Describes collaborative efforts among the alumni relations departments of three Maine liberal arts colleges. Discusses how the cooperative effort began, unexpected benefits, the give and take of partnerships, and adding partners. A sidebar provides examples of four other cooperative efforts. (EV)

Many small-shop alumni directors with no-frills budgets have found volunteer alumni help worth the organizing efforts. Some creative ways that colleges and universities have found to inspire new interest among the uninvolved are described. (MLW)

Alumni administrators are in a unique position to link alumni to products, services, and opportunities they wouldn't otherwise know about. On most campuses, valuable educational and cultural opportunities exist. Ways an alumni administrator can act as a broker between the institution and its alumni are described. (MLW) PUBTYPE-141

This article offers suggestions to alumni affairs offices who are dealing with increasing numbers of outspoken or angry alumni. Advice includes responding promptly, listening carefully, getting the facts ahead of time, keeping alumni informed, and monitoring the hot spots. Examples of how various colleges and universities handle alumni complaints…

Lifelong learning in the United States is no longer a trend but a way of life. Alumni relations should take advantage of this interest by increasing graduates' chances to learn with alumni continuing education. Six steps to success based on Penn State's experience are provided. (MLW)

Provides advice for small alumni offices on how to sponsor an alumni travel program, focusing on booking a travel agent, deciding where to go, using faculty as tour guides or lecturers, making time for alumni office staff to go along, remembering special touches, visiting local alumni, avoiding overt fund raising, and being prepared for problems.…

One of the hottest movements in banking right now is affinity credit cards. For banks, they mean a new source of credit customers. For institutions and alumni organizations, they can mean an easy, inexpensive way to keep the institutional name in front of alumni. (MLW)

Describes the efforts of various college alumni groups to secure better funding for their institutions or promote other legislative causes. (EV)

The ways in which alumni associations trace missing alumni are described. Methods vary from listing lost names in alumni periodicals to paying credit bureaus to trace alumni by Social Security number. The U.S. Postal Service, which runs National Change of Address, sells access to its database of forwarding addresses. (MLW)

The most obvious reason for publishing an alumni directory is to encourage alumni involvement--both with each other and the institution. Concerns in deciding between low-cost and no-cost directory production are highlighted as are steps in producing a directory on campus. (MLW)

Economic pressure has played a role in most clashes between independent alumni associations and their college administrations. Some pros and cons of independence are provided and some events of the past few years are described. (MLW)

Alumni relations is defined as working to motivate alumni to be understanding and supportive of their university. The alumni association should be a community catalyst for moving people. A largely overlooked role for alumni is their involvement in the decision-making processes of a university. (MLW)

Princeton's alumni magazine stepped into the technological age with a computer bulletin board system. Since February 1984, readers of the Princeton Alumni Weekly (PAW) who have personal computers have been able to receive much of the magazine via telephone modem. A description of this computer bulletin board system is provided. (MLW)

Discusses the need for alumni directors to have a good working relationship with their college or university chief executive officer (CEO). Alumni directors need to increase their visibility, meet with the CEO on a regular basis, show results, plan around the CEO's schedule, and mediate conflicts between alumni and the CEO. (MDM)

Four direct mail pieces show how alumni associations find their way to reach former students. The schools are Emerson College, Episcopal High School (VA), Emory University, and University of California, Santa Cruz. (MLW)