|
By Marcy Vandale '87
Reconnecting with old friends and keeping up with regional
events is easier than ever with a visit to the College's
Online Community.
Has it been a while since you've visited Holy Cross?
Returning to Mount St. James is easier than ever these days.
Just type, click and you're there. The College Web page, www.holycross.edu,
is a great resource, not only for students, faculty and administrators,
but also for alumni.
In addition to referencing the homepage updates on athletic
schedules and game results, College news and policies, or
accessing the library's resources, visit the alumni
section of the College Web page for more information and
services. Alumni can easily find classmates, receive a permanent
(and free) e-mail address, locate regional event information,
search career and professional resources and, in the future,
make donations online.
Join Alumni Online
The first thing to do is register
with the College online. The process
is simple: Log onto the Holy Cross
Web site, click on “Alumni & Friends” and
then select “Online Community.” Registering
requires completing simple biographical
data for security purposes and then
sending an e-mail requesting your
ID number from the College. After
a prompt response, you will receive
your ID number and be able to “surf” the
Web freely. Be sure to create a password
that is easy to remember and be especially
certain to register your own e-mail
address so that you may receive information
from the College or your regional
club. Also, remember to bookmark
the College Web page so that you
can check it frequently for news
and updates.
To join the Alumni Online Community:
1. Go to www.holycross.edu
2. Click on "Alumni & Friends"
3. Select "Online Community"
4. If this is your first visit, follow the registration steps.
Note: In completing the registration
steps, submit the form as requested
in order to obtain your college-generated
ID number. This step is essential
for security purposes.
5. If you are already enrolled, enter your user name and password to begin
your visit. Confirm that your profile information is correct and make any necessary
changes.
6. Enroll in Yellow Pages, look up classmates and establish a permanent e-mail
address.
Permanent Holy Cross E-mail Address
Upon joining the College's Online Community, you are able to receive a
permanent e-mail address from Holy Cross. The address will be in the form of
yourname@alumni.holycross.edu. The headaches of informing (or forgetting to
inform) all your friends or associates of your new e-mail address are gone.
Anytime you change your e-mail address, simply notify the College via this
Web site. You can set up your Holy Cross e-mail to forward your messages to
your main e-mail address.
Take this opportunity to register for a permanent Holy Cross
e-mail address. You will be informing Holy Cross of your
e-mail address as well as joining the other 13,000 Holy Cross
alumni who are “connected” to the College through
e-mail.
Alumni Yellow Pages
Since the launch of the Online Community two years ago, 5,000
of the College's
29,000 alumni have registered. Perhaps the most under-utilized part of the
alumni Web page is the Yellow Pages section. How often have you found out after
the fact that your doctor, dentist, lawyer or financial advisor is a fellow
graduate? Be proactive. List your occupation and expertise in the Yellow Pages
rather than leave it to chance. The Yellow Pages allow alumni to list their
firm or occupation for other alumni to search in the event that they are in
need of services. This feature allows alums to seek out other grads with expertise
in a certain field and demographic region. Posting a listing is easy and self-
explanatory. All alumni are encouraged to post their occupation to increase
this resource for the mutual benefit of Holy Cross alumni.
Events and Regional Clubs
The Holy Cross Web page is also a great source of information
on Holy Cross events occurring across the nation. The “Events” and “Regional
Clubs” components offer specific ways for alumni to stay connected to
Holy Cross. The Alumni Relations Office posts events sponsored by regional
clubs and offers extensive details and contact information for any alum wishing
to partake. The office, which posts events as they receive the information,
takes great pride in the timeliness of this section. As of this writing,
there were over 30 events posted, including lectures, luncheons, Habitat
for Humanity building, theater trips and, of course, trips to football games
and tailgates! When making travel arrangements and plans, check this section
to find out about attending an event at a regional club in another part of
the country and reconnect with other alums.
In addition, a few regional clubs have developed Web pages
to promote their own organization and events. Although the
College cannot undertake construction or maintenance of Web
pages for the 40 regional clubs, the College has developed
a template for interested clubs. If clubs have the resources
and interest to maintain a Web site independently, this is
a great way to keep track of happenings in your region. Consult
this section of the Web to see if your club has its own page.
What's Next?
The Alumni Office is certainly not short on ideas or ways
to use the Web to benefit alumni. Already, alumni can find
up-to-date information on classmates
and events nationwide. Broadcast e-mails are regularly, sent containing important
and interesting information (don't worry about junk e-mail!). The Web
and e-mail have greatly increased the ability to communicate quickly and
cost effectively with alums. At the same time, the Alumni Office is mindful
that not all alumni have access to computers and Internet service, so they
will continue to use traditional means of communication as well. Eventually
the staff hopes to have the ability to communicate with alumni according
to their preference—either by hard copy or electronically.
The next initiative of the Alumni Office is to pursue online
registration for the 2004 reunions. The online registration
will be a welcome convenience for returning alumni and a
relief for the alumni relations staff, alleviating the current
labor intensive process. Pat McCarthy '63, director
of alumni relations, and his staff are excited about the
advances that have been made through the use of Internet
technologies. “We have developed working partnerships
with Harris Publishing Co. and the College's information
technology department,” McCarthy explains. “With
each new advance comes growing pains and glitches, but we
are striving to make seamless improvements which benefit
all alumni and continue to enhance their Holy Cross experience.”
|
