Making a Case for CWO in Higher Ed

(a thought experiment)

Jay MasseyDirector, Web Services

University of West Florida

Who am I?

@JayMassey

Web ServicesUniv. of West Florida

Founder, CVOCoco Design

Web Team Motivator, Internet Marketing Strategist

Who are you?

Universities and colleges are using a complex array of

software, services and technologies to grow market share

and achieve their strategic priorities. It is so important to

have someone at the top who understands how to make

sense of it all, who can communicate it effectively to others

and then can provide the strategic leadership required to

make it happen.

Consider this…

The ideas expressed herein are mine alone. They in no way represent theopinions of the University of West Florida, its administration, faculty, staff, students,

parents, or mascot. Misspellings may be a result of me not paying attention in elementaryschool and should not reflect negatively upon the overarching concepts as proposed in this thought experiment.

Any dissemination, distribution or copying of this presentation is not authorized (either explicitly or implicitly) and furthermore constitutesan irritating social faux pas because it is mine, mine, all mine. No animals were harmed in the making of this presentation, although the dog next doorwho barks all night outside my bedroom window is living on borrowed time, I’m just sayin’

The following is intended as a thought experiment among professional web andinternet marketing peers within the higher education community.

Disclaimer

Preaching to the Choir

You simply cannot run a modern university or college if you are not using the web effectively.

Every aspect of interacting with the institution: traditional and digital marketing, development, recruitment, classes, etc. is ultimately pushed to for directed from the web.

Our users expect demand a rich, engaging web experience.

Higher Ed is Divisive by its Very Structure

AcademicDivision

StudentDivision

AdvancementDivision

EnrollmentDivision

BusinessDivision

Monarch

Nobles

Knights

Merchants

Farmers

Surfs

President

Vice Pres. / Provost

Assoc. VPs / Deans

Executive Dirs.

Directors

Staff

Comparative Feudal Hierarchy

Sayre's Law states that…

In a dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the issues at stake.

That is why academic politics are so bitter.

Sayre's law is named after Wallace Stanley Sayre political scientist and professor at Columbia University.

Politically Charged Environment

Management Caught in the Middle

A CWO brings the knowledge and strategic value of a strong web-enabled institution and with the business-enriching possibilities of the internet to the executive leadership.

~ via ‘No Chief Web Officer Required’ by Lisa Welchman 2005

What is a CWO?

A Chief Web Officer (CWO) is the highest-ranking corporate executive in charge of an organization’s web presence, including all internet and intranet sites. As an executive officer position, the CWO reports directly to the CEO of the organization. ~ via Wikipedia and tweaked a bit

The earliest CWO in a Fortune 500 company was noticed around the turn of the millennium.

What is a CWO in Higher Ed?

Due to the nature of our business models, target

“markets” and diverse recruitment personas, a CWO

in higher education should have the depth and

breadth of understanding of all things web, internet

marketing, and web governance; including but not

limited to:

What a CWO Needs to Know

Accessibility

Applications (web & mobile)

Analytics (server-side and Google)

Archiving / Backup

Authentication management

Budgeting

Business process analysis

Content development

Content Management Systems (CMS)

Customer service / support

E-commerce

Hosting

Information & data architecture

Legal issues (copyright, trademark, privacy, etc.)

Online marketing & communications

Online strategy

Procurement

Quality Assurance

Search

Security

Social media & online engagement

Systems & software administration

Training

User experience (analysis / design)

UI development / web graphic design

Web Governance

(listed alphabetically)

Contrasting with CIO and CTO

The position of CWO has emerged distinctly from the positions of Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) because of the need to focus on and coordinate an organization’s entire web environment and web presence.

• A CIO typically focuses on IT planning, procurement, and architecture

• A CTO typically oversees development of new technologies

50% of CIOs are cabinet members helping shape the strategic initiatives of their institution

Web in some form is integral to every strategic priority at every university

…why aren’t we at the table?

ECAR Report, Today’s Higher Education IT Workforce

A Seat at the Table

Web professionals have one of the few jobs that can be easily tracked for ROI (not counting recruitment).

Basic Web Team:

• Director of Web Services

• Front-end Designer / Developer

• Back-end / Programmer

• Content Person / Trainer

• Analytics / SEM Data Cruncher

The ROI Argument

Do we really need a CWO?

If not a CWO, then who?

• User advocate

• Speed of change

How can you truly have web governance without a web governor?

Wishful thinking?

CWO Expectations Review

Accessibility

Applications (web & mobile)

Analytics (server-side and Google)

Archiving / Backup

Authentication management

Budgeting

Business process analysis

Content development

Content Management Systems (CMS)

Customer service / support

E-commerce

Hosting

Information & data architecture

Legal issues (copyright, trademark, privacy, etc.)

Online marketing & communications

Online strategy

Procurement

Quality Assurance

Search

Security

Social media & online engagement

Systems & software administration

Training

User experience (analysis/design)

UI development / web graphic design

Web Governance

Who are you? (revisited)

Is it too much to ask?

Thank you

Making a Case for CWO in Higher Ed

(a thought experiment)

@JayMasseyDirector, Web Services

University of West Florida