When a College Asks for a New Website
The request that tests every web team
A college, center, or department emails: they need a website for a new program, and they need it this semester. The central team has two options, and neither is good.
Build it, and it joins a backlog that already runs months deep. Say not yet, and the department hires someone, launches on a platform you do not support, and the site joins the estate nobody governs.
Why going around you is the default
Departments are not trying to create risk. They have deadlines, funding, and audiences. When the sanctioned path is slower than the workaround, the workaround wins. Policies that forbid it rarely hold.
The fix is a sanctioned path that is faster than going around.
A third option: a starter site that stays visible
A starter kit deploys a starter site the department then makes its own. It begins with a baseline for accessibility, security, and brand standards. And because it is deployed from the governance platform, it appears in the dashboard from day one, with an owner.
Accorbis starter kits are included with the Accorbis platform subscription.
What a starter site is
A starting point. The department adds content, pages, and structure. It is not a finished flagship homepage, and it should not be sold that way internally.
What it is not
Hosting isn’t included with a starter kit. It is a separate line, only for sites you choose to host on Accorbis. Custom organization kits built to your exact standards need setup work and are scoped with your implementation partner.
Make the path easy to find
- Publish how to request a site on your web services page.
- Ask a few questions: owner, audience, end date if any, and platform preference.
- Set a response time you can keep.
- Review before launch: headings, alt text, link text, forms.
Keep the estate honest
New sites should arrive with an end date when they have one. Grant sites, event sites, and pilot programs end. An inventory that records when a site was meant to expire lets you retire it on schedule instead of finding it years later.
A hypothetical: one request, three outcomes
Imagine a college asks for a site for a new graduate program, needed before the next recruiting cycle.
Outcome one: the backlog
The web team accepts the request. It joins the queue behind other work, and the college misses its window.
Outcome two: the workaround
The college hires a freelancer, who builds on an unsupported platform. The site launches on time, outside any review, and nobody in web services knows it exists.
Outcome three: the starter site
The web team deploys a starter site from a starter kit. The college adds its content within the baseline the team set, the site goes through a quick review, and it appears in the dashboard with a named owner. If it has an end date, that goes in the inventory too.
An intake form that keeps it simple
- Requesting unit and named owner.
- Purpose and primary audience.
- Launch date needed.
- End date, if the site is for a program, grant, or event.
- Could this be a section of an existing site instead?
- Who will write and maintain the content?
Decision criteria: new site or new section?
- Does the audience differ enough from an existing site’s audience to need its own home?
- Will the content be maintained after launch?
- Does the unit have someone to own it?
- Would a section on an existing site serve users better?
If the answers point to a section, say so. Fewer, better-maintained sites are easier on everyone.
Common mistakes with starter sites
- Selling it as finished. A starter site is a starting point. Set expectations that the unit adds the content and structure.
- No owner at launch. Every new site needs a named person before it goes live.
- No end date. Event and grant sites outlive their purpose when nobody marks when they should end.
- Skipping review. A quick check before launch is easier than a fix after.
What the web team gets back
A sanctioned path does more than speed up requests. Every new site arrives with a named owner, a known platform, a baseline for accessibility and security, and a place in the dashboard. Over time, the share of the estate that nobody provisioned shrinks, because the easiest way to get a site is now the governed one.
Frequently asked questions
Are starter kits included with the platform?
Yes. Custom organization kits that need setup are not included.
Does a starter site have to be hosted on Accorbis?
Hosting isn’t included with a starter kit. Ask in your working session how a starter site would be deployed and hosted for your estate.
Can departments change the design?
They make the site their own within the baseline your team sets.
Does this replace our main CMS?
No. It gives new requests a governed starting point alongside what you run today.
Who reviews a starter site before launch?
Your web team or whoever owns standards. A short check of headings, link text, alt text, and forms catches common issues.
What happens when a starter site’s end date arrives?
The owner confirms whether it is still needed. If not, the site is archived and redirected.
Can a starter site grow into a larger site later?
Yes. It is a starting point the unit makes its own. If it outgrows the starter site, plan the next step with your web team.
Next step
Schedule a 30-minute working session and bring your last three new-site requests.
