The Marathon Mindset Web Leaders Are Missing

Jill Whitaker, Director of Web Services at Southern Utah University (SUU), discusses with host Jeff Dillon the evolving landscape of higher education website management, drawing on her 25 years of experience.

Jill shares candid insights on how to balance short-term fixes with long-term strategy (inspired by her half-marathon coaching!), the challenges of managing over 100 content editors, and championing accessibility through empathy-driven tactics.

Discover how SUU’s centralized approach keeps their site student-focused, why "Don’t Make Me Think" remains a timeless mantra, and what the rise of AI means for the future of university web teams. Listen now for a masterclass in keeping university websites human-centered—no matter how technology evolves.

Takeaways:

The Marathon Mindset: Website governance is like distance running—balance immediate tasks with a long-term vision to prevent burnout and shortsighted decisions.

Student-Centric Design: SUU's homepage prioritizes recruitment and retention, with internal content directed to specific portals—a battle-tested strategy for focus.

Accessibility as Empathy: While tools like Siteimprove are helpful, genuine change comes from humanizing compliance (e.g., sharing stories of colleagues who rely on screen readers).

Federated Governance: A simple Google Group for 100+ CMS users replaces formal committees, effectively fostering peer support and accountability.

AI’s Double-Edged Sword: Excitement for AI's potential in code debugging is balanced by worry over zero-click searches scraping outdated content from the site.

Future-Proof Teams: Web teams of 2027 will require a blend of marketing savvy and technical literacy—ending the era of "coders in the dark."

Episode Details
👂 Podcast: Edtech Connect
🎙️ Host: Jeff Dillon
👨‍💼 Guest: Jill Whitaker, Director of Web Services, Southern Utah University (SUU)

📅 Topic: Website Governance, Accessibility, and AI in Higher Ed Web Management

Jill Whitaker
LinkedIn:   / jillow  
SUU: https://suu.edu/

Recommended Reading
Don’t Make Me Think – Steve Krug: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-T...

EdTech Connect
Web: https://edtechconnect.com/

About EdTech Connect

The EdTech Connect Podcast delivers cutting-edge insights for higher education professionals who want to stay ahead of the technology transformation reshaping academia. Host Jeff Dillon interviews top experts, educators, and technologists sharing actionable strategies for meaningful campus innovation.Jill Whitaker, Director of Web Services at Southern Utah University (SUU), discusses with host Jeff Dillon the evolving landscape of higher education website management, drawing on her 25 years of experience.