Penn State Graduates Stay Connected with Friends of Penn State

University Park, PA -- Life after college takes Penn State graduates many places but they will never be too far from Penn State thanks to a service called Friends of Penn State. In addition to some of the benefits graduates receive as brand new alums, they now can forever stay connected to their alma mater with a free, lifetime digital identity called Friends of Penn State (FPS).

Beginning with the graduating class of spring 2004, all Penn State graduates will be automatically granted a lifetime Friends of Penn State digital identity. The same Penn State Access Accounts with which students began their respective Penn State careers are now theirs to keep. Prior to commencement, all spring 2004 graduates-to-be will receive notice via e-mail explaining FPS and how to confirm their respective lifetime digital identities via a set of easy-to-use Web pages. Though the lifetime digital identity userid is the same as one's Penn State Access Account, it will not entitle a user to the same services once the Access Account expires six months after graduation.

At this time, this service does not provide for access to e-mail or other services such as Personal Web space, dial-up, the Penn State Portal, Student Computing Labs, etc. During the six month period after graduation, graduates will still be able to use those services but once the Access Account expires, so too will these privileges.

Several centralized, student-based University services are making or have made the transition to Web-based applications for their business transactions and use Friends of Penn State as the primary method for serving those transactions. With a Friends of Penn State digital identity, users can authenticate to a variety of Web-based applications and services to:

• register for classes via eLion;
• apply for undergraduate or graduate admissions via the Office of Undergraduate Admissions Web site;
• manage financial aid and student loan payments;
• enroll in Penn State World Campus courses;
• enroll in Agricultural Extension Courses; and,
• use eCommerce services.

For general information about Friends of Penn State, please visit the FPS Project Web site.