The Web Advisory Council (WAC) at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) is a campus-wide collaborative community focused on enhancing the quality, consistency, accessibility, and user experience of UIS websites and digital services. WAC exists to bring together experts across units, including marketing, communications, web editors, deans, directors, and accessibility specialists — to define best practices, share resources, and guide digital governance for UIS.

The council serves as a strategic advisory body that supports UIS’s mission by ensuring high standards of web presence that communicate UIS values, promote student success, and foster clear, accessible online engagement for all audiences.

Mission

The mission of the Web Advisory Council is to:

  • Advance best practices in web content, design, usability, and accessibility.
  • Promote a consistent, strategic, and user-centered UIS web presence.
  • Serve as a collaborative cross-campus forum for web professionals to share knowledge and solve common challenges.
  • Advise on policy, standards, tools, and governance that support high-quality digital experiences.
  • Support training, documentation, and resources that empower web editors and content creators across the university.

Why WAC Matters

In today’s digital environment, the UIS website is often the first place prospective students, families, and community members interact with our university. A cohesive and accessible web experience strengthens the UIS brand, improves engagement, and ensures our content meets the needs of diverse online audiences.

WAC plays a critical role in:

  • Encouraging brand-aligned design and consistent messaging.
  • Supporting web accessibility and compliance with ADA and WCAG best practices.
  • Promoting collaboration among UIS units that contribute to the web ecosystem.
    (Web accessibility and governance are key priorities across the UIS and the system.)

What We Do

Community & Collaboration

  • Quarterly council meetings and listening sessions that encourage sharing insights, ideas, and feedback.
  • Cross-department discussions to align web projects with campus goals.

Best Practice Guidance

  • Develop and promote templates, checklists, and guidelines for web content creation.
  • Encourage consistent navigation, architecture, and user experience principles.

Accessibility & Standards

  • Advocate for accessible web content that follows WCAG guidelines and campus digital accessibility policies.
  • Support training on accessibility best practices for content authors and web editors.

Resources & Support

  • Provide tools, documentation, and training opportunities for campus users.
  • Connect units with strategic web support resources and training.

Membership & Participation

WAC is composed of web liaisons, web editors, web supervisors, deans, directors and accessibility staff. Members share expertise and contribute to projects that benefit the broader campus community.

Membership is open to anyone involved in the campus community at UIS.

Join us: Contact WAC leadership or attend a meeting to learn more about how you can contribute.

Meetings & Events

WAC holds quarterly meetings to discuss emerging web trends, review current initiatives, share updates, and collaborate on improving the UIS digital presence.

Typical agenda topics:

  • Accessibility reports and compliance strategies.
  • Tool updates and new content features.
  • Training sessions for web editors.
  • UX insights and performance trends.
  • Policy recommendations and governance updates.

Resources

Visit our Web Resources page for guidelines, accessibility tools, training materials, and related digital governance documentation.

Contact Us

Have questions or suggestions?
Email web@uis.edu.