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Aug. 17, 2004
Power to the Portal
Information Systems and Services Unveils myGW, New Portal
By Greg
Licamele
Customized links, a unified action inbox, a cross-platform instant messaging
system and a new look are some of the hallmarks of myGW, the University’s
new, dynamic portal that aims to assist students, faculty, staff and alumni
in living, learning, working and connecting with GW.
With the launch of myGW on Aug. 2, the University took a bold step in
untangling the web of sites produced by different divisions, including
academics, student life, financial affairs, human resources, communications
and research. Most of this information has been consolidated into one
portal at my.gwu.edu, where community members can conduct business, find
information and customize pages to meet their everyday needs.
“We’re trying to make everyone’s job easier, more transparent
and less bureaucratic to enhance the concept of self-service,” said
David Swartz, chief information officer. “Navigating a large institution
like GW is tough. We can’t just operate 8 am–5 pm anymore. These
online services have to be there 24 hours a day.”
A critical feature of myGW for all users who log in is the “My Action
Items” box at the top of the page. Drawing on data from enterprise
systems that support business functions in such offices as the registrar
and human resources, targeted information can be posted and then acted
upon immediately by a user. For example, if a hold is placed on a student’s
account, the student will be instructed how to remove it with the click
of a mouse, or as employee annual evaluations come due, supervisors will
be alerted via myGW.
“The new portal has significant enhancements in functionality,”
said Robert A. Chernak, senior vice president for student and academic
support services (SASS). “Students will find it easier to access
information relevant to their individual needs and the University will
have better capabilities for delivering news, information and advice to
users in a more targeted fashion, hence reducing the volume of blast E-mails.”
Robyn East, executive director of administrative applications and co-chair
of the Web Steering Committee — the group that guided this project
as it was designed by the Interactive Multimedia Applications Group (IMAG)
— said people should login as often as possible to myGW, using their
current GWeb username and password, to discover and act upon what messages
might be waiting.
“These are more targeted messages than just putting out a broadcast
E-mail to all students saying it’s going to be time to sign up for
your housing,” East said. “We can target by class, by residence
hall, by major. If we have the data, we can target communications.”
Swartz added that the days of blast E-mails, which can get lost in the
glut of hundreds of messages, are numbered, as myGW becomes a primary
destination for personalized information.
“A lot of folks on campus sometimes begin to believe those broadcast
E-mails are spam and they don’t pay attention to them,” Swartz
said. “However, if it shows up on your portal, it’s probably
a customized message that you need to look at.”
Targeting communications to specific users will only work if people login,
East said. A user can belong to multiple groups, such as employee, student
and alumni. All of the information they need for their groups, ranging
from links to Human Resource Services, upcoming schedule of classes, and
the GW Alumni Online Community, can be customized on a user’s myGW
page.
“The portal gives schools and administrative offices a powerful new
tool for communication,” said Carol Sigelman, associate vice president
for research and graduate studies and a member of the Web Steering Committee.
“It will take us all time to learn how to exploit the potentials
of the portal and to appreciate that it is something to use, not just
something to look at.”
News and event information will be one cornerstone of the portal’s
potential success, as content contributions from schools, offices, departments
and organizations will be strongly encouraged. Those interested in learning
more about publishing their information to myGW should contact IMAG.
“It is the improved functionality and the individual’s ability
to customize the array of information they want that will make a major
difference in the portal’s acceptance,” said Chernak. “I
expect that usage will increase significantly.”
Other features of myGW that are either new or have been carried over from
GWeb, GWired and other sites include modules that can be customized and
moved on the page with news and events, Web cams, a GW photograph database,
calendars and modules of similar links with headings such as “Academics”
or “Research.” Systems that have been integrated within myGW
include the GW Information System (with grades, course registration, employee
information, etc.), a single sign-on for Colonial Mail and Blackboard,
online directories and GW Instant Messenger.
The instant messenger tool allows users to be online to the GW community,
ready for a quick chat with a co-worker, professor or friend, but also
to draw in and create a buddy list that includes account holders from
popular services such as AOL, MSN and Yahoo!
As the fall semester progresses, even more features will be integrated
into myGW, such as a comprehensive calendar, single sign-on for GW Information
System, logins for parents and prospective students, a content management
system and additional feedback from users.
Feedback, research and cooperation from the Web Steering Committee, IMAG,
SASS Communications and Technology, and other information providers helped
to expand GW’s portal environment, which first began in 1999. The
new portal, designed for internal users, represents the third phase of
GW’s overall Web plan and it provides significant support for the
University’s strategic plan, of which customer service is a major
component. The first two phases centered around www.gwu.edu, which targets
external audiences.
“Deploying this new and improved portal is an important, but by no
means final, step in our strategic objective to improve customer service
through enhanced use of technology,” said Lou Katz, executive vice
president and treasurer. “The new portal provides easier access to
information and services necessary to the daily lives of our students,
faculty and staff. It also allows us the opportunity to improve service
to other constituencies like alumni, for whom there is also a new portal
view in myGW. In the future, we’ll be adding views for other groups,
such as parents and prospective students.”
“This is just one tool in developing GW’s strategic Web presence,”
said Deborah Snelgrove, executive director, SASS communications and technology
and co-chair of the Web Steering Committee. “Now the real challenge
begins — educating students, faculty and staff how and when to use
the portal to conduct their important GW business online.”
David Swartz, chief information officer, answered questions about myGW.
Visit www.ask.gwu.edu to read his responses.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
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