The Denison website is, in many ways, a large step up for the university. With so much of our world just a few keystrokes away, having a slick, inviting website is a must in today’s college admissions game.

But so is having one that is easy and simple to navigate.

The old website was reliable – you could always find what you needed when you needed it. This website sends you to error pages for the simplest of searches: a professor name, a department phone number, or the academic calendar.

We have to be patient. The new website is just that – “new.” So there are going to be inevitable glitches and expected shortcomings. But there are also strengths in the new website.

Physically, it’s about ten times more appealing and inviting. The academic department web pages are creative and easier to navigate than the website as a whole. In general, prospective students and their families will be attracted to what they see, but they’ll have a little bit of a battle finding the information they need.

The take away? We can’t have a university website that’s all style and no substance.