May 01, 2015
SIU launches ‘For the Community’ website
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A new Southern Illinois University Carbondale website provides a one-stop connection for the public to all the university has to offer specifically for the community.
“For the Community” is available at www.forthecommunity.siu.edu. It offers information about the countless and ever-changing educational, recreational and entertainment opportunities open to the public as well as special programs and exhibits and even the facilities available for public use.
The webpage is a centralized clearinghouse of sorts, offering links to numerous areas of interest. People can check out the opportunities based on categories or on the basis of which campus unit offers them.
Explore camps, entertainment, nature, fitness, health, learning, music and art, and public transportation. Or, visit the Clinical Center, Continuing Education, Morris Library, the Motorcycle Rider Program, the Student Recreation Center, the School of Music, SIU Sustainability, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, Touch of Nature Environmental Center or the University Museum.
The website also incorporates information about parking at SIU, a campus map and details about the various rental spaces available at different SIU sites. There’s even a link to the university’s “Eclipse 2017/2024 Eclipse Crossroads of America” website.
About a year ago, a special committee formed to discuss how to best market to the community at large all that SIU has to offer. Several ideas were considered and ultimately, the decision made to create a website. Work has continued for months to collect information and create the site. The website went live in April and it will continue to expand as more campus units get involved.
“The goal is that in one place, the public can get information about everything SIU has to offer them. We literally have something for everyone at SIU and we want to make it as easy as possible for people to find all of their options,” Beth Alongi, assistant director of marketing for the Student Center, said.
Visitors to the website also can find information about various services at SIU. For instance, the university’s Clinical Center offers offers a variety of services to the public, including psychological and social work counseling as well as speech and language services.
“The ‘For the Community’ site features links to just about everything at SIU that is for the community. The site is very user-friendly and easy to navigate,” Alongi said.