COM Department Creates New Web Site

The Department of Communication’s website has a brand-new look, and we can thank Joan Alford, graduate services coordinator and department webmaster. When the main university site went live in 2014, faculty members began the discussion about rebranding and rebuilding all websites throughout the university. Alford collaborated with several members of the department, most importantly, department head Dr. Kenneth Zagacki, in order to make the Department of Communication website what it is today.

In 2015, Lauren Kirkpatrick, Humanities and Social Science Communication Director, started working on the HSS website to include the Department of Communication. While Dr. Robert Schrag helped form the Department of Communication Committee, which made all of the decisions for the new site, Alford began working with faculty and administrators to review and rewrite the website copy to add marketing flair while still keeping an appropriate academic posture. Especially important to the success of the project was the work of Kirkpatrick and the college’s IT team working together over many months to create an interesting new site that met university and college standards.

In 2016 the website began to take shape with the addition of new photos and news articles. The new look adheres to the university standards by using specific colors and fonts. The university uses three main palettes; Primary Color, Secondary Color and Support Color. These palettes are used throughout the website as the background and font colors.

The new site was built using “blocks” pre-formatted for text, photos, events, facts, and quick links. Many picture blocks have been added to give the site more interest and visual appeal. There is a block at the bottom of each page that has many useful links. The link block can be used to quickly access MyPack Portal, NC State Libraries, weather alerts (especially helpful during events such as Hurricane Matthew), and much more.

Finally, after two years of hard work, the website went live in July. Alford has not only improved the visual look of the site but also made it easier to navigate. “But a website is never ‘finished’ — it’s a living cyber destination that is updated throughout the day — and sometimes night! — that works in tandem with our social media efforts,” Alford said. “We hope everyone will find it more inviting and easier to use.”

Visit the new site at: New Site