As you all can appreciate, the tragic events of April 16 and their aftermath have altered our CMS development timeline. We had expected to have a contract with our chosen CMS vendor completed by the end of April, but now it's looking more like later this month or early June.
Activity around the CMS project is back in full swing, however. We are finalizing hardware needs, developing a CMS "migration guide," preparing for template development within the CMS, and much more.
I'm also leading a Web CMS informational session at each of the FDI 2007 Summer Track programs to make faculty aware of the CMS project and the potential benefits to them and their departments.
Once we complete the vendor contract, CMS development will be fast and furious. Our goal at this point is to migrate the main vt.edu website and perhaps 2-3 sub-domains before the first day of Fall classes, but so much depends on how quickly we install the CMS and complete developer and end-user training. Thereafter, other CMS "pilot" sub-domains will migrate to the CMS on a schedule to be determined.
Regarding training, we are working closely with FDI and HR to develop a CMS Certification program, with the intention of offering classes through FDI beginning sometime in October/November. We also will offer a CMS Orientation class in which we will demo the system, present the benefits of using the CMS, review the process of migrating websites to the CMS, and discuss the many support resources behind the CMS. We hope the presentation of this information will help departments determine if/when/how they would like to jump on board the CMS train.
I am extremely eager to share much more with you about the CMS project. Once that contract is signed, expect a flurry of communication and other activity.