Institutes of Higher Education often find it challenging to create a website that is optimized for the needs of external audiences. Confusion over ownership of content and responsibility for outcomes undermines the ability of many schools to attract new students.
Many of these governance challenges are unique to world of higher education. Common examples:
- A Chorus of Voices
Universities rarely have one, central marketing authority that has both budget and control over all online communications. No one voice has definitive influence and control over the external online brand. One pillar of University culture is academic freedom and this commitment to multiple voices has paid dividends. But this chorus of voices can be deeply confusing to the non-initiated.
- “It’s a matter of free speech”
Schools, Departments and Institutes have large degrees of freedom and frequently launch their own websites, microsites or social marketing initiatives, regardless of any “policies” established by the administration. In particular, business schools, IT departments and medical schools often have the capabilities to go their own way online and the hubris to see this as appropriate. - Too Many Cooks
Key University stakeholders in online communications have very different motivations and definitions of success. Athletics, Faculty members, Marketing/Communications, the Registrar’s Office, the Board of Governors, the Alumni office – all judge online success differently. - Individual Voices
Professors and graduate students create sites reflecting their interests or current projects, which are often abandoned after an initial flurry of excitement. Their abandonment does not make them any less confusing to external audiences. - Talking to Everyone at Once
Universities and Colleges frequently use their public facing sites as their primary means for distributing information to current students, faculty and employees. This is commonly due to lack of an effective alternative for talking to current members of the school community.
It’s not surprising that key external audiences struggle to find the information they seek on many higher education websites. This mattered little when there were more students then places available at Universities and Colleges. But today, institutes of higher education across North America are faced with a surplus of seats. Attracting qualified students to fill these seats has become a key priority.
And an effective website has become absolutely central to this process. (In a Noel-Levitz survey, 16% of prospective students agreed with the statement “If I don’t find what in need on a school’s website, I’ll probably drop it from list.”)
What to Do About It?
Trying to get everyone who publishes content today on the same song sheet is challenging. In our experience, you need to build a common understanding of content ownership and responsibility for outcomes. In working with higher education clients, we’ve found the following process to be effective:
- Number One - Get the word from on high
Obtain a directive from as high up the food chain as possible on the role the website is to play for the organization. Surround this statement with key metrics that can tracked, shared and understood. - Number Two – Talk to a broad range of stakeholders
This can be time consuming when many groups touch the website today, but it is critical. Ask them questions about the objective of the website. They will almost certainly generate dozens of objectives. You need to push them towards “job number one” statements. These will often align with the top down directive you obtained in step one. - Number Three – Understand Today
Map the current content creation and approval processes. You will need to do this at least once with each stakeholder. With this map of the current state in hand, you can easily illustrate overlapping responsibilities or inefficiencies. - Number Four – Design Tomorrow
In a joint design, work with representatives from key stakeholders to design a streamlined content creation and approval process. Keep referring to the key role of the website while doing this, particularly when disagreements arise. Push, shove, cajole and threaten until you have general agreement on the new rules of engagement. - Number Five – Write it Down
Formalize buy in for the new approach through a governance charter. Have representatives of key stakeholders sign off on a charter that defines content ownership and outcome responsibilities. Embed the rules this charter defines in your content management system.
Practical Governance
Above all else, aim for “good enough” not perfect. Good enough may mean that you only get agreement from half of the potential stakeholders. But if these 50% of content contributors develop 90% of the content – or control the .edu site - you can declare success.