Online newsroom makes college a community information hub

With newspapers and TV stations shrinking their staffs these days, how does an organization get attention for its events and accomplishments?

And if there’s ever an emergency such as a hurricane or—God forbid—a gunman on campus, how do you get the news out on all your digital channels immediately?

These are some of the questions that led officials at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, to launch an online newsroom through PressPage. (The first higher education institution to subscribe to PressPage in Texas.)

“News media has changed,” says Melinda Eddleman, associate director of media relations. “Even with our local metropolitan paper, staffing has been downsized considerably. … There’s not as much placement, even in terms of educational reporting.”

Del Mar has 12,000 students, making it as large as a mid-size university. That means it’s a hub of academic activity as well as a resource for a community that is both a tourist attraction and center of industry on the Gulf Coast, Eddleman says.

Del Mar hosts musical events featuring faculty, students or visiting artists, as well as theatrical productions, art exhibits and other cultural programs.