Grenfell Campus has launched a new website to increase its online presence as well improve access, navigation and usability.

Grenfell Campus’s Department of Marketing and Communications contracted design firm eSolutions Group, which is based in Waterloo, Ont., and worked together to produce a website that represents the spirit of Grenfell while at the same time providing a platform for functions identified for recruitment, teaching and learning, research internationalization and engagement strategies.

Visit the new site here.

The process has been extensive, including a complete site review, analysis of strengths and weaknesses, search engine optimization, wide consultation with internal and external stakeholders and brand-focused design and strategy.

Main focus

“The new website, while serving a number of audiences, including faculty and researchers, staff, and community partners, has as its main focus recruitment and retention of students,” said Jennifer Hartley, marketing manager. “Our most important audiences are our current and prospective students. This new site will help students find the services they need to excel in their academic careers and live balanced and healthy lives. It will also bolster our recruitment efforts locally, nationally and internationally.”

The new site features an improved news and events site and a direct interface with social media channels. A new “I’d like to” drop-down menu will help people get to the information they need in a more efficient manner. And the site now employs up-to-date web design practices: the site’s mobile responsive design increases usability on handheld devices and is responsive to other forms of media.

New website generates interactive Grenfell Connects

The new site will also replace the print version of Grenfell Connects.

Formerly a biannual magazine that delivered Grenfell’s top stories to a particular target audience, Grenfell Connects has evolved into a one-stop hub for daily news, events and announcements.

“This ‘Grenvolution’ from print to web makes sense in the context of Grenfell’s new website.” — Pamela Gill

Grenfell Connects was created in 2000 to celebrate the campus’s 25th anniversary. Fifteen years and about 30 issues later, the magazine is now shifting roles from aggregator and reporter to generator and engager.

“This ‘Grenvolution’ from print to web makes sense in the context of Grenfell’s new website,” said Pamela Gill, communications manager. “People are used to getting their news and information in a much more immediate format. We have so many good stories to tell—now we can learn from and share with each other every single day.”

In addition to news stories, Grenfell Connects will feature a more accessible web calendar, through which individuals may post their own items. Announcements and cancellation notices will also be included on the site. There is also a place for people to pitch story and photo ideas.

The site will interface with social media as well, allowing users to share stories and photos and to keep track of Grenfell’s social media presence through its Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram feeds.