Web Steering Committee

In June 2000, the Northwestern University Web Steering Committee was convened. The committee is comprised of individuals responsible for or interested in Web development at NU.

The committee represents the University's interest in providing timely and easily accessible information on the Web. The steering committee also is charged with the development and application of policies and standards for the Northwestern University Web site. Examples of such areas include privacy, intellectual property, information security, editorial and style guidelines, and commercial activity on the Northwestern Web site.

In order to develop the Northwestern University Web site, work groups have been convened to consolidate their accumulated experience into useful guidelines/services for all Web providers at Northwestern. The work groups are, currently, working within five identified areas:

  1. University-wide content Calendar Work Group (in progress: Plan-It Purple)
  2. Web structure/architecture Web architecture (in progress: navigation, organizational issues) Web standards/content (in progress: common elements of pages, design, images, templates)
  3. Server/Platform.
  4. Research and Development Search Engine Work Group (in progress) Web Security Policies (in progress) Web legal policies (in progress: intellectual property, underwriting, sponsorship, commercial activity)
  5. Providers of Information (POI) support The Northwestern Web Steering Committee is responsible for approving the priorities and overseeing the activities of work groups. When work groups achieve their goal(s), the group will be dissolved.

Primary objectives:

  1. Provide useful and easily accessible information to the University's audiences.
  2. Improve navigation and consistency throughout the site.
  3. Create a framework that effectively provides access to University information.
  4. Construct a site that will be easy to change and update regularly.
  5. Create designs that will be adaptable for departments, programs and other University constituents.
  6. Construct designs that will adapt to the forthcoming University institutional identity program.

Members of the steering committee who want to contribute to a work group should contact Staci Roberts scr@northwestern.edu.

University Relations
Web Communications