Making the connection

In my last letter I marveled that it was 2006 already. Where has the time gone? Now I want to share with you how far your Alumni Association has come … staying on top of emerging technologies and bringing you more and more services no matter how far from South Mountain you may roam!
Right now, through our award-winning Career Solutions program, you can get career advice via podcast whenever and however you want, even from the comfort of your favorite living room chair!
How? Visit the Online Career Resources page of the Alumni Association Web site and scroll down to the section about podcasts. Just click on the link for the topic of your choice (Resume tips, Behavioral-based interviewing and Professional Summaries) and download the MP3 which you can then play on any computer or portable MP3 player. If multi-tasking is your middle name, you can even burn it to a CD and listen to it while you are driving. The key is that the podcasts are completely mobile and on demand. The Career Solutions staff is always looking for new areas of interest. If you think you have a good one, send an e-mail to Jessi Schimmel
You can also enjoy a walk-in appointment with Lori Kennedy, the Alumni Association's dedicated career counselor, through AOL weekly Instant Messenger office hours. The screen name you are looking for is LUAA Career and the hours are 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday and 12 noon – 2 p.m. on Thursday. Ask the questions you need answered right away one-on-one or join a group in a chat room environment and share with fellow alumni who have similiar concerns.
Within the past few weeks, you probably have received an e-mail from me and from Publishing Concepts (PCI), the company we are working with for the 2007 Lehigh University Alumni Directory project. This directory serves as an archival document of all Lehigh alumni, undergraduate and graduate, and will now be published every four years. The hardbound version serves as a beautiful, as well as useful, coffee table book and a CD-ROM is available as well.
The directory will be divided into five categories: alphabetical, class year, geographical, Greek Affiliation and occupation. What a wonderful networking tool! You do not have to buy a directory to be included in the listings. Please update your information one of the three ways available to you – via phone, online, or through snail mail. The information gathered will allow us to streamline our communications to better serve your specific interests and eliminate spam.
I do want to clarify, however, that the Alumni Association offers multiple online resources, including a directory, and I want to make the difference clear. A free online directory has been available for two years now on the Alumni Association Web site. If you have not accessed the system before, you may do so using your Social Security Number or new randomly generated ID number as the User ID and your date of birth as the password in the following format (mmddyy) six digits only. Through this directory, you can create a profile and list personal and professional information that can only be accessed by other alumni. If you experience difficulty gaining access, please call Evelyn Wolf at (610) 758-4682 and she will assist you.
There is also a dynamic Alumni Career Networking tool with more than 26,500 listings of active alumni across the country who want to network with you! Network volunteers can provide you with valuable career information, contacts, and ideas to help you in your career.
Now that you know about all these amazing ways to stay Connected, Engaged and Involved, I hope to hear from each and every one of you in the coming year, whether it's to verify contact information, share some wonderful news, seek career advice or offer your professional expertise to others, we are here to make it happen.
Chris Marshall ‘88
Alumni Director
February 2006