37.030:  Alumni Records

Status:	Approved on March 31, 2003	Signatures and dates on archival copy
Effective:	when approved
Initiated by:	Margaret Sheskey Assistant Vice President for University Advancement
Reviewed by:	Nancy Prichard Crist, Chair Policy and Procedure Review Committee
Endorsed by:	Leonard Raley Vice President for University Advancement
Approved by:	Stephen Kopp Provost

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that consistent, accurate information about alumni is readily available to all appropriate constituencies within the University in a timely fashion. Our alumni should not have to provide the University with information more than one time, and their requests for restrictions on use of the information must be respected.

Policy

Advancement Services, in the Division of University Advancement, will maintain a centralized database of official alumni records. Advancement Services will ensure that disaster-recovery plans are in place, including routinely storing a backup copy of the centralized database files in a non-adjacent building.

Advancement Services will assist units and departments by providing convenient, timely retrieval of information, including on-line access and the generation of mailing lists and labels, as needed.

Colleges, units, and departments are not to maintain separate, "shadow" databases of biographical and gift data on Ohio University alumni, in either electronic or hardcopy format. They may keep, and use internally, temporary working copies of information generated directly from the central database.

Procedures

I.  General

All departments needing access to alumni information should contact Advancement Services, by campus mail, or by E-mail to advinfo@ohio.edu.

II.  Data

Departments will work with Advancement Services to incorporate all alumni information that they receive into the central alumni records database. Departments will identify to Advancement Services the reports and data needed to support departmental activities.

III.  Updates

Individual colleges, units, and departments should refer all alumni who desire to make their own address changes or biographical updates via the Web to the Alumni Relations Web site, accessible through http://www.ohiou.edu/alumni/.

All other updates of information about alumni, including but not limited to, biographical updates, address changes, and employment information, that come to the attention of University employees should be promptly brought to Advancement Services' attention:

1. Information from hardcopy notes is to be forwarded through campus mail.

2. Information from E-mail and telephone mesages is to be forwarded by E-mail to advinfo@ohio.edu.

IV.  Transition Process

This sub-section describes the transition process for departments that had been maintaining shadow databases prior to this policy first becoming effective. This sub-section will be removed in a future revision of this policy, after all the existing shadow databases have been permanently retired.

1. Departments will identify and share with University Advancement all shadow databases. University Advancement will work closely with departments to understand the purpose and use of the data so that a prioritization for conversion of the various databases may be established.

2. University Advancement will incorporate those lists in the alumni database.

3. University Advancement will identify and develop appropriate formats for lists and reports to meet the needs of the various divisions and departments.

4. The length of time necessary to complete this process will depend on the quality and size of the databases. University Advancement will provide a time estimate to each department. University Advancement expects that full implementation will take approximately 18 months.

Reviewers

Proposed revisions of this policy should be reviewed by:

1. Policy and Procedure Review Committee

2. Director of Computer Services

3. All academic unit heads (i.e., college deans, school and center directors, department chairs, etc.)

Forms

There are no forms that are specific to this policy.

Dick Piccard and Kristina Schnelle revised this file (http://www.ohiou.edu/policy/37-030.html) on April 1, 2003.

Please E-mail any comments or suggestions to "polproc@www.ohiou.edu".