New USC Law Website

The new USC Law website is up and running. After only 3 months of development the site has been reinvigorated to a site that is not only elegant by design but one that was created with the user in mind. The creation allows for easy updating, it houses dynamic graphs, a content management system, timely and engaging articles. After much research and solicited feedback from faculty, students, staff, alumni and other administrators in and outside the law school the USC School of Law is now home to a user friendly web site tailored for its constituents.

The USC School of Law produces more then 100 events per year. Registration for these events has historically been done by printed materials mailed to invitees, a process that is costly and time consuming for those planning and attending the event. The development of online registration allows individuals to get event and program details online, giving them access to event dates, times, and the ability to RSVP when most convenient for them.

The USC School of law produces an exuberant amount of news stories and articles each month. I have worked closely with the PR department within the law school to develop a time saving method of posting the stories that come out of their department. I have created a content management system that allows for users to self select placement of the articles they post and houses an archive of the articles. Administrators also have the ability to enter an expiration date for each piece which will auto delete the story at the designated expiration date. Users will also have the option to refer a given article to a friend.

Flash videos have been added to give the web site a more dynamic feel. Interviews, promotional videos, special events, and commencement ceremonies are just a few of the things that take place at the law school. What I have done is made it possible for people to participate on a more dynamic level by watching these streaming videos.

The online directory is a valuable tool for any organization. The USC School of Law now has the names, contact information and photos for all of our faculty, staff and students. I’m especially excited about this feature as I feel being able to match a face to a name and recognize colleagues whom you might not otherwise see face to face is a valuable asset. I’ve also given users the ability to download a Vcard and input contact information into Microsoft Outlook or Entourage.

With so many departments, areas and content managers within the new USC Law website I felt it was necessary to create a search engine that screened for personal information (PI) on the website. The code created for this search engine makes it impossible for content managers to inadvertently upload social security numbers, phone numbers or other PI that one might not want published.

MyLaw Portal

The MyLaw Portal uses a Microsoft SQL scheme for managing permissions via groups that is very similar to the methods used in Active Directory.  In fact, upon logon it verifies the username, password, and groups against AD, then continues to seek group permissions within SQL.  This integration was made to avoid duplications of username & password, and to avoid duplication of permission management.  The permission schema can be controlled by any member of the IT department and functions by placing users into department buckets, which are then granted access to a particular set of applications.

The administration of users is also done via the portal, whether it be a bulk loading of 200 incoming students, or a single new account.  The creation of the Portal account allows a user access to applications such as: dell warranty repair requests, sign up for training sessions, exam signups, book trading, volunteer log of hours, and a host of additional apps.