Case Studies: University of Maryland
How do you better help students, community programs, and researchers through one site?
Overview
The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources is one of the largest colleges at the University of Maryland, with a wide-reaching impact through its staff and offices in every county providing Extension programs. The college also has a significant student body and a strong research arm, serving many different audiences including students, researchers, farmers, and community members. Its web presence was scattered across multiple sites, making it difficult to provide a consistent and clear experience for these varied users.
Challenge
The college faced a fragmented digital ecosystem with outdated tools and no unified content management system. Many staff members responsible for web content had limited web knowledge, leading to inconsistent updates, poor user experience, and inefficient site management.
Key pain points included:
- Disconnected websites across departments, Extension offices, and research programs
- Staff unfamiliar with web best practices, causing content and usability issues
- Lack of clear governance and training for a large number of content contributors
- Need to reduce costs while improving digital consistency and outreach
Approach
The website’s legacy design, siloed content, and disconnected services made it difficult for people to complete essential tasks, especially those unfamiliar with government processes or facing language barriers.
Digital Strategy and Governance
- Chaired a college-wide committee to create a unified digital roadmap aligning all departments
- Led the migration to Drupal CMS, streamlining site management and lowering costs
User Experience and Engagement
- Conducted user testing and analyzed Google Analytics to improve site navigation and SEO
- Developed social media campaigns across Facebook, YouTube, and email to boost engagement
Training and Collaboration
- Created and delivered training programs for 800+ staff, improving digital literacy and content quality
- Engaged with leadership through the Dean’s Staff Advisory Council to guide ongoing digital strategy
Key Contributions
- Unified the college’s digital presence through Drupal migration, reducing costs by 7% annually
- Led cross-departmental strategy development to improve website consistency and usability
- Improved SEO and user experience based on testing and analytics
- Trained over 800 staff members to raise web content quality and standards
- Served on Dean’s Staff Advisory Council, influencing college-wide governance and digital initiatives
Results
7%
Reduction in web infrastructure costs
800+
Trained website content editors
24
Extension offices supported statewide
What people are saying
See how the website redesign helped students, staff, and the community.
The site works better on my phone. I finally found the internship page without clicking a hundred times.
Student
The new design helps show our work more clearly. It’s easier to guide people to the right place now
University employee
The pages are more organized. Everything was clear, simple, and felt more welcoming.
Community member
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