Alumni Oral History Project

Frequently Asked Questions by Alumni

I received an email/postcard/phone call asking for my personal information and a story about my time and experiences at Paul Smith’s College.

We have partnered with Publishing Concepts, Inc., to produce an Oral History Publication for Paul Smith’s College. PCI is a family-owned business based in Dallas, having published directories for educational institutions, fraternities, sororities, and military organizations across the nation for more than 100 years. This project is about your personal experiences from your time at the College and how it has helped shape your life. And, while we have you on the phone, we want to make sure your contact information is up to date.

Does the College benefit from this at all?

Yes, in a few different ways:

Updated Information – allows us to effectively communicate with and engage alumni

Legacy – sharing and collecting stories preserves the history of the College

Revenue – generates non-dues revenue for alumni programs

Pride – wearing apparel shows support and love for the College

How do I know my information will only be used for Oral History Project purposes?

PCI is committed to protecting your information. The names, addresses and information provided to PCI for the publication of the Oral History Project will be held confidential by PCI, except to the extent that they are utilized in, or in the preparation of, the Oral History Project and except as required by court order or law. Upon completion of the project, PCI will redact Personal Identifiable Information from any electronic files that we have supplied or were produced by PCI in connection with the production of the Oral History Project.

I would like to verify or update my information and share a story. How may I do this?

If you have received a postcard or an email with a telephone number, you may call the number to speak with a dedicated representative for the Oral History Project. The representative will verify some basic data elements from the alumni information we have on file for you, make any updates where needed, and then ask you to share your story about your time at the College. Your story will be recorded and the sound clip provided to the College at the conclusion of the project.

If you have received an email with an embedded link, you may go to the site to review your information and submit your story.

Can I choose what information prints in the publication?

The only information that is included in the publication is your name and class year, along with your story and photo. No contact information is printed. When you call to update your contact information, it will only be used to update your alumni record for Paul Smith’s College. You may revoke consent for your story and/or photo to appear any time before the end of the updating phase by contacting PCI’s customer service helpdesk at 800-982-1590 / PCIservice@publishingconcepts.com.

I updated my information but need some more time to think about what experience to share.

You can call back at any time before the end of the updating phase to share your story.

I shared a story and the representative said I could send a photo. How do I do this?

You will receive an email with a link to upload one photo plus a caption.

If you have purchased a book but do not have an email address on file, you will be sent a photo mailer to send a physical photo to be printed (note: the photo will be returned if you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope).

Can anyone purchase a book?

The Paul Smith’s College Oral History Publication is available for sale only to Paul Smith’s College alumni.

I ordered a book / package over the phone and would like to cancel my order. How do I do this?

Contact PCI’s customer service helpdesk at 800-982-1590 and they will take care of this for you.