New alumni directory planned for 2009
The Alumni Relations Office is partnering with Harris Connect, a trusted directory publisher in Virginia, to produce the University’s third alumni directory since 1999.
The directory is an important tool that enables alumni to keep in touch with old friends and classmates. It also provides valuable information that helps the Alumni Relations Office keep the most accurate and up-to-date records possible on alumni.
Expect to be contacted to update your own information over the next few months — either by e-mail or regular mail — and receive a follow-up phone call to verify that all information submitted is correct. Alumni also will have an opportunity to purchase a directory. Both print and CD-ROM versions will be available.
“I strongly encourage you to respond so you’ll be included in this piece of UW Oshkosh history,” said Christine Gantner, UW Oshkosh alumni director.
Alumni also will impact the look of the directory by voting for their favorite of three cover design choices.
All communications will clearly be identified as University of Wisconsin Oshkosh inquiries. Harris Connect’s commitment to protecting the privacy and ensuring the integrity of the information collected is reflected in their privacy policy on-line at www.harrisconnect.com/privacy.html.
Directories will be available in September 2009.
It’s kind of hard to identify with a graduating class as I attended UWO 1962-1964, (lived in Donner and Taylor Hall)then dropped out. I saw the value and importance of an education and returned the summer of 1973. Majored in Social Work. Graduated in 1975. Had a wonderful career working in the Federal Government, retired in 1999 and moved to Oshkosh in 2000. It is heartwarming to see the activity and progress on campus. It reminds me of how my decision to return led to an interesting work and travel life.
Jane Daugherty
I think this is a great idea to let alumni become aware of where people live, what they are doing, etc. Question:(?) Some institutions list any student who attended a school as an alumnus. What is the technical definition of an alumnus from UW-Oshkosh?
It will be great to see where people I knew are now. UWO was a great time in my life both socially & educationally during my stay from 69-72.
Is it possible to post an online directory vs. having to purchase a printed directory? An online version would be easier for everyone to access. If I remember correctly the last printed directory was fairly expensive.
I still owe the Magnet for a round of beers. It’s been 34 years and I still feel guilty. Well, not that guilty.
Marne’s suggestion is exactly what I was thinking. Maybe there could be a suggested donation amount to offset expenses?
I’d love to know where some old friends are and what they are doing. Some of my best times were at UWO! I also left, but went back and graduated in the 80′s.
Very interesting question asked by Dan K. in Dec. I completed most of my education at UW-O but didn’t graduate from there. I feel strongly that I am an Alumnus, but in the true sense I didn’t graduate so I won’t be on that list. What can be done about that? It would be nice to note the point that Dan made and that is to provide the option to all that attended the Big O to make up their own mind if they want to be added to the Alumnus listing.
It will be great to hear from some of the many interesting people I met and spent goods times with at UW-O in the 70′s!
The phone call ‘confirmation’ is just a big sales pitch to spend almost $100 for the directory. When you say no, they then try to sell you the paperback version for $20 less, and when you say no again, they keep on pressuring. I just hung up on the guy because he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Irritating.
Yes, I DO Remember the 70′s! Life has been quite intriguing, with many twists and turns along my journey since completing my Masters Degree at UW-O in 1977. For twenty-nine years, I have been blessed to be married to Rose, who is my enlightened and beautiful soul mate. Rose and I also have been blessed with two beautiful sons, Brandon and Nicholas. I have traveled many roads in many counties so far on planet Earth, and learned alot of valuable lessons, but it is Rose and our two gifted sons who are really teaching me the true meaning of life and helping me on my long journey to enlightment!
P.S. I just purchased the much less expensive CD version. It is a good deal.
I had the same experience as Jason did this morning. Big sales pitch for buying the book. I think it would be a classier option for the Alumni Association to personally handle the buying and selling of the directories, as opposed to a third party.
If the Alumni Association can determine how many directories it needs to buy for us, it could probably buy them directly from the publisher at a bulk discounted price. Then it would be less expensive for us to buy. Do most people have an extra $100 laying around in this economy? How about a free copy of the Alumni Directory on CD with a $50 donation to the Alumni Association? Online version??
This isn’t the same world we’re living in as the last time this directory was published. Time to put your thinking caps on to make it (appear) less dollar driven, less paper driven, and more tech savy. As opposed to saying to a publishing company: “Here, you do it.”
There are a lot of us who were non traditional students in the 70′s who didn’t have time to make a lot of friends on campus. We’d still like to look up the one or two people that we remember but to shell out for the book is ridiculous. I AGREE there should be an alternative instead of having to buy the book which for the most part would be a paper weight. The telemarketers just can’t accept the fact that you just don’t want to purchase the book.
I too think that an online version would be easier than trying to open the last book that I purchased. And like someone wrote in, it was rather expensive, and in these times the less expensive the better.
I too had difficulty with the Directory salesperson who called me at work to “verify” my information and launched into a sales pitch. At least three times, I sent back my invoice for nearly $100 indicating that I did not wish to purchase the directory because of its cost. To my dismay, I received one in the mail anyway and have returned the directory,unopened,to the publisher. I also expressed my frustration with the directory process to Harris Connect. It will be interesting to see what happens. There has to be a better way to do this and I endorse the online version suggested by other bloggers
May I add my support of another format for locating alumni. Connecting with old friends should not be considered a luxury in this day and age. Certainly a website could be designed and maintained at far less cost to us. I do not want to add more thing clutter to my life.
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