The university's online department directory will be discontinued at the end of the calendar year, a change recommended by the Technology Enterprise Advisory Committee. The individual directory information will not be affected.
The individual directory is populated by data in ISU's Workday and student information systems, but the department listings are manually maintained. Michael Lohrbach, director of enterprise services and customer success in information technology services, said there isn't an option for automatic updates to the department directory, which operates on an outdated system. Analytics show the department list gets less than 2% of the online directory traffic.
Alternative sources
Department and unit websites can be found using the search box on the ISU homepage. Most also are listed in ISU's online alphabetical index. A list of frequent contacts, such as colleges and divisions, is available via the "Contact Us" link in the directory website footer.
"Websites generally provide a more current information source. We did some sampling -- looking at what was in the university directory versus what the departments had on their web pages -- and we found quite a few inconsistencies," Lohrbach said.
Website updates
Lohrbach encourages departments and units to keep their websites updated. For a consistent user experience across university sites, a general phone number should be included in the website footer.
Detailed information about who to contact within departments and units also can be included on "contact us" or "about" pages.
