • Connections Beyond Campus – focuses on both community-campus partnerships and the outcomes of our graduates making a difference in their communities.
    • Culture of Belonging – focuses mostly on student life and extracurricular opportunities, as well as Chico State's culture of personalized support. This also includes EDI-related programs/metrics
    • Captivating Educational Backdrop – focuses on the learning environment, so this is where you highlight labs, equipment, hands-on learning/research, etc.

    UComm has provided this overview document that gives examples of bullet points for each brand pillar that help build the desired perceptions about your program.