SUNY Cortland’s website is an important campus resource, often providing a visitor’s first look at the campus. It is one of the university's primary tools for communicating with key audiences and presenting its public image.
The information contained in the Brand Identity Guide is intended to promote the appropriate use of this medium and to enhance Cortland’s mission, vision and strategic initiatives.
A content management system (CMS) is a web application that offers campus community members an easy, efficient and consistent way to create, update, publish and archive information on the web.
The CMS makes it possible for almost anyone to easily manage web content without knowing HTML or other web development tools.
Yes. With very basic training you will be able to edit your pages in a simple browser-based editor that's similar to Microsoft Word.
Sign up for a training session for an overview of using dotCMS, or to refresh your knowledge in dotCMS and best practices for web content.
For the sake of uniformity, usability and accessibility, you will need to use the CMS. You will be able to edit your pages from any computer connected to the internet without worrying about saving your work to your computer. Also, you'll never have to be concerned about software upgrades or compatibility issues.
For a review of frequently used dotCMS functions, visit SUNY Cortland's dotCMS reference guide. If you have not already been trained in dotCMS and best practices for web content, you will need to schedule training to gain access to dotCMS.
Web accessibility refers to making web content available and readable to all users, including those with disabilities such as sight or hearing impairments.
SUNY Cortland is committed to providing all its constituents full access to information, programs and activities offered through the web. This effort is pursuant to both New York State policy and federal law, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
SUNY Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility
An estimated 20 percent of the population in the United States has some kind of disability. Accessible websites also benefit users with older browsers and may improve the site's search engine ranking.
Video content with synchronized audio requires closed captions, and sometimes descriptive audio. Audio content without synchronized video typically requires a descriptive transcript. Visit the accessibility section of the Promotional Video Guide for more information.
The SUNY Cortland web presence consists of hundreds of sites that are managed and maintained by the individual departments and sponsoring organizations. The quickest way to have a web accessibility issue addressed is to contact the owner of the site directly. If the problem remains unresolved, please send notification using our Website Accessibility Feedback Form.
SUNY Cortland’s website is an official communication tool of the university designed for sharing information with the campus community and its constituents.
SUNY Cortland’s Web Policy applies to information: (1) published on servers owned by SUNY Cortland; (2) published within the SUNY Cortland cortland.edu domain; and (3) published elsewhere under direction or control of a SUNY Cortland department, organization or individual, where the contents are identified as SUNY Cortland information.
In many instances, SUNY Cortland’s website is governed by the same policies that regulate similar operations across the university, such as campus advertising policies in the SUNY Cortland Handbook, style guidelines in the Brand Identity Guide and the Code of Student Conduct. Policies that are specific to use of the website are found in this document.
The website will reflect SUNY Cortland's mission and strategic plan as well as the goals and objectives that emanate from these initiatives.
The content presented on the website will be accurate, timely and responsive to SUNY Cortland’s key audiences. It also will meet the standards articulated in the Brand Identity Guide.
SUNY Cortland has a legal and moral imperative to ensure that its website and webpages on its servers attempt to meet every standard established by New York State’s Office for Technology.
While the university’s official web templates handle most accessibility issues, assistance will be provided to individuals and programs to bring new and/or existing content into compliance. In extreme cases, it may be necessary to temporarily remove content while revising it so that it conforms.
The ability to add content to the SUNY Cortland website by faculty, staff and students is considered a privilege, not a right, and users must abide by university policies and procedures.
Failure to conform with any SUNY Cortland policy applicable to the website may result in the immediate loss of the ability to publish content on the web.
The university’s website is managed through a content management system (CMS). Individuals who publish information will be expected to work within the CMS.
Academic departments, administrative offices and student organizations are required to use the official web template for their page(s) when technically feasible. Web templates are located in the university’s content management system.
Department and administrative office heads are responsible for their unit’s web content. Each department or office shall designate one individual to be responsible for maintaining the accuracy and timeliness of website information and for ensuring that their unit’s webpage adheres to all relevant SUNY Cortland policies. This individual also must acquire training related to creating and maintaining their website.
Students may develop websites for their clubs and organizations. Faculty and staff advisors to student organizations are responsible for those organizations’ webpages, while the Student Affairs Office is responsible for the content of any webpages developed by the Student Government Association.
A personal webpage is defined as a webpage for any SUNY Cortland individual faculty member, staff member or student that contains information of a personal nature unrelated to their responsibilities at the university and to which a link has been established from an official Cortland page.
For more information regarding SUNY Cortland’s advertising policy, refer to the Handbook.
The favicon displays on the address bar of all SUNY Cortland webpages. It also is used by browsers and devices when a page is bookmarked.
To ensure it displays clearly in the size 16 x 16 px, it features a simple block C.
The favicon automatically will appear on any pages created in the university’s content management system, dotCMS. If you are managing a site outside cortland.edu, contact the Marketing Office for assistance uploading the favicon to your platform.
Note: The favicon should only be used on sites affiliated with SUNY Cortland. This may be a page for an organization, journal, faculty research, etc.