CSULB Alumni Oral History Project
The Project
CSULB Alumni has partnered with Publishing Concept (PCI's) Oral History/Alumni Data Verification Project to create something special for all Beach Alumni! Representatives from the Oral History Project will be reaching out to alumni like you by postcard, email and phone in the coming weeks to get your CSULB story. Alumni experiences will help build a special CSULB history book.
Your story is part of CSULB history, and we want to know how your alma mater has impacted you.
The Oral History Project is looking for stories about career success, love stories, first-generation graduate stories, or any story you want to share about CSULB or how CSULB influenced your life.
Have You Moved?
As part of this project, we are also taking this opportunity to help make it easier for you to stay connected to CSULB. PCI will help us collect updated contact information from those of you who may have moved and inadvertently lost touch with your alma mater.
PCI Partnership
With our limited resources, we'd never be able to tackle a project like this. By partnering with PCI, we're able to access their trained staff of real, live human beings who are excited to listen to what you have to share. PCI will also help collect and assemble the stories into the CSULB Alumni Oral History Project book that we can share with all CSULB Alumni.
Do I Have to Buy Something?
No. This project is being done at NO COST to CSULB. The project is completely funded by the alumni who choose to purchase the CSULB Alumni Oral History Project book that will be produced at the end of the project. Various book packages will be offered. PCI will also offer you the option to purchase other CSULB Alumni branded merchandise. You are welcome to purchase these items, but you are not required to do so to participate in the project or order the Oral History Project book. Again, we'd never be able to embark on a project like this without the support of our amazing alumni and the partnership with PCI. We sincerely thank every person that participates and chooses to purchase the book.
Pricing:
What's Next?
Soon you will be receiving email and postcard communications from the PCI team with instructions on how to participate. We'd like to invite you to share one of your stories with us and take part in this first-of-its-kind project to honor the experiences and voices of our alumni. The PCI team will collect stories throughout 2023. After that, they will enter a post-production phase editing the data. We hope to have the book distributed in late summer 2024.
Postcard sample:
Front:
Back:
We look forward to hearing from each and every one of you regarding your memories of The Beach!
Contact Information
If you have any other questions regarding the project, please reach out to PCI customer service desk at 1-800-982-1590 or the CSULB Alumni Engagement Office at alumni@csulb.edu or 562-982-5252.
We have partnered with PCI (also known as Publishing Concepts) to produce an Oral History Publication for CSU Long Beach. PCI is a family owned business based in Dallas, TX that has published directories for educational institutions, fraternities, sororities, and military organizations across the nation for over 100 years. This project allows us to hear about your personal experiences from your time at CSU Long Beach and how the school helped to shape your life since then. And, while we have you on the phone, we want to make sure your contact information is up to date.
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 our school
- Revenue– generates non-dues revenue for alumni programs
- Pride – wearing apparel shows support and love for our school
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.
- 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 the information we have on file for you, make any updates where needed, and then ask you to share your story about your time at CSU Long Beach. Your story will be recorded and the sound clip provided to CSU Long Beach at the conclusion of the project.
- If you have received an email with an embedded link, you may go to the online site to review your information and submit a story.
- If you did not receive a postcard or email, you may call the dedicated CSU Long Beach update line at 1-866-467-1556.
- If you are living internationally or are unable to call the update line, please email customerservice@publishingconcepts.com. PCI will send you a personalized link for you to share your written story and photo.
If you would like to participate and are Deaf/Hard of Hearing, please email customerservice@publishingconcepts.com. PCI will send you a personalized link for you to share your written story and photo.
The only information that is included in the publication is your name, class year and degree, 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 the school/alumni association. You may revoke consent for your story and/or photo to appear any time before December 22, 2023 by contacting PCI’s customer service helpdesk at 1-800-982-1590 / customerservice@publishingconcepts.com.
You can call back at any time before December 22, 2023 to share your story.
You will receive an email with a link to upload one photo (black and white or color) plus a caption.
If you have also purchased a book but do not have an email address on file, you will be sent a photo mailer to send a physical photo in to be printed (note: the photo will be returned if you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope).
The CSU Long Beach Oral History Publication is available for sale only to CSU Long Beach alumni.
The total duration of the Oral History Project is about 12-14 months. Since we began the project in June 2023, the books will be distributed in June – August 2024.
Contact PCI’s customer service helpdesk at 1-800-982-1590 and they will take care of this for you.
