Higher Ground Online

HG: This issue of Higher Ground magazine is the first online edition. Why change from the familiar printed version?

BB: There are three primary reasons: First of all, we are in a time of constrained budgets. An online magazine will allow us to deliver more to our loyal readership for significantly less money. The college is, of course, in a position of having to monitor resources very carefully, and this seemed like a sensible budget move, which we believe will also increase the richness of the content we provide to our alumni and friends.

The second reason is something I believe in very personally ; this is a far more environmentally sustainable way of producing and distributing Higher Ground.

And finally, changing to an online version of the magazine gives our readers added value with new features, such as the use of video and live links to related stories, events, and news items in our departments and programs. It also gives us greater access to social-networking tools that so many of our readers already use. We think that converting to an online magazine is a very fresh, forward-thinking way of presenting Higher Ground to our readership.

We hope also that Higher Ground will become more of a living document than the printed version, which came out once a year with deadlines that sometimes restricted our ability to report the college’s latest happenings. With the online version, we can add news and information quickly to create a living, breathing publication that changes constantly. And we will put tools in place that our readers can use to check for updates and new postings so they won’t miss anything they want to know.

HG: What reaction do you expect from alumni and friends?

BB: The first reaction is going to be a little bit of surprise, we think, and some alumni and friends may experience a little disappointment. We know that some readers take Higher Ground with them to read on trips or might save it for bedtime reading, so we will also produce a downloadable version that readers can print if they wish.

HG: What would you say to any who are not happy about the change?

BB: Some of our readers may not like to read on-screen or may not have access to a computer. For the readers who request it, we will print a copy of the magazine and mail it to them. But even with this accommodation to a small number of readers, we will still save significant printing and postage costs on every issue while being more environmentally responsible.