Project Proposal:

The platform were are using for MyWellesley is called Luminis. The version of software we are currently running is no longer supported. In addition, the operating system on which it is currently running cannot be upgraded without upgrading Luminis also, which poses challenging security issues. For these reasons we need to move to a different solution. Upgrading to the next version of Luminis has proven to be extremely challenging & costly and several other colleges and universities  are therefore finding alternatives. We have chosen to implement the next version of the portal using Drupal, a tool that we implemented for the College website 2 1/2 years ago that has served us extremely well. LTS staff have also gained expertise in the system so we are able to develop and support in this platform.

Like the college website, MyWellesley will be running on the cloud, hosted by Acquia. We’ve enjoyed continuous uptimes during regular upgrades through Acquia, the importance of which was recently highlighted by a security vulnerability detected in Drupal that was quickly patched by Acquia. Using Drupal will allow the portal to be redesigned to improve outreach to its college audiences.

In Progress <December 2014>:

MyWellesley portal will be moved to Drupal, the open source software used to support the college website. Content will be available in the new portal by Spring semester 2015. The initial move will simply recreate the portal as it exists now — users should notice very little difference in features and functionality. Longer-term, since Drupal is a flexible tool, we will revise the portal in a way that provides more functionality. Our goal is to roll out a test version to select group of users in late January. Based on the results from that rollout, we will plan a wider rollout during the Spring semester.

We are working to make sure that the functionality that the users currently enjoy, such as connecting to other systems without having to enter a password again, are implemented the same way in the new portal. However, in a few cases, this may not be possible, at least in the first implementation. We will inform the community in advance of any rollout.

Project Sponsor: Library & Technology Services

LTS Contact: Veronica Brandstrader