UNBC's electronic connection to the world has been given a facelift.

But there was much more than just cosmetic surgery involved in the launch of the university's new website at www.unbc.ca on Tuesday. This was a radical makeover.

“UNBC’s website is our most important communications tool, and this upgrade will enhance opportunities for online visitors to get information about the university and the UNBC experience,” said Rob Van Adrichem, UNBC's vice-president of external relations. "We know that 92 percent of students refer to a university’s website when considering which institution to attend. It is also a primary tool for attracting high quality faculty and staff to the university and to northern B.C.”

The new site, the first major upgrade for UNBC in five years, features significantly improved presentation of information about university programs, facilities and staff, with sections geared to future, new, and current students. Each faculty now provides detailed course information for prospective students that take users to program-specific websites that highlight prerequisites as part of the online calendar.

The research section has been significantly expanded to provide details on existing projects and showcase opportunities for students. A section is devoted to career work opportunities for faculty, staff and students. The media section provides access to UNBC news releases and archive material, information about the student newspaper and radio station, faculty and staff phone directories, and community lists of UNBC experts. There is an enhanced library section for students to reserve library material online and a section geared to UNBC's prominent environmental role as Canada's green university.

The giving section highlights for prospective donors information on UNBC's student awards, athletics and trust programs and how money from existing donors is being used.

The photo section provides a virtual tour of the campus on the ground and from the air, also offering glimpses of student life, research projects, and area attractions. A video section provides testimonials from a graduate student about the learning environment as well as a faculty member's perception of the living and working environment.

UNBC has tracked more than 2.3 million visits to unbc.ca per year, from about 750,000 users

who access 9.9 million page visits annually. All but seven per cent of student applications are completed online. There are 130 editors now overseeing UNBC web content on more than 5,000 pages.

UNBC will concentrate its future web design efforts on making it easier for users and contributors to share content and to make the site more compatible with mobile computers and cell phones.