Programming and Design Projects

Sunflower CMS is the name of KU's content management system, built with Drupal 8. The new CMS features a major version upgrade, from Drupal 7 to 8, as well as a new theme and improved functionality.

The Conference on Higher Education Computing in Kansas (CHECK) was held virtually on May 19 and 20, 2021. This year's conference was hosted by the University of Kansas, and I was part of the team that planned the event. My main role was in the promotion of the conference, helping with the website and providing custom graphics. I created the CHECK 2021 logo and graphics that used the logo, including graphics appearing in the virtual conference platform, Hopin.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of staff on campus were required to work remotely in order to reduce the spread of the virus. A small number of staff remained in the building, but in keeping with social distancing requirements it was better to avoid face to face contact. Our brilliant videographer discovered the urLive video calling service and came up with a plan for positioning video call kiosks at key locations throughout the building. He asked me to design a web page for the kiosk iPads, one that would consist of a link to place the call.

Shortly after the business school moved to its current location in Capitol Federal Hall, I started playing around with the idea of creating an online directory for faculty and staff. The business school website maintains directory pages with links to individual profiles for business school faculty, staff and Ph.D. students. Using add-on functionality (contributed modules) I was able to create a feed from the website, with all the information from the profiles--including contact information. I developed a prototype using jQuery to make the request to the website endpoint and parse the results. Two years later, in 2018, I revived the project using Vue.js and built the interface for a touchscreen display.

From a development standpoint there isn't anything earth-shattering about this application or the technology involved. For me, this was an opportunity to learn about Vue.js in the context of a real project. (That experience served me well a little later, when a Vue.js project came up and I was able to help out.) 

The Wall of Honor, located in the atrium of Capitol Federal Hall, on the University of Kansas Lawrence campus, is the product of a generous gift from a business school alumnus and his wife. The gift was pledged with the stipulation that it be used to create a display to recognize current and former deans, notable alumni, and student leaders. The Wall of Honor is a touchscreen display, designed by a local firm and built in-house, by business school staff. The initial product was designed and built over a period of months in the fall of 2017. The system was later updated to include award recipients, replacing numerous plaques that had previously hung in the business school halls for decades.

I was a approached by the business school Dean's executive assistant to come up with a solution for maintaining information about the Dean's Advisory Board members. She was using one or more spreadsheets to manage this information, and she wanted a single source that could be shared among those who were responsible for updates.

Together we came up with the idea of a website that could be used to maintain this information, while also providing an opportunity for members to update their own information and access a subset of that information for other users, (their fellow board members.) The site would serve as a networking tool for members. In addition, by allowing members to update their own information, that membership information would be more timely and accurate.

The BoardConnect website was created to meet these requirements, starting in the fall of 2017 and was maintained through the spring of 2021. It was decommissioned at that point, facing a major upgrade and concerns about ongoing maintenance.

I consider myself a designer. That term is pretty overloaded and I feel comfortable using it to describe what I do, both personally and professionally. I'm not a graphic designer. That skillset is something I aspire to. I jump at any chance to create graphics for my work, including logos, icons, and other designs. Sometimes my designs are a hit, and other times...not so much. But it doesn't keep me from trying.

I applied to work at the University of Kansas in 2015. There were two openings for web developers, one for KU's Marketing and Communications unit, and another for the business school. When I learned about the two openings, (during my first interview,) I thought I would prefer supporting the marketing unit. However, I was called back for a second interview with the business school. They obviously knew better, because the business school was a perfect fit. The people and work was exactly what I was looking for.

The business school wanted to update the look and feel of their website. The website at the time was using a template design from 2012, and it was starting to feel outdated. Image is important to many organizations, but a competitive business school has to look the part of a modern organization. I was brought in to take the existing website and make it into something modern, while remaining true to the university brand.

The business school (University of Kansas) started admitting freshmen direct admits shortly before I came to the business school. Prior to that, admission was competitive, meaning that students could only be admitted after completing a series of introductory courses, while maintaining a minimum GPA in their business and other university courses. Usually this meant students were eligible for admission at the start of their Junior year.

The move to admit incoming freshmen added a new dimension to recruitment, accompanied by changes in how and when prospective students were introduced to the school. Part of my vision for the school's website redesign (in 2015) included content targeting prospective students. This content could be accessed through prominent links on the new homepage and focused on key attributes of the school, such as placement rate, salary and the career services provided to all students.