New Centralized Well-Being Website Serves as Digital Front Door to Student Care

The U of A launched a new well-being website — a single hub that connects students to support and resources quickly, clearly and compassionately. Visit the new platform at wellbeing.uark.edu.

Becky Todd, associate vice chancellor for student well-being at the Division of Student Affairs, said the website is the result of a deliberate, committee-driven effort. In 2024, the university convened a Student Well-Being Task Force, led by Dr. Josette Cline, former director of Counseling and Psychological Services, to assess student well-being, inventory existing resources and examine best practices at peer institutions. Across all three subcommittees, Todd said, the conclusion was clear: students, faculty and staff needed a centralized way to navigate support services.

That recommendation became the foundation for the new well-being website, which brings together resources long dispersed across the university's web ecosystem and organizes them around what students need in the moment.

Web Designer Cody Jendro said the design is built around a "less is more" philosophy. The site is visually clean, accessible and fully compatible with assistive technologies like screen readers, while keeping student well-being front and center without the clutter.

"It makes the most critical information available in easy-to-scan sections: a true one-stop destination for campus support," he said.

The main page is built around two straightforward entry points: "I Need" and "I Want."

"I Need" prioritizes urgency, putting five critical resources within seconds' reach: emergency food, housing support, medical care, emergency funding and mental health services.

"I Want" helps students think beyond immediate needs, covering academic support, fitness and recreation, campus and community events, jobs and internships, community involvement, spaces to relax, academic advising and a broad network of student organizations.

The new website will also be integrated into Blackboard, the U of A's campus-wide learning management system where students access their courses, grades and other academic resources.

ASG President Amanda Hux said Student Government recommended integrating the well-being platform into Blackboard to make it easier for students to find and use essential resources in a space they already navigate daily.

"Every student regularly uses Blackboard to manage their coursework," Hux said. "By adding the well-being platform directly into that interface, we're putting these important resources right at students' fingertips, exactly where they're already looking."

Todd said the website is in its first phase. "We envision expanding to include academic resources and more community-based basic needs support," she said.