DRAFT (8/7/01)
Web Strategy: Values
As an institution devoted to teaching and learning and a community devoted to scholarship and
service, Princeton places high value on providing broad and easy access to useful, accurate, and
up-to-date information and services via the Web and on expanding and improving its use of the
Web to communicate with its many audiences and conduct its business. It is committed to
excellence in content, design, and customer service, and to using the Web both to enhance its
commitment to diversity and to build an ever stronger sense of community. It respects the
individuality, freedom of expression, privacy, and creativity of individual users of the Web,
while also committing itself to the highest possible standards of reliability, efficiency, security,
ease of use, and technical support for providers and users. As a University with a distinctive
identity and mission, Princeton expects that its websites will convey that distinctiveness—that
they will have a look and feel that conveys a sense of the idea and the place that is Princeton.
Web Strategy: Audiences
Princeton strives to communicate with and serve the following audiences through the Web:
current students (undergraduate and graduate), faculty, and staff; prospective students, faculty,
and staff; trustees; alumni; parents of students; current and prospective donors (alumni and nonalumni); the news media, broadly defined; opinion leaders; political officials (principals and
staff, at local, state, and national levels); local residents; the general public.
Web Strategy: Proposed Policies
To advance the University’s values, goals, and purposes, we propose the following policies for
University use and management of the Web:
1. It is the University’s policy to encourage and support increasing use of the Web to
communicate with internal and external audiences, to enhance programs of teaching and
research, and to conduct the University’s business.
2. The University recognizes that some uses of the Web will supercede and substitute for
existing practices while other uses will complement other means of communicating, conducting
business, or engaging in teaching and research. It is the University’s policy to use the Web to
replace existing practices when that can be done in a way that advances the University’s values,
goals, and purposes.
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3. It is the University’s policy to respect individual freedom of expression and to encourage
creativity, individuality, and innovation in the use of the Web, but also to establish basic
technical, design, content, and legal standards (including respect for copyright and accessibility
requirements) for “official” University websites.* These standards will include a requirement to
have a Princeton “identity” (to be defined) and to be linked to the Princeton home page.
4. It is the University’s policy to require each course, academic department/program, and
administrative office to maintain a website that meets certain established standards, and also to
provide the tools, templates, and training necessary for courses, departments, and offices to meet
this requirement.
5. It is the University’s policy to use the Web as a vehicle for making timely announcements of
University news, for communicating emergency information, and for providing information
about events and activities (calendar).
6. It is the University’s policy to make continuous efforts to increase the functionality and ease
of use of University websites, and thereby to increase the success and satisfaction of visitors to
University websites.
* We need to define what we mean by an “official University website.” We are fairly certain
that we would not include individuals, but would include offices, departments, programs, task
forces and committees, official events … But what else? What about recognized student
organizations? What about alumni classes; organizations like the Association of Princeton
Graduate Alumni? Suggestions welcome.