Valparaiso University launches new website

Valparaiso University unveiled the first phase of its redesigned www.valpo.edu. The new website features a refreshed design, streamlined content and simpler navigation while showcasing Valpo’s academic excellence and life-enriching experiences.

“We want site visitors to see how Valpo helps students find their own paths to lifelong personal, spiritual and professional growth,” says Scott Ochander, vice president of integrated marketing communications. “Our hope is that the new website will reflect the Valpo spirit we all know and love.”

In addition to the updated content and design, the site includes several new features.

A special academic selector feature combines all of Valpo’s academic offerings into a single, sortable view. After visitors narrow programs based on their degree goals and areas of interest, they can click on a program tile to discover more information about particular degrees within college and department sites.

The new student life section highlights activities and experiences that Valpo students can participate in beyond the classroom. This section integrates multimedia slideshows and will soon feature a continuously changing background through an Instagram application for iPhone and Android smartphones.

The redesigned site also employs responsive design, making it viewable on a computer, tablet and smartphone. The site is coded to automatically adjust to whatever device a visitor is using to browse the site with menus, text, pictures and videos automatically scaling to fit the screen size.

The 5-phase redevelopment project is a collaboration between Valparaiso University’s Integrated Marketing and Communications and Information Technology Services departments in partnership with Collegiate Web Solutions, a website management consulting agency specializing in the higher education field.

Work on the site began in June 2012 and will continue through the fall of 2013.

About Valparaiso University

Valparaiso University is a comprehensive independent Lutheran university with more than 4,000 students on its campus located in Northwest Indiana, an hour from Chicago. Valpo is a community of purpose-driven, service-minded and ethical individuals who embrace the pursuit of truth with freedom, humility and compassion. Valpo has been identified as one of the top master’s-level institutions in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report magazine for the past 22 years. Valparaiso University offers 110 undergraduate academic programs through the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Engineering and Nursing. Valpo also has a distinguished honors college, a School of Law and more than 40 degree and certificate programs in its Graduate School and Continuing Education Division. Valpo has been recognized for its commitment to outstanding teaching, preparing thoughtful leaders with strong cross-cultural skills and global awareness, and dedication to serving others.

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