American River College Honors Its Legacy with a Digital Hall of Fame
American River College (ARC) has a long, celebrated history of athletic excellence, but for years, that story lived mostly in static displays and paper archives.
That belief guided former ARC Athletic Director, Steve Roberson, as he imagined a new way to honor the college’s history. What he saw wasn’t just a display but a living archive, a digital window into the heart of ARC athletics.
When Roberson first arrived, the history was there, but it was quiet, tucked into corners and bulletin boards, meaningful but modest.
“There’s a lot of history associated with ARC athletics and the school… but [alumni] were often just viewing in a space that was very analog. It was nothing that really highlighted their years there.”(Roberson)
Alumni and families often asked where they could find their names or photos. Their history was present, just not visible enough. “They were wondering like, ‘Hey, where’s my name? Where’s this? Where’s the image of our team?’ And it was basically on a five-by-six piece of cardboard with their name on it.”(Roberson)
The solution? Modernization.
“We wanted to engage the alumni more… engage the community more… and engage prospective students and athletes here more, and the way to do that was to modernize our Hall of Fame area.”
Inspired by the Best in College Athletics
Roberson’s vision was shaped by years coaching and competing across Division I athletics: “Walking some of these facilities… allowed me to have an initial vision of what it could be — not at that grand of a scale, but something that could fit who we are here at American River College.”
Community and Student Response
Even as he transitioned into a district-wide administrative role, Roberson saw the immediate impact with lots of positive feedback. This initially came from the inductees and their families who were able to go by and see the new digital hall of fame. He also began to see great feedback from the staff, faculty, and coaches. Students have engaged with it, too: “When I would sneak over there, I would see alumni, students, general student population, student-athletes engaging with the platform… trying to check out wha t was going on.”
The result? Pride.
“It allows them to become more engaged in the campus and take a little bit more pride.”
Now in student services leadership, his vision extends beyond athletics. He sees an opportunity for other digitization across the campus to replace or compliment the analog A-frames and posters. From leadership centers to counseling to basic needs programs — Roberson sees digital platforms as part of ARC’s student-experience future.
Roberson also sees long-term fundraising potential: “There’s definitely value there… a great opportunity for sponsors to have their logos and their videos showcased… It’s a complementary piece to being able to bring in sponsorships.”
Steve Roberson, Keri Jumelet, and Matt Airola irola
A Legacy That Evolves
For Roberson, digital means living history. “The goal was to create continuous annual or semi-annual updates that highlight our current programs and student-athletes, while also providing access to video and images that highlight previous teams."
Additionally, the installment created a recruiting asset to the coaches. There now exists a digital backdrop for signing days instead of bringing out a backdrop and propping it up.
Seeing the digital Hall of Fame come to life was meaningful. “It was awesome to see it go from just a thought to actually seeing it in real life.” And the opportunity ahead remains to support sponsorships, student engagement, and dynamic campus-wide digital storytelling that will live on for years to come.
