UNIVERSITY PARK – Penn State President Rodney Erickson announced the re-launch of the “Openness” Web site.
The new version of the website is the next step in the University’s work to ensure broader communications with key Penn State stakeholders, including current and prospective students and their families, alumni, faculty and staff, local communities, and state and national media. The “Progress” website includes new functionality and features that make it easier to find, receive and share information.
“This is the next iteration of our information resource that is designed to anchor communications discussing difficult issues from the last year, including ongoing legal matters, in addition to providing updates on the initiatives we’ve put in place to address the serious issue of child abuse,” said Penn State President Rodney Erickson. “This step is a natural progression of our original website and will help keep the Penn State community informed on the important work and progress taking place.”
Openness was the first iteration of the University’s official online response and communications channel designed to address the difficult issues from last year and ongoing legal matters. As the University continues to make progress on the initiatives it created and put into action in the last several months, shifting to “Progress” is a natural evolution that allows us to build on the initial concept that the “Openness” website conveyed with new focused content, functionality and technology.
The “Progress” website houses sections with information about the ongoing legal matters; the independent investigative review led by Louis Freeh, former FBI director and federal judge, that is currently underway into all aspects of the University’s actions with regard to the allegations of child abuse involving a former Penn State employee; and University initiatives put into action in the last several months. The information in these sections also reflects a recent decision by the Board of Trustees to make the Freeh Report available to the University community, the Board of Trustees, the media and the general public simultaneously.
The website also contains new content highlighting the University’s role as a world-class academic and research institution. The website features a resource library that includes a range of relevant documents and materials, in addition to contact information for University spokesperson David La Torre.
In response to feedback from various groups throughout the Penn State community, media and other “Openness” website readers, the new website includes a number of technology and functionality updates. Social sharing features, an email subscription function, RSS capability and feature stories have been added to help make the new website content sharable and better aligned with other Penn State web properties. Content will also be searchable by topic, keyword and tags to increase ease of navigation throughout the website.
The previous “Openness” website has been archived and will remain accessible for reference via the new “Progress” URL in multiple locations throughout the website. All old “Openness” URLs will be automatically redirected to “Progress” going forward since the archived website will no longer be updated.
For additional information about the changes to the Web site, visit http://live.psu.edu/story/59945.
