The search for information about West Virginia Universitys Alumni Association just got easier for graduates and friends with this weeks launch of the Associations new web sitehttp://alumni.wvu.edu.

We have a new look and a wealth of information there to help keep alumni engaged and involved in the life of WVU ,said Stephen Douglas, president and chief executive officer.

Association officials, he added, are committed to keeping alumni connected to the Mountaineer family.

More and more of our alumni are turning to the Internet and other electronic media as the primary means of communication, and we wanted to provide them with a user-friendly site that will give them the information they need and want.

With just a few clicks of the mouse, alumni and friends can find information about alumni events and activities, alumni center rental information, a calendar of events, news and interactive alumni maps. Visitors can also find interesting stories on WVU alumni, links to constituency groups, WVU traditions and more.

We hope this new site will help to keep our alumni involved, while providing them with interesting stories and opportunities to participate in various alumni programs,Douglas said.

The new features and additions to the site, he noted, are a direct result of alumni feedback from a recent national survey.

From this sampling, we found that alumni want a more robust on-line medium to stay in touch with their alma mater,Douglas explained.We used the results of that survey to develop this new Web site so that we can better meet the needs of our more than 165,000 alumni worldwide. We will continue to enhance this new site moving forward and hope to add new features, including a �€~find-a-frienddatabase, in the coming year.

James Gardill, chair of the board of directors of the WVU Alumni Association, and James Fagan, past chair, officially launched the new site during Thursdays (July 28) board of directorsretreat at Stonewall Resort.

The WVU Alumni Association, chartered in 1873, represents more than 165,000 University graduates residing in every county in West Virginia, every state in the union and approximately 60 foreign nations. With nearly 100 registered chapters and constituent groups, the Associations 26,000 dues-paying members support Homecoming Weekend, the WVU Academy of Distinguished Alumni and dozens of other social and philanthropic programs. For more information about the WVU Alumni Association, visit http://alumni.wvu.edu/ .