U-M alumni publication debuts online redesign

Updated 10:00 AM October 1, 2007

U-M alumni publication debuts online redesign

This week, the University alumni magazine Michigan Today posted a newly redesigned Web site, with a new look, new content, dynamic multimedia and several interactive features that let alumni interact with each other and the magazine.

Michigan Today first appeared in 1968, and for much of its history was mailed directly to more than 400,000 alumni. But rising paper, printing and mailing costs made such a format impossible to sustain, especially for a public institution.

"The obvious choice," says Editor John Lofy, "was to take Michigan Today online." The magazine already offered a monthly e-mail newsletter, along with a Web version of each print issue. The Web site and newsletter were completely renovated with the help of Michigan Marketing and Design, and new content added that capitalizes on the strengths of the Internet.

"Going online is exciting," Lofy says. "We've always had writers and photographers of national stature. Now we can tell stories and connect to readers in ways we never could before." New features include regular columns by and about faculty; multimedia such as podcasts, video and slideshows; and a column by historian and National Book Critics Circle Award winner James Tobin on U-M history provides alumni an opportunity to tell their own stories about what the University was like when they were students. The current issue features an exclusive excerpt from Bo Schembechler's last book — "Bo's Lasting Lessons" — and an interview with his co-author, John Bacon, about what made Bo such a powerful leader.

To read Michigan Today, and to sign up to receive the monthly e-mail, go to michigantoday.umich.edu.

U-M alumni publication debuts online redesign

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