Victoria University’s corporate website enters the 21st Century today with a clean and crisp new look that offers a
whole host of new services with more to come.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart McCutcheon said with advances in computer and internet technology it was now timely to
completely overhaul the corporate website (www.vuw.ac.nz).
“Victoria has long been a leader in using the internet as a communication tool. Our website won an award when it was
launched in 1998 and earlier this year, our student portal was a finalist in the Computerworld Excellence Awards for
providing students with the ability to access the University’s computer system offsite. As well, this year, we were the
first university in New Zealand to publish our Annual Report as a searchable online document with minimal paper copies.
“In developing this new website we went back to basics and reoriented it with the needs of users clearly in mind. The
website guides users to the information that meets their needs.”
The new website provides direct specialist links for prospective, current, international and Mâori students, as well as
alumni and donors, media, visitors and staff. It includes a specially designed home site for current students called
studentVUW (www.studentvuw.vuw.ac.nz) that replaces the former student computing service (SCS) distance portal. This new
address is the new on-campus login for students and can be accessed offsite through the main Victoria homepage.
Victoria will also pilot through studentVUW giving a pre-selected group of several hundred Summer Trimester students
access to their Student Records. They will be able to view their timetable and fees they’ve paid and update their
address, phone, email and emergency contact numbers.
It was planned to offer this new service to all students in April next year, including the ability to check examination
results and grades online and pay fees online.
“StudentVUW will empower students to take control of many of their personal records. Updating addresses and phone
numbers, which can so quickly become out-dated and yet are so important, will be simpler.”
The University was also planning to pilot a similar system for its academic staff, that will allow them to view online
their teaching schedule and details of class lists and timetables, general and curriculum information about students in
their courses, including email addresses and other contact details."
The new website also includes a searchable Media Guide, allowing the news media to quickly and easily find University
academics and researchers with specialist knowledge.
The website had been designed by internet designers Shift – which this month won the TUANZ 2002 Marketing Award for
designing Victoria International’s new website. It is one of several awards Shift has won this year.
Issued by Victoria University of Wellington Public Affairs
For further information please contact Public Affairs Adviser, Antony Paltridge or phone +64-4-463-5873