Your Strategic Partner in Digital Storytelling

Web Communications is responsible for developing and maintaining the university's web presence through our expertise in content strategy, design, information architecture and web analytics. 

The Web Communications Team maintains the university's content management system, Cascade, and serves as a strategic partner to campus departments seeking to share stories, promote programs, and connect with key external audiences through the university’s web presence. Our mission is to ensure that every corner of Wesleyan’s web ecosystem is clear, compelling, user-focused, and on-brand.

Strategic Web Modernization

As part of our institution-wide Web Re-Engineering Initiative, we are focused on evolving Wesleyan’s web presence into a streamlined, user-centric experience. This includes:

• A phased retirement of legacy sites and pages

• New content and layout strategies grounded in data and user testing

• Greater alignment with recruitment and enrollment priorities

When your site is selected for transition to the core site, we’ll contact you to guide next steps. For more information on the Web Re-Engineering initiative please visit our project site on Sharepoint. 

Legacy Site Support

Please be advised that during this phase of the Web Re-Engineering Initiative, the Web Communications Team is no longer altering the legacy website's infrastructure or developing new sites or web functionality. For websites and webpages not yet migrated into the new core site, we will continue to provide Cascade web editor training through Success at Wes sessions, online documentation, and address any technical issues that may arise through the UC Request Ticket system in Workfront.

Note: When you submit a UC Request Ticket, choose the relevant category (e.g., “Web Services Issue” or “Cascade Web Editor Access”) from the dropdown menu. Please allow 5–7 business days for review and consultation.

Cascade Web Editor Access & Training

To maintain a high standard of quality and consistency, all prospective Cascade web editors must:

• Be full-time staff or faculty with approval from the department Director or Chair

• Demonstrate experience editing content in a content management system such as Cascade, Wordpress, Omni or Drupal

• Proficiency in writing, content editing, image editing, and basic web practices

• Complete Cascade Basic and ADA web compliance training through the Success at Wes program

• Use approved Wesleyan CMS tools and follow university brand, accessibility, and editorial standards

Only two trained editors per site are permitted for quality control. Once qualified, access is requested via the Cascade Web Editor Access Request.

Governance, Policies & Best Practices

We work within a hybrid governance model, empowering trained department-level editors to manage content, while ensuring editorial oversight and consistency through centralized review. The Web Communications team enforces and consults on Wesleyan’s Web Governance Policy to ensure all digital content:

• Aligns with the university’s brand identity and editorial style guide

• Meets accessibility requirements (WCAG 2.0 AA compliance)

• Uses only approved technologies and CMS infrastructure (Cascade)

• Maintains security, accuracy, and relevance

• Is periodically reviewed and updated—with outdated content subject to review and removal

Web Governance Core Site Overview

Wesleyan University’s core site web presence is managed through a clear governance structure that empowers departments while safeguarding the university’s standards and reputation. Our hybrid governance model combines distributed content creation with centralized review and publishing by the Web Communications Team.

Our core web environment follows a hybrid centralized/distributed governance model. That means:

• Departments create and maintain their own web content

• Web Communications provides oversight and publishes final content

• Workflows in Cascade ensure all pages are reviewed for brand, accessibility, and strategy before going live

This model enables both speed and quality, ensuring that the university’s public-facing content remains unified and up to date.

ADA Compliance

Wesleyan University makes every effort to ensure use of our website, colors and imagery comply with ADA standards.  We use guidelines and tools such as WCAG 2.0 AA standards and WebAIM's Color Contrast Checker as part of our design process.   For more information on Wesleyan's commitment to support all students in their academic and co-curricular endeavors, please visit our Accessibility Services website.