Starting later this year, the University of Calgary will offer future alumni the option to retain their ucalgary.ca e-mails after graduation.
“This is a way that the university can help alumni stay connected to the school and to each other,” said Alumni Relations senior communications manager Matthew Fox.
Future alumni will have the option to access their e-mail for as long as they see fit.
The Information Technology department and the Alumni Association will provide the webmail service which can be accessed remotely.
“There aren’t any huge costs associated with this,” said Fox. “The service will be free to university alumni.”
After the university surveyed past graduates it was found that more then half of the graduates wanted an e-mail program that would let them keep their ucalgary.ca mail addresses for life, said Fox.
“This is something that past graduates have wanted,” he said. “A way that the university can help them stay connected to the school and to each other.”
In the future, keeping university e-mail addresses will make reconnecting with old friends easy and enable graduates to stay connected to their university. The U of C alumni team facilitates connections between the alumni and university.
The Email for Life program, which is still in development, will be available before the end of 2009.
“We see this as a benefit to keep younger alumni engaged in their university,” said Fox. “We’re happy to do anything we can to help retain those connections.”