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8-8: Public Website Management

Policy Overview


This policy governs the presentation, responsibilities, and management of public websites for Santa Fe Community College (SFCC or College).

Scope and Applicability


This policy applies to content, design, and maintenance of SFCC public websites. This policy applies to students and employees.

Policy Statement


This policy establishes the Marketing and Public Relations Department is responsible for oversight of the top levels of the College official website. The primary purpose of the SFCC website is to provide information about the College, its programs and services, with an emphasis on prospective and current credit and noncredit students. SFCC websites also function to inform, encourage, and persuade individuals to seek and support higher education in the context of a comprehensive community college setting.

Definitions


  1. Employee is any member of the college workforce: all staff (regular full-time, regular part-time, term, temporary, probationary, sensitive position); all student employees; all faculty (full-time, part-time, adjunct, probationary); all administrators, including interim; all contract employees.
  2. Fair use is defined by the U.S. Copyright Office as: Fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include:  a.) The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; b.) The nature of the copyrighted work; c.) The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and d.) The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
  3. Main Website SFCC Website address is sfcc.edu.
  4. Official SFCC Websites and Pages are those that are created by faculty, staff, department or student organizations and represent the programs, services, and activities of SFCC. These pages are considered SFCC publications and must adhere to the same standards and publishing criteria and policies as all SFCC publications (SFCC Policy 8-1 College Branding).
  5. Public Website refers to any website or webpage that officially represents the College and/or resides on a College-managed server.
  6. Top Levels of the Official Websites Websites are the ones that directly engage the public and represent the College. These pages are managed and maintained by the Marketing and Public Relations Department, whose members collaborate closely with SFCC employees and departments to ensure accuracy, relevance, and overall user friendliness toward the public.

Policy Process


  1. Certain sections of the College’s website must be in compliance with accreditation and federal requirements related to the Higher Learning Commission Criteria for Accreditation and Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
  2. Management and Oversight.
    1. The Marketing and Public Relations Department oversees website content with input from College programs, schools, and offices.
    2. The Marketing and Public Relations Department reviews content for accuracy, currency, and compliance with policies and guidelines and may make changes as needed.
    3. Where appropriate, SFCC schools, offices, and departments are encouraged to assign at least one employee to help develop and maintain their web content.
    4. Independent websites or webpages representing the College that exist outside of College servers are not permitted.
  3. Acceptable Use, Copyright, and Intellectual Property.
    1. Use of an official SFCC web presence must be consistent with the mission, vision, and goals of the College.
    2. Content posted on SFCC websites represents SFCC; it does not represent individual employees or students.
    3. All users must provide materials that are consistent with federal and state law and College policies and established procedures.
    4. Use of copyrighted material or intellectual property without the original user’s knowledge and permission is not allowed (SFCC Policy 3-16 Intellectual Property and Copyrights).
      1. Proper permissions must be obtained and cleared with the Marketing and Public Relations Department before using copyrighted material.
      2. Trademarks are the property of their owners and must be used by permission or within fair use guidelines.
      3. It is the responsibility of the user to determine that there is a clear legal right to use the information.
      4. Failure to provide appropriate permission will result in the information being removed from the website.
    5. SFCC websites and all pages must follow all existing privacy policies and laws.
  4. Design Consistency.
    1. All websites and pages must conform to SFCC standards and templates and must follow College policies concerning the use of official college branding (SFCC Policy 8-1 College Branding).
    2. The Marketing and Public Relations Department oversees content and design of the College’s main website and other official sites including those for the Santa Fe Higher Education Center, Early Childhood Center of Excellence, and Kids Campus.
    3. Creation of new College websites and pages must be approved by the Marketing and Public Relations Department.
    4. On occasion, the College may be associated with or responsible for a website that resides off official College servers.
      1. In these instances, these websites must be reported to and approved by the Marketing and Public Relations Department’s Chief Communications Officer and the Office of Information Technologies’ Chief Information Officer.
      2. These websites are expected to meet the College’s standards for design consistency, content accuracy, compliance with SFCC policies, privacy policies, and accessibility.
  5. Links to External Sites.
    1. All links to external sites must be appropriate to the mission and purpose of the College.
  6. Advertising, Sponsorship, and Underwriting.
    1. The acknowledgment of College underwriting partners, donors, and sponsors must be approved by the Marketing and Public Relations Department on a case-by-case basis.
    2. Use of the College website to advertise commercial non-College messages is not allowed.
    3. Use of College website to promote non-College-related events, services, or information is not allowed.

Statement of Accountability and Responsibility


The President, through the Chief Communications Officer/Executive Director of Marketing and Public Relations and the Marketing and Public Relations Department, shall be responsible for enforcing marketing policies and procedures. The Marketing and Public Relations Department shall work with the different departments and offices to comply with this policy and to develop procedures that will enforce this policy regarding awareness, prevention, and remediation.

Authority

Higher Learning Commission Criteria for Accreditation
Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965
SFCC Policy 3-16 Intellectual Property and Copyrights
SFCC Policy 8-1 College Branding

Approval

SFCC Governing Board approved: 8/24/2016
Reviewed and Governing Board approved: 8/28/2024

 

Associated Procedures