Colorado State University Office of Engagement & Extension
Graduating from Outdated Systems with a Smarter Site Management Platform
Colorado State University was founded in Fort Collins, Colorado in 1870 as the Colorado Agricultural College. In 1957, it assumed its current name. Since then, the university and its affiliated system of locations and educational offerings has consistently grown to better serve its students and communities. The Colorado State University Office of Engagement & Extension is where the university meets extended community. The CSU Extension has become a trusted partner connecting Coloradans to actionable, research-based information, education, and programming to help individuals and communities learn, grow, and thrive.
Challenges
The CSU Office of Engagement & Extension had been managing five priority websites that include over 100 other connected location and program websites. Over the years, this family of websites had organically grown without a close kinship of technology, navigational consistency, or standardized university branding. To pursue a more strategically integrated digital platform capable of aligning multisite solutions, capabilities, performance, and consistency, the CSU Extension partnered with Americaneagle.com.
Solutions
Partnering with Americaneagle.com, the project’s strategy team identified WordPress VIP as the ideal platform and hosting solution to provide modern digital capabilities and performance alongside custom multisite flexibility, scalability, and manageability.
Entirely rebuilt website solutions prioritized both user experience and ongoing management in every consideration. Dozens of custom-built WordPress blocks were built to provide consistent templates for common website page types and assets. A tailored, multisite search was implemented to provide unified, intuitive, and connected asset discovery capable of promoting all available programs and opportunities. Seamless integration with Acquia, the digital asset management (DAM) platform utilized throughout the CSU Extension, has added update efficiencies and consistency throughout the multisite environment. Customizations to directory listings for offices and staff have also improved overall user experience.
One of the most powerful and gamechanging tools that launched with this development project operates entirely behind the scenes. Hidden from public view, but essential to the CSU Extension team’s multisite management and continued growth, a site incubator was created for the client’s super admins. Within the site incubator, existing sites can be cloned, subtle style adjustments can be applied throughout the new instance in alignment with CSU brand standards, and the team can now build entire websites within the multisite ecosystem in a matter of minutes.
Not only does this reimagined digital presence offer website visitors many more engagement capabilities, timely opportunities, and enhanced performance, but it has also provided the CSU Office of Engagement & Extension with the back-end system and tools to confidently manage an elevated online representation of their diverse programs, services, and specific educational tracks. The new multisite platform solutions are accelerating the mission of CSU Extension, promoting professional growth and personal development throughout their state – and beyond.
