Primary Website Governance

Policy 10.3
Approved by:	President
Responsible Officer:	Director of marketing and communications
Responsible Office:	marketing and communications
Originally Issued:	8/06/1996
Last Revision:	06/30/2025
Category:	public relations, identity, design
Related Policy
SDBOR Policy 7:1 Acceptable Use of Information Technology Systems
SDBOR Policy 7.4 Security of Information Technology Systems
29 U.S.C.§794d. Electronic and Information Technology (Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended)
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 3.0
University Web Hosting Policy
Digital Accessibility Policy

1. REASON FOR POLICY

   This policy applies to the dsu.edu websites maintained by Marketing and Communications to establish a minimum set of standards to ensure accuracy, consistency, integrity, and security of the University’s web site through clear responsibilities and roles.

   Website governance supports multiple purposes of the Primary Website, which includes providing information and resources to key stakeholders such as prospective students and families, current students, faculty and staff, and external University supporters and partners. Additionally, the Primary Website serves to promote the University’s brand and reputation in a variety of ways.

   This policy complies with University, state and federal laws, as well as South Dakota Board of Regents (SDBOR) policies and procedures.

2. DEFINITIONS
   1. Branding. The marketing process by which the University builds an image, identity, and reputation to differentiate itself from competitors.
   2. Content Owner. A designated employee that is responsible for ensuring the accuracy and currency of specific information on the University’s primary website.
   3. Editorial Review Team. A work group comprised of staff from Marketing and Communications and ITS with ad-hoc content specialists as needed that monitor Web site content for alignment with University mission and regulatory compliance.
   4. Homepage. The initial or starting index page of a website. The first page served when visiting a website.
   5. Official Document. Any document file (e.g., PDF, docx) originating from a Dakota State University office or department that is hosted on the Primary Website.
   6. Official Website. Websites maintained by Marketing and Communications and websites maintained outside of Marketing and Communications but are identified as official University communications (library, Trojan Zone, athletics, catalog, Trojans Unite, Help/Support, Beadle Scholar).
   7. Official Website Content. University-approved text or media that website visitors can access.
   8. Primary Website. Central website for Dakota State University (www.dsu.edu).
   9. Unofficial Website. Personal websites created by students, faculty, and staff members that do not officially represent the University.
   10. Unofficial Website Content. Content created by students, faculty, and staff members and posted on personal websites.
   11. Web Contributors. University staff with primary website CMS access and edit privileges.
3. STATEMENT OF POLICY
   1. Website Administration
      1. Primary Website. The DSU primary site is at https://www.dsu.edu/. No other website shall portray itself as representing the University as a whole.
      2. Marketing and Communications Responsibilities. Marketing and Communications shall be responsible for, but not limited to, the following:
         
         1.  Articulates and supports web governance standards and procedures.
         2.  Maintains the University’s primary website.
         3.  Makes final decisions, in collaboration with University stakeholders (faculty, departments), about primary website content, format, and navigation.
         4.  Maintains sole publishing and page creation rights for the University’s primary website.
         5.  Manages brand consistency for all aspects of primary website content, design, and visual identity.
         6.  Maintains editorial oversight for the primary website’s tone, voice, themes, and messaging.
         7.  Maintains a list of content owners and contact information.
         8.  Collaborates with ITS for application of web tools and integration points with other systems.
         9.  Provides ongoing training and project support.
         10.  Creates and communicates additional web governance procedural/guidance documents.
             1.  Writing copy for webpages and features.
             2.  Copyediting and proofreading content.
             3.  Maintaining directory profile pages.
             4.  Developing and reviewing information architecture.
             5.  Providing custom photography (e.g., shooting, cropping, optimizing) for banners, features, faculty profiles).
             6.  Creating visual and graphic design elements for use on webpages (e.g., buttons, ribbons, icons).
             7.  Producing videos for high-priority initiatives (pay for out-of-house service).
         11.  Conducts cyclical page and content review cycles.
         12.  Monitors web governance compliance for individuals within colleges and administrative departments responsible for the management and maintenance of webpages.
         13.  Arranges user access to analytics.
         14.  Interprets website statistics on regular basis.
         15.  Implements continual site improvements using data to inform decision making.
         16.  Maintains fiscal responsibility for annual licensing costs.
         17.  Removes primary website content that violates University policy, state and federal laws, as well as South Dakota Board of Regents (SDBOR) policies and procedures.
         18.  Contacts content owners to schedule webpage content review.
         19.  Appoints web contributors who are provided access to edit assigned official webpage content.
         20.  Facilitates training in document accessibility and remediation.
      3. Information Technology Systems (ITS) Responsibilities. ITS responsibilities shall include, but are not limited, to the following:
         
         1.  Technically administers the official content management system, databases, and other systems and tools (e.g., system management, stability, upgrades).
         2.  Provides publishing backup to the Marketing and Communications team as needed.
         3.  Manages the University’s cloud hosting account.
         4.  Manages web programming and site development.
         5.  Manages the primary site licensed custom search engine.
         6.  Integrates third-party systems, tools, and business applications.
         7.  Manages website domain services.
      4. Content Owner Responsibilities. Webpage content owner responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
         
         1.  Ensures that any documents (e.g., PDF, Word) meet accessibility standards before submission to Marketing and Communications.
         2.  Ensures that any documents include ownership information within the document (e.g., head/footer). At a minimum, content ownership information shall include department name and date.
         3.  Sends content updates for assigned webpages to Marketing and Communications. (See Procedures Section IV.1.a.)
         4.  Obtains appropriate permission to include copyrighted material or images on their pages.
         5.  Ensures content accuracy.
         6.  Reviews assigned webpage content regularly to ensure content accuracy and information currency.
         7.  Collaborates with Marketing and Communications to create new webpages for dsu.edu to ensure clarity of audience, strategy/purpose, assigned ownership, and an identified cycle for review and updating.
      5. Website Contributor. Website contributors responsibilities shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
         
         1.  Completes requires training as assigned by the Web Editor and Digital Accessibility Specialist.
         2.  Follows the website update workflow as established by Marketing and Communications.
         3.  Adheres to digital accessibility best practices.
         4.  Adheres to the DSU Writer’s Style Guide .
         5.  Updates official website content for webpages designated by Marketing and Communications.
   2. Official Website Content
      1. Official Website Content. All website content posted on department and office webpages is considered official.
         
         1. Department and office webpage content shall be under the administration and supervision of the University President or the appropriate vice president, dean, director, or department chair of each respective University-identified unit.
         2. Any content generated content by a large language model (LLM) or generative “AI,” including text, images, video, and audio, shall not appear on the Primary Website, except in appropriate academic contexts or as part of site experience tools such as chat bots, forms, etc., upon approval from marketing and communications. All AI-generated content must be labeled as such on the Primary Website.
      2. Unofficial Website Content
         1.  Web content created by students or by faculty and staff members and posted on personal homepages is not considered official and is not monitored by University staff.
         2.  An unofficial site shall not use any University marks, represent the University, or make any claims that the unofficial site exists on behalf of the University.
         3.  Faculty may list their University affiliation in legitimate academic contexts (e.g., research lab pages, conference materials, professional websites) so long as it does not violate III.B.2.b above.
   3. Compliance with Law and Policy
      
      1.  Official University webpage content, including personal homepage content, shall comply with University policy, state and federal laws, as well as South Dakota Board of Regents (SDBOR) policies and procedures, including but not limited to, laws and policies regarding copyright, harassment, libel, violence, and obscenity.
      2.  Official University webpage content shall be compliant with Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act and must be accessible to persons with disabilities, particularly those with visual impairments. This policy does not contain all applicable laws nor should it be interpreted as providing legal advice.
   4. Official Webpage/Publication Design and Content Guidelines
      
      1.  The University shall exercise editorial control over documents published on each department or office website pursuant to guidelines described in DSU’s Brand Manual and best practices as defined by the web editorial review team.
      2.  Marketing and Communications shall provide assistance for department and office content owners in following and implementing DSU’s Brand Manual.

   Exclusions

   None

   Exceptions

   Any exceptions to this policy are rare and only granted by the University President.

4. POCEDURES (MAJOR)

   Individual and groups accessing University website content and/or developing and maintaining webpage content shall follow these procedures:

   1. Requesting a New Webpage or Requesting Webpage Content Updates
      
      1. Faculty and staff shall click on the DSU.edu Request form on the Marketing Requests page when they have new content or content revisions to site for which they are the content owners.
      2. When attaching a document for DSU.edu, please ensure it meets accessibility standards. Failure to submit an adequately accessible .pdf or .docx will delay your request as you will be asked to remediate any issues with the document.
   2. Content Ownership
      1. At the beginning of each semester, Marketing and Communications confirms existing primary website content ownership and designates new content owners if needed.
   3. Content Removal Procedure
      
      1. In the event that Marketing and Communications removes specific Primary Website content because it violates policy or law, Marketing and Communications shall notify the designated content owner prior to removal.
5. RELATED DOCUMENTS, FORMS, AND TOOLS
   •  DSU Brand Manual
   •  Marketing Requests for DSU.edu website requests
   •  DSU Writer’s Style Guide
6. POLICY HISTORY

   Adopted: 08/06/1996
   Revised: 09/22/2008
   Revised: 06/30/2025