FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 7, 2002

Irvine Valley College Acquires New Web Address

Domain is easier to remember; coincides with the launch of
re-designed web site.

IRVINE, CA—Irvine Valley College announces the acquisition of a new web address, www.ivc.edu. On March 4, www.ivc.edu replaced the long familiar but cumbersome www.ivc.edu that has been used by community colleges nationwide, and by IVC since 1995. The new domain is shorter, making it easier for current or potential students to remember.

“The shorter domain name means there is less chance that someone typing in the address will make a mistake or miss a keystroke altogether,” said Tran Hong, Director of Technology Services. But the greatest benefit to the college is that the new web address makes it easier for the school to market itself to the community. With edu instead of cc.ca.us, the address is simple to recall, and it fits better into advertising and marketing pieces that have limited space availability, Hong added.

The use of cc.ca.us was a standard naming convention for community colleges when the domain was first conceived. Until recently, only four-year colleges were permitted the edu designation, but as the World Wide Web has expanded, the use of edu by community colleges has become more practical.

The previous web address, www.ivc.edu, will remain active indefinitely and continues to link users to the college’s home page. The acquisition of the new web address coincides with the launch of Irvine Valley’s redesigned web site. The site has been updated to be more user friendly and accessible. And it’s fast.

“We modified our site so that the pages would load faster, especially for people with dial up connections. Our intention is to cut the down-load time for students and anyone else who wants to log on, so students won’t have to wait, and they can get to the information they want more quickly,” said IVC Webmaster, John Gotthard.

Gotthard points out the web site is now compliant with Section 508 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. The federal requirement mandates electronic information technology in publicly funded institutions be accessible to persons with disabilities, and it insures that an alternative means of access is available where needed.

With a more structured and user friendly web site, students will find information about the college, their classes, or personal records more quickly and with less effort. It also allows the college a new flexibility in adding ever-changing content to the site.