SPRINGFIELD, Ohio --- Robert Rafferty, a 2002 graduate of Wittenberg University, has been appointed his alma mater’s Webmaster.

While still a student, Rafferty served as principle assistant to Ryan Maurer, director of sports information and new media services, in a major expansion and upgrading of the university’s athletic Web pages. As Webmaster Rafferty will provide guidance and support for the needs of faculty and staff. The appointment comes at a time when Wittenberg is embarking on two major Web initiatives. The computing center is leading an effort to enhance the Web portal to serve the information needs of prospective students and others. At the same time, the Office of University Communications will be implementing a distributed model where departments and offices can manage their own Web sites with little or no technical knowledge.

An All-America swimmer while at Wittenberg, Rafferty was a political science major with a minor in history. He also served on the Torch (the student newspaper) staff and was the first to create an on-line edition of that publication.

Since graduation, Rafferty has been serving as a new media assistant in the office of university communications to assist in Web marketing for alumni, admission, advancement and general information efforts. He continues to be active with the university’s swimming and diving team as an assistant coach.

“As a recent graduate Bob brings us a valuable perspective on how to provide a Web presence that best meets the interests of students and prospective students,” said Jim Dexter, director of public relations. “We look for him to continue Wittenberg’s record of continuous innovation and improvement on the web.”

Rafferty replaces Angela Catanzaro, who resigned to pursue a career in massage therapy.

A native of Mount Vernon, Ohio, Rafferty now resides in Columbus, Ohio and is an active member of Wittenberg’s Columbus Alumni Club.

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