From their inception as Alumniana in the first issue of the Alumni Review in 1935, Class Notes have been both a forum for the College conversation and a conundrum for the magazine itself. "The task of editing Alumniana in such a way as to give a broad and representative picture is not an easy one," that first Board of Editors grumbled to grads. Then, as now, the issue was simple but daunting: to find the most efficient and engaging way to collect and deliver timely news from thousands of far-flung alumni.
The printed magazine provided the medium, and an invaluable network of generous, talented class correspondents has provided the means. Our Class Notes system works remarkably well, given the scope of the task — collecting, collating and editing 65,000 or so words each issue — and to compare Class Notes with those of almost any other alumni magazine is to be moved anew by the depth and richness of Hamilton's alumni ties.
But nearly three-quarters of a century after this remarkable forum was established, we believe the time and technology to improve it have arrived, and we want your help. For several months, the Office of Communications and Development has been discussing a proposal to move Class Notes fully online, taking them out of the printed magazine and giving them an enhanced, interactive presence on the Web. We had a productive discussion with class leaders on the topic in April and shared it with class correspondents shortly thereafter. We hope you'll read about the proposal in more detail at www.hamilton.edu/ARsurvey, but the key points are these:
Class Notes on the Web would dramatically shorten the time lag between submitting news and reading it in print, from four months or more to days or weeks.
Notes on the Web would offer interactive options impossible in print — pages, links and information tailored to your interests, networking opportunities and the ability to form so-called "affinity groups" of like-minded alumni.
Pages and information would be secure.
Class correspondents would continue to play their time-honored role in overseeing and presenting the news.
Given the ongoing economic turmoil, a transition plan to move Class Notes online may give the magazine important budgeting options down the road. And, of course, there's an environmental dimension: Putting Class Notes online would enable us to eliminate more than two million printed pages a year.
The Alumni Review itself would remain as a printed publication. Paper and ink continue to be the best medium for longer articles, photo features and departments such as Necrology.
We would establish convenient alternatives for readers unwilling or unable to read Class Notes online.
While there has been substantial early support, there also has been some reasonable resistance, much of it of the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" school. Notes in the magazine are portable, readable and part of a grand tradition. The printed publication is a familiar, longtime friend, while many alumni — especially but not exclusively older ones — have little patience for or experience with the Web. In response to such concerns, we are thinking hard about ways to present Class Notes online so that they are simple to find and navigate as well as easy to read. And as readers and writers who ourselves appreciate the traditions and value of paper and ink, we are committed to maintaining and building on the 75-year legacy of printed Class Notes.
We'd like to hear your thoughts on this transition. In this issue you'll find a survey form with some questions and space for your comments. You may return it to us postage paid, or you may prefer to go to www.hamilton.edu/ARsurvey and submit the same survey online. Your name is optional, though we would greatly benefit from having your class year. The deadline for submitting the survey is Oct. 15.
We don't regard this as a "vote," but rather as a discussion about preferences, needs and the means by which the Alumni Review can best continue to serve the Hamilton community. We hope you'll join us.
