Hi, Drupalites!
Spring semester is here! With it comes our first round of updates that will impact many of your websites and/or your work.
A Temporary Editing Outage Is Scheduled for Feb. 10-11
Although it feels like we just shifted from Drupal 7 to Drupal 9, it has been a year! That transition was necessary because Drupal 7 was no longer stable and it was our first step toward Drupal 10, which will be here on Feb. 11.
Our web presence group in the Division of Information Technology has been working behind the scenes to position us for the Drupal 10 launch.
The two main things you need to know are:
- There will be a temporary editing outage from Saturday, Feb. 10 at 5 p.m. through Sunday, Feb. 11 at noon.
- The WYSIWYG editing interface will look slightly different. We’ve provided information on this adjustment below.
Drupal 10 Impact: New WYSIWYG Interface
When Drupal 10 hits on Feb. 11, you will notice a new WYSIWYG interface. Though this interface looks a little different, its functionality is essentially the same. View our Drupal training manual for instructions on how to utilize this new interface.
Accessibility for Webmasters Training
Join the Digital Accessibility Team and UCM’s Web Team to discuss the fundamentals of web accessibility and how Kent State users with disabilities experience web content. You’ll learn the accessibility policies and legal requirements governing Kent State’s digital presence, see some examples of good (and bad) web accessibility, and sample digital tools that help monitor your www.kent.edu websites.
There are three Accessibility for Webmasters training sessions available, all taking place over three consecutive weeks on Thursdays. The first training, Accessibility for Webmasters 101, starts on Feb. 22. These training sessions work toward Beyond Compliance requirements.
These sessions are meant to be taken successively in one semester, so sign up for all three. If you haven’t taken these trainings, sign up so you can learn the techniques to keep us in legal compliance. If you have time conflicts, please email Alison Haynes at ahayne23@kent.edu for alternate arrangements.
For more information, please visit the Equal Access Academy website.
Introducing UCM’s Newest Webbie
UCM and web team are excited to share that Paul McKinney joined us as a web designer in early January. If you see a new name when it comes to assistance with support tickets or projects, be sure to welcome him aboard.
Most recently, Paul served as director of content development at the nonprofit ‘because I said I would’ in Rocky River, Ohio. In this role, he managed and developed multiple key websites, executed digital marketing campaigns through email and social media, and produced motion graphics for a global audience of supporters. He also conducted A/B testing and analyzed campaign performance.
Prior to that, he managed the web and motion departments as multimedia director at 427 Design in Akron, Ohio. There, he produced work for clients including American Greetings, United Way and Lubrizol.
Paul is an Ohio University alum who earned his Bachelor of Science in visual communications.
Fun facts about our new colleague: he has a handsome puggle named Rufus, enjoys tinkering in his workshop and probably owns too many lava lamps.
Please continue to submit issues you need help resolving to FreshService via the Submit a Ticket button at www.kent.edu/websupport.
Web Team
Amy Balsinger, Application Developer
Jared Boehm, Senior Manager, Digital Enterprise Solutions
Lin Danes, Executive Director of Digital Communications (Web Services)
Alex Herbers, Web Designer
Eddie Lampert, Student Web Support Specialist
Maghan Larkins, Web Content Coordinator
Paul McKinney, Web Designer
Tim Priester, Web Designer & Services Lead
Natalie Timmerman, Web Content Coordinator