We have so many stories to tell here at Illinois State University—about our people, our history, and what’s happening on campus every single day. You read about events and individuals in this magazine and in other Illinois State publications, but our stories multiply with each incoming freshman and outgoing graduate.

To help tell all these stories, we’ve launched a new Illinois State magazine blog, STATEside, which you can find at IllinoisState.edu/STATEside.

What we’ll do on this blog is build a bridge that reconnects our alumni and friends with everyday life on campus. But like every bridge, it’s a two-way street. We’ll also use the space to tell today’s campus community about notable work, philanthropy, and personal accomplishments from our Illinois State alumni.

We’ll do this with original content, updated every day or so, including photos, video and social media. We’ll talk to professors about current events. We’ll look back at history through old photos and newspaper clippings. We’ll curate and collate tweets and Facebook posts during big events on campus.

The goal is to engage you, the reader, in a conversation about today’s Illinois State University. That means we want you to comment on our posts and share your memories. In fact, our first post on the new blog back in August was a compilation of your memories about four residence halls and a dining center on South Campus that were decommissioned before this school year began.

The Illinois State staff is excited to provide yet one more avenue for you to access the campus community. We hope you like it.

Questions about STATEside can be directed to the blog editor, Ryan Denham, at rmdenha@IllinoisState.edu.