Next week, University Communications and Marketing will launch a revamped Faculty and Staff Hub, redesigned with direct input from employees to better support their day-to-day work needs. The new site will go live at the end of Friday, with all links to the legacy site redirecting to the new location.
While the Early Bird remains Metropolitan State University of Denver’s official employee-news channel, the Faculty and Staff Hub is a resource-focused portal that aims to make it easier for faculty and staff members to access job-related tools and important University updates in one centralized location.
“MSU Denver’s Faculty and Staff Hub is vital to new and tenured employees alike who need easy access to the tools and resources required to be successful,” said Michelle Britt, director of Digital Marketing and Content Strategy. “Modernizing the experience adds value for our employees and ultimately our students, who benefit from their work.”
Enhancements and new features
The redesign stems from a 2022 internal communications assessment, which revealed a strong desire among employees for more centralized, intuitive access to institutional information and tools. The new Faculty and Staff Hub offers a range of user-centered improvements, including:
Search and filters: Easily locate resources by keyword or topic using the search bar and filtering tools available on the resource subpage.
Access to common tools: A Quick Links tool is available in the top navigation, providing direct access to the most commonly needed resources.
Dynamic content: Stay informed with timely updates featuring top Early Bird articles, campus events and announcements.
Reflecting employee feedback
Originally scheduled to launch in the spring semester, the debut of the new site was postponed to allow developers to incorporate valuable feedback received from faculty and staff members during the beta testing phase.
In response to user suggestions, the Quick Links menu — at the top of the homepage — now more prominently features high-demand tools such as the Outlook email app and Canvas, the University’s online learning platform. This menu provides access to the most frequently used resources.
Additional tools can be located by clicking Resources and using the search function and filters to locate the intended tool. While the initial concept shared during testing separated resources into two categories (Academic and Employee Essentials), employees expressed a preference to have all tools searchable in one category. As a result, the site was restructured to combine all links into one area, with everything accessible from one location.
“These changes act on the preferences raised by our team and ensure that the solution delivers what our people are looking for,” said Britt.
Accessing the site and additional feedback
Links to the legacy site will be replaced across MSUdenver.edu end of day Friday. Starting Monday, users will be directed to the new site to access tools, resources and information. Employees are also encouraged to bookmark the new Faculty and Staff Hub in their browsers for more direct access.
Feedback or questions related to the new site can be directed to the “We want to hear from you” feedback form, available in the site map at the bottom of the Faculty and Staff Hub, pictured below. Site enhancements will continue to be evaluated, and continual updates will be made to ensure an exceptional user experience.
