Gift Helps FSU Manage Alumni Records

Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. has received an in-kind gift from Global Science and Technology, Inc. (GST). The gift, valued at $1,600, provided digital preservation for more than 25,000 alumni graduation records stretching back to 1874.

Fairmont State began storing its student records in a computerized system in 1991, and the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. had only a limited number of records for prior graduates until historical documents were discovered in the basement of Hardway Hall. Upon receipt of the documents, Sean Riley, Manager of Alumni and Development Records, was both pleased and nervous.

"My first thought was what a great gift. My second thought was what a huge project," Riley said. "Most schools would give their right arm to have an exact list of every one of their alumni. We got our wish, but had nowhere near the number of staff people to undertake the task of incorporating the information into our electronic database."

To get help, Riley contacted GST in Fairmont, which was working on a document management pilot project between Fairmont State University and West Virginia Auditor Glenn Gainer.

"I called Cannon Wadsworth at GST because I knew they did some work with digital scanning and OCR here at Fairmont State," Riley said.

"They solved my problem in less than two weeks. We still have to match each page year-by-year, graduate-by-graduate, with the records in our database. But, thanks to GST, the process is 50 times faster because we are searching an electronic list instead of binders of fragile and rare documents."

Once the documents are completely matched and vetted, the Foundation will be able to provide accurate information to its alumni, schools, departments, clubs, fraternal organizations and media partners from 1874 to the present day.

GST's donation has already paid one special benefit to an Ohio family seeking information for their mother's obituary and memorial service.

"We didn't have her in the database because she graduated more than 50 years ago, but there she was on the GST disc," said Crystal Stevens, Director of Alumni Affairs.

"I found a copy of The Mound (Fairmont State's yearbook) with a signed picture and actual handwritten notes from the deceased. We were able to provide something meaningful during one family's time of suffering and also help to properly commemorate her life."

To make an in-kind gift of services or materials to the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc., in support of Fairmont State University or Pierpont Community & Technical College programs, contact Chris Morgan, Director of Foundation Operations and Finances at (304) 367-4788. In-kind gifts are tax deductible the full extent of the law.