Transformation of MyCharleston to Better Serve CofC Community

We all get used to doing things a certain way, but sometimes it’s time for things to change into something new. Such is the case with MyCharleston, the College’s secure gateway to online services, which will soon undergo a three-pronged transformation aimed at better serving the College of Charleston community.

The College is reengineering how and where information is housed with a focus on making information easier to access and find. MyCharleston will be dismantled over the next year, and the information currently housed there will be moved so that finding what you want is more intuitive.

“We will now have a much more user-friendly online experience for all members of our campus community,” says Mark Staples, CIO and senior vice president of information technology. “People will definitely see an improvement in our functionality.”

Information on MyCharleston will be shifted into three website locations: MyPortal, a desktop and mobile app for doing business with the College; The Hub, an intranet site for internal communication; and cofc.edu, the College’s main website aimed at engaging prospective and current students, alumni and collaborators.

As the College shifts information to the three website locations, MyCharleston will continue to operate until it is taken completely offline in 2022.

MyPortal (desktop and mobile app)

Part of the next evolution of MyCharleston, MyPortal is an app (mobile and web-based) that allows the College of Charleston community to do business with the university easily by providing access to academic and administrative applications and services. The customizable and role-based platform makes it simple to manage all facets of life at the College from your desktop or phone.

With a slimmed down menu of services, MyPortal will offer users an efficient and effective experience aimed at streamlining access to everything from timesheets and Banner, to Medicat and parking services to MyGrades and course registration.

Planned for a September 2021 launch, MyPortal will continuously improve through constant development driven by user feedback as well as the availability of new software and mobile-friendly apps.

The Hub (intranet site for internal audiences)

Our cofc.edu website currently serves as a repository of information for both external and internal audiences. As part of the College’s efforts to have a stronger web marketing presence, the institution is creating an intranet site available only to faculty, staff and students that provides information focused more on CofC’s day-to-day internal operations.

A private network for internal audiences, the intranet is where departments can organize information, post news, provide contact information and navigation to documents, media and other types of information specifically for the College community. The intranet will have sections targeting just students as well as sections designated for just faculty and staff. It will also have the option to limit audiences for certain pages. For example, the Office of the Registrar could have pages that only its own staff could view.

The intranet site will have a soft launch in September 2021. The initial information will include internal data currently found on MyCharleston. For example, the Campus Climate Assessment Report, Employee Quick Links, Office of the Registrar Faculty/Staff Resources and Faculty Policies and Procedures will live in The Hub.

Training on how to use Sharepoint – the intranet platform – will follow the soft launch of The Hub so that schools and departments can populate their sections.

cofc.edu (internet site for external audiences)

As part of this digital transformation, the focus of the College’s main cofc.edu website will be on content that is of value and interest to external audiences. It will highlight our exceptional faculty, academic programs, opportunities for students, etc., that will attract students, new faculty, donors and members of the community in ways that will build and reinforce our brand.

“We are very excited about all the opportunities this transformation of our online presence brings,” says Staples. “This will truly improve our online presence and how we function as a College.”