Honesty Is the Best Policy
CURRENTS Article In this article, Tina Hay, editor of The Penn Stater, discusses the editorial decisions the magazine made in covering the child molestation scandal that erupted at Penn State in November 2011.

The Power of Two
CURRENTS Article BI Norwegian School of Management publishes two alumni magazine, one in Norwegian and the other in English. The English-language magazine has helped keep international alumni engaged.

Virtually Yours
CURRENTS Article Technology is providing alumni relations professionals with a new way to organize events and engage more alumni, but it also offers us the opportunity to look at our field through a new lens. For example, using webcams and digital recorders, brick-and-mortar events can be retooled to reach more than just those people who attend. Alumni leaders now have the ability to engage their entire database worldwide without being limited to a particular venue, region, or timeframe.

Virtualmente suyo
CURRENTS Article La tecnología ofrece a los profesionales de la vinculación con exalumnos un nuevo prisma para ver los eventos. Es el fin de una era en las relaciones con los exalumnos. Las evidencias están a la vista, y la mayoría de nosotros no las hemos visto o no estamos dispuestos a aceptarlas. Para muchas asociaciones de exalumnos, la asistencia y la participación en eventos y programas siguen disminuyendo mientras los costos que conllevan siguen aumentando. Los sitios de redes sociales, y otras herramientas web 2.0 ofrecen nuevas formas de comunicarse con los egresados, sin mencionar que son nuevas formas para que éstos se comuniquen entre sí sin la participación de las asociaciones de exalumnos.

In Full Bloom
CURRENTS Article The digital age is upon us, with technology reshaping the way institutions interact with students, faculty, alumni, and donors. Find out how this new age is changing the world of communications and marketing, alumni relations, and development.

Advance Work: News at Your Fingertips
CURRENTS Article The University of Waterloo is offering its iPhone- and BlackBerry-wielding alumni the option of receiving school news on their mobile devices.

Advance Work: No Turning Back
CURRENTS Article The University of Pittsburgh alumni association stopped printing an annual alumni report and instead put it online. This switch not only saved money but allowed the association to better communicate with alumni.

AdvanceWork: Season's e-Greetings
CURRENTS Article When alumni relations officers at Miami (Ohio) and Colgate universities wanted to spice up their alumni outreach efforts, they turned to e-cards. The Flash-based “postcards” of photo, sound, and video messages most often are used to engage and involve alumni in campus activities, seek their support, and help them feel connected to alma mater. This article explores why and how these campuses embraced e-cards and links to several examples.

Let's Make a Deal
CURRENTS Article Alumni might not realize that they can benefit from the technology their alma mater already uses to locate and stay in touch with former students. Help alumni activate their “hidden” alumni network by showing them how to connect with fellow graduates via online directories, campus personnel directories, online class notes, and more. With these high-tech tools, business-savvy former students can forge new ties, rekindle lost campus connections, and open doors to new opportunities. An accompanying sidebar offers advice on networking etiquette.

Manager's Portfolio: Achieving Fabled Service
CURRENTS Article Like Nordstrom and other companies famous for customer service, alumni associations should infuse quality constituent service into everything they do. This column features examples from the University of Michigan Alumni Association, which has created a customer relations staff.

Mending Student Discontent
CURRENTS Article Alumni still carrying grievances from their student days can be turned into enthusiastic donors if development officers listen to and address those grievances. Development officers should also be alert to the dissatisfactions of current students, and can try to collaborate with other campus departments to improve the student experience, in order to cultivate future donors.

Closing Remarks: It's Still about People
CURRENTS Article Taylor warns that advancement is in danger of depersonalizing its mission by mistaking technology for human contact. To sustain vital, long-term relationships between alumni and the institution, alumni relations officers need to see alumni face to face. E-mail, the Web, and other technological innovations may make work easier, but they should not be used to the exclusion of personal contact.

Tech Support: High-Tech Ties that Bind
CURRENTS Article In addition to e-mail and campus Web sites, the Internet offers special advantages for reaching out to international alumni. The article describes ways to use Internet telephone programs, streaming audio and video, freeware, and live chat to increase contact with alumni globally.

Closing Remarks: You've Got Mail
CURRENTS Article A psychology professor muses about the mailings he receives from his alma mater — including reunion announcements, a survey for the alumni directory, and a solicitation for the annual fund.