From the Nominator

"Planning and executing a seamless upgrade of retired technology platforms to a new, more robust marketing engine with sophisticated content distribution mechanisms was necessary to support mission-driven communications initiatives at Howard University.   

Howard has a storied legacy as one of the country’s leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); academic excellence; and an institutional commitment to eliminate inequalities related to race, color, socio-economic and political circumstances. Elevating voices and effectively communicating our efforts are critical to our leadership and impact.   

The Dig, a re-imagined web platform, evolved after the team identified three critical web properties in Drupal 7 that were scheduled for end-of-life in November 2022, specifically our newsroom, calendar, and Howard Magazine websites. This gave our Office of University Communications (OUC) the opportunity to consider new ways to maximize outreach. 

In collaboration with the agency idfive, and after extensive internal and external research, development, design, and implementation phases, we have launched The Dig, which is capable of broadcasting and distributing news, features, events, and calls to action through more than 50 Howard’s network web properties.   

The impact has been immediate and comprehensive. The OUC has developed shared strategic goals and a clear content workflow and governance structure with key campus stakeholders. Our post-launch results include a 22.7% increase in average session duration and a 10.9% increase in pages per session."

From the Judges

This is a really nice site that aligns well with the brand. It has been modernized and refreshed with an eye-catching and compelling design and organization. It is engaging, and the feed to other parts of howard.edu seems well-integrated.