Website Domains

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Policy Number:
UW-207
Responsible Office:
Office of Strategic Communication

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

Domain names are important for the university's brand identity, reputation, and privacy and cybersecurity programs, and should follow a clear and predictable structure. The purpose of this policy is to ensure domain names align with these principles, maintain brand consistency, and follow established standards for security and compliance across the university’s digital environment.

Definitions:
Delegated Hosts
Schools/colleges/department/divisions with approved authority to create new fourth-level domains that build on their existing third-level domains.
Domain
A unique address used for accessing a website.

• Root Domain: The highest level of a domain name hierarchy, consisting of the primary domain name (e.g., wisc.edu, uwbadgers.com) without any subdomains. It represents the domain from which all subdomains and hostnames derive.

• Subdomain: A domain that is part of a larger root domain. Subdomains appear before the root domain in a web address and can include multiple levels (e.g., news.wisc.edu, experts.news.wisc.edu).

○ Third-Level Domain: A subdomain of an existing root domain. These appear as third.wisc.edu (e.g., news.wisc.edu).

○ Fourth-Level Domain: A subdomain of an existing third-level domain. These appear as fourth.third.wisc.edu. (e.g., experts.news.wisc.edu).

Domain Name System (DNS)
An Internet-wide distributed database that translates Internet Protocol (IP) addresses into easy-to-remember names.
Infoblox
The campus-supported tool for configuring Domain Name System (DNS) records.
Website Owner
The person or group responsible for maintaining the website.
Scope:

All website domain names representing the university, including root domains, subdomains, and any non-wisc.edu domains registered or managed on behalf of university units, departments, centers, or affiliates. It covers the acquisition, configuration, delegation, and ongoing maintenance of these domains, as well as ensuring compliance with university branding, cybersecurity standards, and relevant regulations.

Policy:
  1. Wisc.edu Domains
    1. The official root domain for the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s academic and administrative units is wisc.edu.
    2. Website owners must ensure that all websites hosted on wisc.edu domains including subdomains meet the following minimum requirements:
      1. The phrase “University of Wisconsin–Madison” appears in the top banner area (the top of the page that often includes a logo, image, or other site-related information) and is linked to https://www.wisc.edu/
      2. The UW–Madison institutional logo appears in the footer area (the section at the bottom of a web page that contains links, text, and icons) and is linked to https://www.wisc.edu/
      3. The following standard footer information:
        1. The email address of the person or group responsible for maintaining the page corresponding to user feedback: “Feedback, questions or accessibility issues: [name]@wisc.edu”
        2. Privacy notice and copyright statement, with links: “Privacy Notice | © [current year] The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System”
      4. Compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements
      5. Compliance with UW-519 Digital Accessibility
    3. All third-level domains of wisc.edu must be requested following the website domain request procedure and approved by the Office of Strategic Communication.
  2. Non-Wisc.edu Domains
    1. New root domains must follow the website domain request procedure and be approved by the Office of Strategic Communication.
    2. If the domain is approved, the website owner:
      1. Will be responsible for all interactions with their domain registrar (e.g., registration, renewal/payment, record management, Internet Corporation for assigned Names and Numbers [ICANN] compliance).
      2. Is required to procure the domain via a UW–Madison-approved domain name registrar using a valid NetID and then delegate DNS management to the Division of Information Technology (DoIT) (e.g., via Infoblox).
      3. May be required to comply with the wisc.edu domain requirements outlined in this policy as determined by the Office of Strategic Communication.
  3. Consequences for Noncompliance

    Violations of this policy may result in actions up to and including website termination.

Related UW-Madison Policies:
Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources:
External References:

Universities of Wisconsin

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:
Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communication
Policy Manager:
Assistant Vice Chancellor, Brand Strategy
Contact:
Director, Digital Strategy -- Danielle Cranmer, danielle.cranmer@wisc.edu
Retrieved:
05-16-2025 10:43:59