[ search ]
[ how do i? ]
[ e-mail forwarding ]
[ online services ]

The Football Letter: Important Information
--------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Football Letter Reader,

The Penn State Alumni Association’s Football Letter is the oldest continually-produced publication of its kind. In 64 years of providing a first-hand alum-to-alum account of each Nittany Lion football game, the publication has progressed from a mimeographed sheet to a two-sided printed page with a player mug shot to a six-sided foldout with game-action photographs. In that time the Alumni Association membership has grown from 15,000 to 159,063.

When Ridge Riley originated this unique publication in 1938, no one complained about receiving it five days after the game. For many of them, it was the only report they had of the contest. Today, most games are televised and all are broadcast over a large radio network.

Mail delivery of The Football Letter—anywhere from five days to two weeks after the game—just doesn’t cut it anymore. Three years ago, the Alumni Association began posting The Football Letter on its Web site every Monday afternoon following each game, and the number of Association members accessing this electronic edition continues to jump significantly each year. Obviously this is a much faster way to deliver the publication to Association members, plus it includes bonus full-color photos, animations, digital video clips, and a printer-friendly version, where all content is displayed in the exact format as seen in the paper copy received by mail.

Printing and mailing costs for The Football Letter have dramatically increased to nearly a half-million dollars a year. In an attempt to be fiscally responsible, the Budget and Finance Committee and the Executive Board of the Alumni Council decided to eliminate the automatic mailing of the printed version of The Football Letter to Association members beginning fall 2002. Members are encouraged to read The Football Letter Online each Monday afternoon or any convenient time thereafter.

The Alumni Association will not eliminate the printed version of The Football Letter, but those who still want to receive the publication via second-class mail must notify the Alumni Association by submitting a request on the Web site.

Even though I retired from the Alumni Association last year, providing you a personalized first-hand account of each exciting Nittany Lion football game will continue to be my pleasure—but you will get it much faster via the Internet. Hey, even an old codger like me learned how to do it, so you can too!

For the Glory,

John Black
Associate Executive Director Emeritus