Capstone Website Governance Policy
Purdue University
Overview
To protect the security, accessibility, and digital identity of Purdue University, all student capstone project websites hosted on university-managed servers must comply with the standards outlined below.
This policy ensures that capstone websites:
- Maintain professional brand consistency
- Meet accessibility and security standards
- Remain current and actively maintained
- Reflect appropriate academic oversight
Who This Policy Applies To
This policy applies to:
- Undergraduate and graduate students requesting a capstone website
- Faculty advisors sponsoring capstone projects
- Academic colleges and departments
- University IT and web governance administrators
1. Approval Requirements
Dean Approval (Required Before Launch)
Students must obtain written approval from their College Dean before a website may be developed or launched.
Documentation of approval and a willingness to serve as point of contact upon graduation of current class must be submitted as part of the site request process.
Faculty Advisor Oversight (Required)
Each capstone website must have a designated faculty advisor who will:
- Review and approve content prior to publication
- Ensure compliance with branding, accessibility, and technical standards
- Serve as the primary contact for governance matters
- Confirm ongoing relevance of the site
- Serve as point of contact for Purdue Brand Studio and Purdue IT once the current year’s capstone project has completed.
Websites will not be approved without an assigned faculty advisor. The faculty advisor and the Dean agree to serve as the default contacts for the Capstone website upon completion of the project and the current group’s graduation.
2. Mandatory Maintenance — The 90/60 Rule
To ensure university web properties remain accurate and secure, all capstone sites must follow the 90/60 maintenance standard.
90 Days: Inactivity Flag
If a site is not updated for 90 consecutive days, it will be flagged as inactive.
60-Day Grace Period
Once flagged:
- The site owner and faculty advisor will be notified.
- They will have 60 days to:
- Make substantive updates, or
- Provide written justification for continued hosting.
Decommissioning:
If no action is taken within the 60-day grace period:
- The site will be removed from public access.
- Reactivation may require submission of a new request and renewed approvals.
3. Branding and Design Standards
Required Templates
All capstone websites must use official Purdue University brand templates.
Customization Restrictions
The following are not permitted* without written IT approval:
- Custom CSS*
- Independent or third-party themes
- Unapproved design frameworks
*Custom CSS may be applied as it relates to alignment or other formatting configurations. Custom CSS in this context refers to working within current Purdue branding and web template frameworks. Please see the following section on Brand Compliance for more information.
Brand Compliance
Websites must follow official brand standards for:
- Logo usage
- Color palettes
- Typography
- Layout conventions
Non-compliant websites may be required to make corrections before launch.
4. Accessibility Requirements
All capstone websites must meet applicable accessibility laws and university standards.
At minimum, sites must include:
- Proper heading structure and semantic HTML.
- Alternative text for images and links.
- Captions or transcripts for multimedia.
- Sufficient color contrast.
- Full keyboard navigation support.
Sites that fail accessibility review will not be approved for publication.
5. Security and Data Protection
All capstone websites must comply with Purdue University information security standards.
Specifically:
- Collection of sensitive or regulated data is prohibited unless expressly authorized.
- Only approved hosting environments and content management systems may be used.
- Security vulnerabilities must be addressed promptly.
University IT and Purdue Brand Studio reserves the right to suspend or remove any website that presents a security risk.
6. Enforcement
Purdue University reserves the right to:
- Review websites at any time.
- Require, and if needed, execute corrective actions.
- Suspend or remove non-compliant websites.
- Deny future hosting privileges for repeated violations.
Definitions
Capstone Website
A website created as part of a culminating academic project and hosted on university-managed infrastructure.
Inactivity
No substantive content updates for 90 consecutive days.
Substantive Update
Meaningful changes to content, structure, or functionality (minor formatting edits do not qualify).
Decommissioning
Removal of a website from public access and university hosting.
Policy Review
This policy is effective upon publication and is subject to periodic review by University IT, Purdue Brand Studio and Web Governance authorities to ensure alignment with institutional standards and regulatory requirements.