e-Day Has Arrived

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

For various reasons, several new developments were in the works at CSB/SJU for the Web: a new home page designed to better communicate with prospective students; a new content management system to improve navigation; the conversion of the printed faculty/staff newsletter Community to its online, interactive cousin, e-Community; and a new e-Calendar.

It made sense to launch them all at the same time (Monday, January 18) – an e-Day on a massive scale -- or so we thought. The experience can best be described as sprinting through a marathon, in galoshes. I won’t dwell on the tiresome details. We survived and have moved on.

But it makes sense to recognize the many key individuals who helped make e-Day possible. In a Benedictine expression of goodwill, I applaud the following colleagues for their heroic work: techies Randy Hammond, Cathy Robak, Vinnie Dolan and Ann Alvord from CSB/SJU Information Technology Services; Heidi Ruprecht from CSB/SJU Communication and Marketing; Emily Cook from the CSB President’s Office; and Tom Voller-Berdan and Sarah Simpson from Admission. A team of Web coordinators and e-Calendar managers also has undergone training. They all have demonstrated that teamwork can cross the departmental divides for the greater good.

An award of special distinction goes to Barbara Hein, who, as CSB/SJU director of electronic communication, has provided vital leadership for all Web-related enterprises. If it is not too self-serving, I also offer kudos to my supervisor in CMS, Greg Hoye, for his positive leadership, enthusiasm and Benedictine listening. All of my CMS colleagues as well as colleagues across the campuses have provided invaluable input. Thank you.

Now, it is up to all of us to take advantage of our brave new e-world. We have an opportunity to take our communication to a new level. The interactive features and formats allow us to tell and share our stories in new ways to a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes. We are limited only by our collective imagination.

As the point person for e-Community and e-Calendar, I am available for your ideas, comments and suggestions at gburgeson@csbsju.edu or you may submit items directly to community@csbsju.edu.