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Governance

A well-maintained website depends on clear ownership and consistent expectations. This section explains who is responsible for what on the UHD website, how the site is administered, and how guidelines are enforced.

Governance, Roles, and Permissions

CMS Usage and Site Administration UHD uses a Content Management System (CMS) to build and maintain all webs on UHD.edu. This is how we ensure oversight and that every web page on our site is accessible, mobile-friendly, consistent within our brand.

University Relations Oversight

University Relations has final authority over the UHD website, including branding, design, content, and usability standards. Accessibility compliance is managed in partnership with Information Technology (IT). This authority is established in PS 09.B.08 and applies to all web pages on the UHD.edu domain.

University Relations reserves the right to:

  • Request corrections on web pages that violate these guidelines.
  • Require web authors to attend additional training.
  • Restrict or revoke CMS access when guidelines are repeatedly violated.
  • Remove or unpublish content that violates state or federal law.

Our goal is a website that serves all the audiences in our University community well. When a change needs to be made, our first step will always be to work through it together.

Content Ownership

Every unit that maintains pages on the UHD website should designate a primary and backup Content Owner. The content owner is the person accountable for their unit’s web presence.

They are responsible for:

  • Keeping their pages accurate, current, and complete.
  • Ensuring their content meets these guidelines and applicable laws.
  • Participating in annual content audits.
  • Coordinating with University Relations on any new web pages or sub-sites, and on any changes that affect site structure, navigation, or institutional messaging. Routine content updates do not require coordination.

The content owner is not always the person making edits in the CMS. In many cases, a content owner is a department director, program coordinator, or subject matter expert who works with a designated content author or web technician to make changes on their behalf. What matters is that the content owner has clear authority over their content and is the point of contact for questions, corrections, and compliance.

Content owners should also designate a backup who can act in their absence. If a content owner leaves the university or changes roles, their department is responsible for designating a replacement and notifying University Relations.

CMS Permission Levels

UHD currently uses three defined levels of permissions in the Modern Campus CMS. Content owners may hold any of these permission levels, or none at all. Content ownership is an accountability role, not a CMS permission level.

  • Content Author: This is the standard access level for most department staff who create and update web content. Content authors can edit text, upload images, add links, and use approved CMS components within their assigned pages. They cannot add custom code, modify page templates, or change page layout structure without assistance.

  • Web Technician: This level is for staff in a web support role who need broader access to manage more complex page structures. Web technicians can publish pages, manage file directories, and work within a wider range of CMS tools. They may add and edit custom code within pre-approved frameworks, subject to review by IT and University Relations.

  • Administrator: Administrator access is reserved for senior University Relations and IT staff. Administrators manage templates, site structure, global components, user access, and CMS configuration and have access to all pages across the entire site. Administrators may add and edit custom code within pre-approved frameworks, subject to review by IT and University Relations.

CMS Access

To request Modern Campus CMS access, a content owner must submit a Web Tech Access Request form. University Relations and IT will review the request and determine whether access is granted and at what permission level. New users must complete CMS training before access is granted. Some departments choose to route all edits through a web technician rather than granting direct CMS access to content owners; both workflows are supported.

Access will be reviewed and may be revoked in the following situations:

  • The user is no longer with UHD or in a role that requires web editing access.
  • The user has not logged in within the past 12 months.
  • Guidelines have been repeatedly violated, and other corrective steps have not resolved the issue.

Each CMS user must have their own account, and shared logins are not permitted.

Enforcement

In the event of a violation of University Website policy PS 09.B.08 or these guidelines, University Relations or IT will respond in proportion to the issue. For most issues, we will reach out directly to the content owner and provide clear guidance on what needs to change and why.

In cases of repeated non-compliance, we may require the content owner or author to complete additional training on the CMS, web standards, or accessibility. In extreme cases, CMS access may be restricted or removed.

Some issues require immediate action without the steps above. This includes content that violates University policy or state or federal law including accessibility requirements, Texas SB 17, and Texas SB 3039. In these cases, content issues will be corrected or removed as quickly as possible.

Approved Templates

Templates define the overall structure and layout of a page. UHD maintains a set of approved templates for common page types including primary-level pages, departmental landing pages, interior content pages, news and event pages, and faculty or staff directory pages.

When creating a new page, select the template that best matches your content type and intended audience. Using the correct template ensures that your page works correctly on all screen sizes, meets accessibility requirements, and looks consistent with the rest of the site.

Do not modify the structural elements of a template. Editable regions are clearly marked in the CMS. Content outside of those regions including headers, footers, navigation, and layout containers is managed in partnership by University Relations and IT.

If you have a content need that no existing template or component can support, contact University Relations with a description of your use case. We evaluate new template requests carefully as new templates need to solve a real and widespread problem to justify development time. Approved templates are developed by University Relations or IT and reviewed for accessibility and brand compliance before they are made available.

The following are not permitted:

  • Hand-coded HTML pages hosted outside of the CMS, except for microsites specifically approved by University Relations.
  • Pages built using unapproved external site builders or third-party hosting that presents UHD content.

Components and Snippets

Components and snippets are pre-built content elements available within the CMS. They allow content owners and authors to present content in structured, accessible, and visually consistent ways without custom code. Examples include accordions, tabbed content, card grids, call-to-action blocks, image galleries, and data tables.

Use these components and snippets whenever they match your content need. For example, use an accordion for content that users may want to expand or skip, not to hide large amounts of text.

Content authors may not modify the code or styling of components. All components are built to meet accessibility standards and brand guidelines. Altering them, even with good intentions, can break that compliance.

Contact University Relations to request new components or snippets. We hold periodic web author meetings where component needs can also be raised and discussed as a group.

The following are not permitted:

  • Custom layouts, column structures, or designs created outside of approved templates or components
  • Inline styles, custom CSS, or custom JavaScript added by content authors

If you have a content or design need that the current templates and components do not support, submit a request to University Relations. We will evaluate the need and, if appropriate, create a new approved component or template that everyone can use.

Tables

Tables are designed to display data with meaningful row and column relationships, such as schedules, pricing, or comparison charts. Do not use tables to arrange text or images visually on a page.

Tables present two significant challenges when misused:

  • Screen readers and other assistive technologies interpret tables as data, which can make layout-only tables confusing or unusable for people with disabilities
  • Most tables do not adapt well to small screens, meaning content arranged in a table may be difficult or impossible to read on a mobile device.

If you are unsure whether a table is the right choice for your content, consult University Relations or an accessibility expert before publishing.

Custom Code

Content authors may not insert custom code of any kind (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or inline styles). Web technicians and administrators may add and edit custom code within pre-approved frameworks, but all custom development is subject to review and approval by IT and University Relations before it is added to the site.

Existing components should always be considered first. If no existing component meets your content need, bring the request to University Relations. New components and custom code should only be pursued when a need is urgent, affects a broad portion of the site, and has a clear business impact. One-off design or code solutions are discouraged and repeatable solutions that justify the development investment should be the goal.

Workflow and Publishing

New pages and significant edits should be published to our preview testing site and reviewed by the content owner before being published to the public.

Before submitting a page for review or publishing it, verify:

  • All text is accurate, up to date, and written to the appropriate reading level.
  • All images have descriptive alt text.
  • All links work and use descriptive link text.
  • The correct template and components have been used.
  • Page metadata is complete.

File and Asset Management

All files and images uploaded to the CMS must follow consistent naming conventions. Use lowercase letters, hyphens instead of spaces or underscores, and descriptive names that make the file easy to identify. Avoid generic file names like IMG_1234.jpg or document1.pdf.

  • Images: All images should be optimized for web use before uploading. Target a file size of 100 KB or smaller for most images. Large, unoptimized images slow down page load times for all users and can negatively affect our search engine performance. File sizes over 1MB are not permitted. Free tools like Pixlr and CompressJPEG can help with optimization. Adobe Photoshop is also an excellent option if you have access. Image file types that can be used are .jpg, .png, and .webp.

  • PDFs: Downloadable documents should not be used as a substitute for web content. If information can be presented as a web page, it should be. PDFs are appropriate for forms, printable resources, and documents that need to preserve a specific layout. Any PDF linked from the site must be tagged and accessible before uploading. See the Accessibility section for more detail.

  • Version Control: When updating an image or PDF, overwrite the current file in the CMS. Overwriting the files will help minimize broken links. Do not upload a new file with a different name or change the file name in the CMS to keep track of versions. If you need to keep track of versions, do so locally on your computer.

  • Visibility: Documents uploaded to the CMS are publicly accessible. Do not upload files containing sensitive or personally identifiable information. Documents or content intended strictly for internal UHD audiences should be uploaded to the UHD Intranet.

URL Structure and Redirects

Page URLs should be short, descriptive, and lowercase, with words separated by hyphens. They should reflect the content and location of the page in the site hierarchy.

Use hyphens, not underscores or spaces:

  • Use /financial-aid/
    Don't Use /financial_aid/ or /financial aid/

Keep URLs short and meaningful:

  • Use /admissions/apply/
    Don't Use /admissions/how-to-apply-to-uhd/

Use plain language that a user would recognize and avoid internal acronyms:

  • Use /criminal-justice-ms/
    Don't Use /mscj/

When a page is renamed, moved, or retired, a redirect must be set up to preserve any existing links and search engine rankings. Contact University Relations or IT to request a redirect. Do not leave broken links on the site.