Alumni Web Site Improved

One-stop convenience has arrived on the St. Scholastica Alumni Affairs Web site, alumni.css.edu/alumni.

"The whole idea is for ease of moving around and finding the information our alumni want, and staying in contact," said Bo Ekmark, associate director of Alumni Relations.

The section called "Stay In Touch" offers an alum the chance to register an e-mail address in an alumni-only directory, update her or his alumni record including postal address, and send in 'Class Notes' for this magazine.

The site's redesign freshened the look, with other features including:

• Easier online registration for events through a secure network that permits payment online.
• A new photo album format that provides an easy way to look at images from events and trips.
• Alum of the Month, updated monthly.

"It's a professional-looking site that we feel adds value beyond the merely informational," Ekmark said.

And all data is kept completely confidential.

"World events have really heightened our awareness of keeping data secure," Ekmark said. "We want alumni to know that we do not release information to companies, institutions, or even other alums unless it is for correspondence authorized by Alumni Relations."

Alumni who want to get in contact with fellow alums are encouraged to visit the Alumni E-Mail Directory, which allows them to self-register into the directory. Fellow alums can reach them only through whatever e-mail address they leave. No professional, personal or home information is part of the database.

The College now has over 3,000 alumni e-mail addresses, and plans to develop an electronic newsletter in the fall.

"The feature we most want to see grow is the Alumni Career Network," Ekmark said, "where an alum can click on it, provide a little information, and then serve as a contact person or perhaps a mentor to a current student who's interested in their professional field. It can mean as little as a one-time e-mail contact, or it can develop into more." Currently over 250 alumni are signed up; the College's goal is 500, which would be more than most colleges of St. Scholastica's size.

Other plans for the alumni site include an alumni marketplace, which could offer one-stop shopping for memorabilia, tickets, merchandise and related items and services.