Sitecore Recognizes Ball State University as Sitecore Site of the Year for North America

Ball State utilizes Sitecore’s Web CMS to increase student applications by 38.5%

San Francisco, January 13, 2009 – Sitecore, the leading provider of .NET Web Content Management System (CMS) software, today announced that Ball State University has been named the North American Sitecore Site of the Year. Ball State University, a nationally recognized school with approximately 20,000 students, chose Sitecore to re-launch and manage its 220+ websites. Since its launch in 2007, Ball State’s online initiatives have been recognized by numerous collegiate and online publications, the website has won four prestigious awards and it has played a key role in the university’s 38.5% growth in student applications over the past three years.

The Sitecore Site of the Year North America winner and 10 category winners were selected based upon their use of Sitecore’s CMS to deliver more effective business processes and advance their online strategies. The Sitecore judges considered creativity, integration with rich data sources and applications, ability to educate, inform and motivate to action, and the overall user experience.

Ball State worked with two Sitecore partners, non-linear creations, and Global Image, along with Global Image’s sister company, mStoner, to build a website with Sitecore’s technology that exceeded visitor’s expectations. Prospective students and their parents, and faculty can now easily navigate the site and access university information and services. The site employs a wide variety of technologies on its internal- and external-facing Web pages, including blogs, ecommerce tools, and other Web 2.0 applications. Sitecore’s technology effortlessly supports both the PC and Mac users and gives 600+ content providers across the campus the ability to edit the websites.

“Sitecore has been invaluable as we reposition Ball State,” said Tom Taylor, Ball State’s VP for Enrollment, Marketing and Communications. “More than window-dressing, the web re-launch is a perfect example of our commitment to a distinctive and consistent brand experience for our students. Sitecore’s features and flexibility allow content contributors across campus to engage and actively participate while providing the tools needed to ensure the brand message and experience remain clear and consistent across the site. For the online component of repositioning our brand, nothing could be more important.”

“Websites have evolved into an extremely important tool for all companies and organizations, and Ball State is a shining example of building a highly successful online presence to engage site visitors and accomplish ambitious organizational goals,” said Paul Markun, VP Marketing, Sitecore. “We were thoroughly impressed with the nominations and how our customers and partners in a variety of industries are demonstrating excellence in solving today’s business challenges while creating compelling online experiences.”

In addition to the Sitecore Site of the Year North America winner, the finalists in 10 categories are:

Best Bio-Technology Site: Genzyme – www.synvisc.com
Site by: ISITE Design

Best Consumer Goods Site: McCormick & Company – www.mccormick.com
Site by: Studiocom

Best Entertainment/Sports Site: Vail Resorts – www.snow.com
Site by: iCrossing

Best Financial Site: First Pioneer – www.firstpioneer.com
Site by: Verndale

Best Government Site: Edmonton Police Service – www.edmontonpolice.ca
Site by: Faction Four

Best Healthcare Site: California Healthcare Foundation – www.calhospitalcompare.org
Site by: Velir Studios

Best Legal Site: LexisNexis – www.lexisnexis.com
Site by: The Revere Group

Best Media Site: Beliefnet – www.beliefnet.com
Site by: Digitaria

Best Non-Profit Site: The Brookings Institution – www.brookings.edu
Site by: Velir Studios

Best Web 2.0 Site: Hartz – www.hartz.com
Site by: IconNicholson

About Sitecore

Sitecore’s Web Content Management System (CMS) and focused software solutions enable companies to deliver compelling web experiences. Sitecore’s award-winning CMS software makes it easy for businesses to create and keep up-to-date dynamic, full featured Web sites of all types. Sitecore’s industry leading flexibility and scalability allows companies to better leverage their content to improve customer experience and drive business growth.

Thousands of public and private organizations, including national governments and Fortune 500 companies utilize Sitecore solutions for their web sites. These organizations have created and now manage over 5000 dynamic web sites with Sitecore including Microsoft, IHI, Widex, ISS, Sara Lee, Siemens, Toshiba, Omni Hotels, Computer Associates, WebTrends and Atlanta Falcons.

About Ball State

Ball State University is redefining education by providing relevant, immersive learning experiences that engage high-caliber students in intense interdisciplinary projects both in and out of the classroom. Our expert, collaborative faculty members mentor students and encourage innovation and creativity in education. Located in Muncie, Indiana, a midsized city one hour northeast of Indianapolis, Ball State’s vibrant campus is home to about 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students from across the country and abroad. Learn more at www.bsu.edu.

Media Contacts:

Rob Adler for Sitecore
Vantage Communications
415-984-1970 x104
radler@pr-vantage.com

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