Connecting the Silos: Site Building Tools to Solve Common University Needs

jeffdiecks

Department offices on university campuses share the school name, colors and mascot. Often, they share little else, opting for one-off solutions and systems in silos. This session will focus on the tools and flexibility Drupal offers to confront some of the inefficiencies on a typical campus.

Louisiana State University needed a tool to manage content for 15 different campus departments and programs, ranging from Greek Life, Career Services and Student Government to the Office of the Dean of Students. Fighting the continuing battle between platform vs. customization, LSU was able to standardize on a Drupal installation with just enough flexibility to keep everybody happy. In this session we will review some of the challenges in platform standardization, and highlight the use cases for some of the more polarizing Drupal modules including Panels and Organic Groups.

Session Topics:

  • The case study for Organic Groups over Multisite
  • Using Panels and Panelizer for flexibility across departments
  • The benefits of a platform to manage accessibility and security
  • Navigating common Higher Education project challenges

About the Presenter
Jeff Diecks is the SVP of Professional Services at Mediacurrent, helping manage the team's delivery for clients including The Weather Channel, Georgia Tech, Habitat for Humanity, University of Georgia, Harvard and more. A Baton Rouge resident and the organizer of Drupalcamp New Orleans, Jeff managed LSU’s Drupal project and helps support the school’s ongoing use of the platform.

Session Track

Site Building

Experience Level

Beginner

Drupal Version

When & Where

Time: 
Wednesday, 11 May, 2016 - 13:00 to 14:00
Room: 
263 [Phase2]