FSCC ready to launch new, improved website

Fort Scott Community College is planning to soon roll out a remodeled version of the college website.

On Monday, the FSCC Board of Trustees heard information on the proposed new website from FSCC Director of Public Relations Jason Hogue and webmaster Tommy Hoyt, who discussed development of the new site and its potential use as a marketing tool for the college.

The college's website, located at www.fortscott.edu, was originally created in 2002 with the current version being uploaded in 2010. Over the last 13 years, at least three versions of the website have been created with an average life expectancy of about four-and-a-half years. Changes to web pages created and programmed by the IT department were cumbersome due to the nature of the interface, according to FSCC information.

Hoyt and Hogue presented a slide show showing trustees what the remodeled website would look like. Hogue said the current design of the site is "outdated." He said the new version college officials plan to launch will be "more user-friendly" and present other benefits.

"It will also be a better marketing tool to potential students," he said. "The bottom line is that the information you need to make a decision about what college to attend will be streamlined and very easy to access ... the new one (website) will be better."

Two major changes that have occurred in website design since 2010, combined with a need to modernize the aesthetics and marketing nature of the website, led college officials to revamp the website from scratch. First, most designers have switched to more user-friendly Content Management Systems (CMS). Second, the desktop is no longer the primary viewing electronic for websites, according to FSCC information.

More potential students are now accessing college websites from cell phones or tablets, Hogue said.

"All the information you need is on the current website. We're doing a better job of streamlining it," he said. "Every program of study will have a file that tells you the suggested curriculum on the program's web page."

Hogue said he thinks the revamped website "will be very successful" and will save the college money in the long run. The estimate of savings over a five-year period is about $100,000.

"It's pretty cost-effective," he said.

Due to concerns and needs college officials faced, the PR department began taking bids on CMS providers that focused on educational institutions. After consulting three companies about exploring paths taken by many other similar schools, it was discovered that bids came in about $50,000 for set-up fees and $10,000 per year in licenses for a basic website set-up.

While there were some benefits to this route, one major problem found with these services was that any changes or additions of services or modules would have cost the college more money.

College officials then began looking at free CMS systems and chose to set up the latest version of the college's website through Drupal because of the many benefits it provides. A free service also gives officials more flexibility in terms of design and functionality, according to FSCC information.

Hogue said the only cost to FSCC will be about $100 per month for hosting of the website in Kansas City.

"We've moved the external website off campus and that costs $100 per month," he said. "Several other websites and services are still hosted on campus."

Hogue said the remodeled website should launch within about a week to 10 days. Tasks that need to be completed before launch include styling, link checks, form recreation, as well as an organized review of content by FSCC faculty and staff.

Some proposed post-launch projects include individualized location pages, expanded alumni services and community pages and expanded library services, according to FSCC information.

The remodeled website's features will include more "responsive" content, a friendlier interface with a specific focus on incoming students, a new calendar for student and academic events, an expanded main drop-down menu, pages with readily marketable addresses, and increased compatibility with the FSCC athletic web page, the information said.

In other business, trustees:

* Approved the revised college mission statement, which states "Fort Scott Community College is an institution of higher learning with a long history of culture and diversity that provides affordable academic, technical and occupational programs to meet student needs while fostering a mutually supportive relationship between the college and its communities." The FSCC Academic Quality Improvement Plan (AQIP) Committee revised the statement so it reflects a strong relationship between the college, students and communities, according to FSCC information. FSCC Dean of Instruction Regena Lance said the statement went through several revisions.

* Approved the 2015-16 academic calendar, which will run from August to July 2016. Spring Break is March 16-20.

* Approved an agreement for services with the University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc. KUCR and FSCC have entered into an agreement to administer an Access to Success program, which helps serve students with disabilities on the FSCC campus from Oct. 1, 2014 through Sept. 30.

* Approved the Washburn University Agreement Extension through June 30. FSCC entered into an agreement with Washburn University in November 2012 to provide instructional support for the Department of Labor Grant (Service Learning/Water Grant) at the Topeka Juvenile Correctional Facility. Since FSCC's grant has been extended through June 30, Washburn University proposed to extend the college's agreement through June 30 as well.

* Approved a memorandum of understanding with Alabama State University of Education for the contract period of Oct. 1, 2014 through Sept. 30 in the amount of $13,945. The MOU is a continuation of the current agreement to provide technical assistance and other professional support services to assist the Solutions for Strategies, Opportunities and Services for Out-of-School Youth program.

* Approved a $21,674 quote from Samson Equipment of Fairacres, N.M., for the purchase of new equipment for the FSCC weight room in Arnold Arena. Athletic Director J.D. Ettore recommended the purchase. Ettore said weight room equipment has not been updated for a long time and needs to be replaced for safety and performance reasons.

He said FSCC is lagging behind other colleges in the region in terms of the quality of its weight room.

"We're behind as far as our competitors," Ettore said. "We have a very small space. This will maximize the space we have."

The other two quotes received came from Total Strength and Speed of West Columbia, S.C., in the amount of $22,850, and EliteFTS.com of London, Ohio, in the amount of $21,279.

Ettore said FSCC would pay the $18,000 this year and the remainder of the purchase amount next year.

Trustee John Kerr asked if this purchase would get the FSCC weight room "up to par" and more competitive with other colleges in the region.

"From a football standpoint, it can't hurt us," Ettore said. "We're losing recruits."

* Approved disposal of two 2006 International model trucks. In 2009, FSCC purchased four trucks as a package deal and over the past five years, two of the trucks have required roughly $34,000 in repairs and are going to require additional transmission repairs. One of the trucks was purchased for $18,500 with 478,649 miles and it now has 553,000 miles. The other truck was purchased for $18,500 with 460,400 miles and it now has 542,000 miles. The trucks are considered low-mileage trucks that shouldn't be experiencing these types of issues. The Larson Group in Springfield has quoted $15,000 and $17,000 trade-in values, according to FSCC information.

* Approved purchase of two trucks for the FSCC Truck Driving Program, based on a recommendation from Truck Driving Director Rob Minor. The funding for the trucks would come from the 2014-15 budget for the truck driving program. The Larson Group in Springfield has two trucks that meet the needs of the program and provided a combined quote of $67,000, along with the trade-in values of the proposed trucks to be disposed. The better trucks are needed due to the addition in March of a new trucking program at the Flint Hills Technical College in Emporia.

* Approved athletic umpire payments for baseball and softball for spring at a projected total cost of $12,416. Ettore said the amount is "about the same as last year." There will be two umpires per home game for Greyhound baseball and softball. The amount will come from the general athletic fund.

* Approved the Licensed Mental Health Technician Program. FSCC recently developed a MHT program and submitted it to the Kansas Board of Regents for review but lacked the documentation of FSCC board of trustees' approval to allow the program to proceed.

"We'll resubmit to KBOR for approval," Lance said. "Once it's in place, we'll start offering the program."

Lance said response to the program has been "outstanding."

* Heard a report from Dean of Student Services Bob Goltra regarding a January inservice that included sessions focusing on recruitment of students to FSCC.

* Trustees took no action following an executive session to discuss applicants for the college presidency position. Interim President Dick Hedges said the list of about 20 candidates has been narrowed to about four applicants.

Hogue said Tuesday that college administration and trustees are inviting the remaining applicants to campus for continued discussions. He said those meetings should take place "in the near future."

He said he was not sure when an announcement would be made regarding selection of the college's next president.