Communications and suppport
All web-related communications—including website requests, policy questions, training inquiries and request for assistance—must go through the Web Communications Help Desk. Following this protocol prevents misplaced requests, reduces inbox clutter and ensures that Web Communications properly reviews all inquiries.
Content maintainers and their supervisors are encouraged to schedule a web working session to review their site, troubleshoot issues, develop content strategies and address any concerns.
Academic pages
The following information pertains to academic programs that offer a major or minor at Union. Each program has a corresponding major/minor page located at www.union.edu/academic/majors-minors, and many also have a dedicated department or program website.
Major/minor page
Major and minor pages should be concise and scannable, providing prospective students with a clear program snapshot. Since many visitors use mobile devices, descriptions should be no more than two paragraphs. The Office of Communications & Marketing will review and edit content for clarity, consistency and adherence to College guidelines.
Additional elements like course requirements, a hero image, student testimonials, alumni outcomes and videos may be included based on availability.
Each fall, after the new academic catalog launches, department chairs and program directors will be asked to review their program pages and submit updates to the Web Communications Help Desk. Neglecting this request may result in outdated information, reflecting poorly on the program and the College, potentially harming recruitment.
Department/Program websites
A department or program website will be created upon request. The site will have its own internal navigation, unlike the major and minor landing pages. In addition to a homepage, the department/program website will have pages such as faculty listings, course requirements from the catalog, contact information and other relevant details. A hero (banner) image representing the program will be displayed at the top of every page.
Department/program responsibilities
It is the responsibility of the department or program to ensure that the website remains accurate, professional and up to date. Specifically:
The content maintainer, in consultation with their supervisor, manages day-to-day updates, ensuring that essential information is included and relevant content is added as needed.
Any changes to faculty listings, course requirements, contact details, or other program-specific information should be made in a timely manner.
Content maintainers and their supervisors review their site(s) annually and remove outdated content, especially PDFs.
All content should adhere to institutional web standards and best practices, including digital accessibility.
Review training documentation and take advantage of instructional/training sessions, including question-and-answer sessions held via Zoom.
Web Communications responsibilities
Web Communications will provide support for tasks that require specialized knowledge or technical expertise, including:
Adding and updating hero images
Updating profile photos
Integrating catalog content
Resolving technical issues
Setting up pages that require advanced coding
Offering guidance on web best practices
Content maintainer selection/consolidation
We highly recommend choosing an existing content maintainer and consolidating responsibilities among fewer individuals within the academic or administrative division. A smaller, dedicated team managing content consistently will be more efficient, effective and proficient than expanded groups of users that access the system sporadically. Requests for website access should be submitted to the Web Communications Help Desk.
- Documentation is available and should be reviewed
- Training sessions are offered by Web Communications
Social media
Plan accordingly for staff transitions in order to retain access to social media channels. Abandoned channels can appear in Google search results and reflect poorly on the College.
Academic catalog content integration
Web Communications uses a script to automatically update course and requirement pages from catalog.union.edu on department, program, and major/minor landing pages.
To update this information, submit changes to the registrar, who manages catalog.union.edu. If course and requirements have not been entered, it will not appear on www.union.edu.
After the academic catalog is released each fall, its content updates on www.union.edu. If updates don’t appear, contact the Web Communications Help Desk.
Visual elements
Hero image (banner image)
Web Communications will add a hero (banner) image at the top of your home page that will then display on every page of your site. A hero image will also be added to the corresponding major or minor landing page. To request an update to the hero images, please contact the Web Communications Help Desk.
Faculty headshots
Faculty and staff profile photos must be submitted to the Web Communications Help Desk to ensure they meet professional standards and maintain consistent sizing.
Note: Emeriti and In Memoriam pages are managed by individual departments, programs or offices, and any related photos should be added by the web content maintainer.
Other imagery
Editing and uploading additional images is the responsibility of the content maintainer. Tutorials on best practices for adding, resizing and optimizing images are available upon request. Sign up here if interested.
Note: To request a photo shoot for headshots or other images, please use the Project Intake Form.
Accessibility
Ensuring content is accessible is not only best practice but also has legal implications. PDFs are a particular challenge and one reason that fewer content maintainers who can sustain the necessary skills are a more efficient solution. Please review these instructional materials on how to create accessible PDFs.
Annual audits/content culling
We recommend content maintainers review the site annually. Out of date content, particularly PDFs, should be deleted.