The Oral History Project
Celebrating Northwestern’s legacy through the voices and stories of its alumni.
If you received an email and/or postcard asking you to verify your Northwestern alumni data, please continue reading to learn all about the exciting project.
The Project (Alumni Stories!)
As Northwestern closes in on turning 125 years old, we want to collect as many stories as possible. These stories will preserve the rich history of Northwestern while uniting alumni across generations, professions, geography, and life experiences.
All Northwestern alumni have a story, and we want to hear yours! However, with more than 31,000 living alumni, it would take many years to meet with each of you individually. That’s why we’ve decided to partner with PCI on a special initiative known as The Oral History Project to collect the stories of alumni like you in your own words. These stories will be preserved in a beautiful coffee table book that celebrates the impact Northwestern has had on the lives of our alumni. Copies of the book will be proudly displayed in the library and available to alumni through PCI for optional purchase.
Partnership with PCI
Given our resource constraints, embarking on an alumni verification and story project of this scale seemed unattainable. However, through our collaboration with PCI, we’ve gained access to their skilled team members who are eager to engage with your stories. PCI will help collect and assemble the stories into the Northwestern Memories book that we can share with all of our alumni and keep in our library. Please note, we have only shared your contact information with PCI in conjunction with this project. We have NOT sold your contact information, or otherwise used it for outside marketing purposes.
Your Story In Your Words
What Northwestern story will you share? There are lots of possibilities!
- How did you grow during your time here?
- Did a faculty member have a profound impact on your life?
- Have connections you made on campus turned into lifelong friendships?
- Can you trace your career path back to a defining moment at Northwestern?
- Were you on campus during a historical moment?
- Are you a Northwestern legacy student with parents or grandparents who also attended Northwestern?
What’s Next?
Soon you will be receiving email and postcard communications from the PCI team with instructions on how to verify your contact information and participate in this special project. We’d like to invite you to share your Northwestern story 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 alumni stories from April – October 2025. During this window, you can contact our assigned interview phone line at 1-800-488-9218 to speak with a dedicated representative for the University of Northwestern – St. Paul Oral History Project. You will first be asked to verify your alumni contact information and will then have the opportunity to share your Northwestern story through a mini-interview with PCI representatives.
Beginning in November 2025, our partners at PCI will enter a post-production phase editing the data and stories that are received. As you can imagine, this project is a big undertaking, but PCI hopes to have the book distributed to purchasers in May of 2026. We look forward to hearing from each and every one of you regarding your memories of your time at Northwestern.
Do I have to buy something?
You do NOT need to purchase anything in order to participate or share your story. Additionally, this project is being done at NO COST to Northwestern. The project is completely funded by the alumni who choose to purchase the memory book that will be produced at the end of the project. Following your story share, various packages will be offered to you. These optional materials are products of PCI and pricing/packages are set by PCI. You are welcome to purchase these items, but you are not required or obligated to do so to participate in the project. University of Northwestern does not make any profit from this project.
SAMPLE COMMUNICATIONS:
Communications from PCI for this project will talk about verifying your alumni data and may say something like “Verification of Alumni Data Now Needed.” We hope you’ll take a few minutes to call in, verify your data, and share your Northwestern story. Thank you!
FAQ
Below is a list of frequently asked questions. If you have any other questions, comments, or concerns please contact the Office of Alumni Engagement at 651-631-5338 or [email protected].
We have partnered with PCI (also known as Publishing Concepts) to produce an Oral History Publication for University of Northwestern – St. Paul. 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 Northwestern 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 so we can verify for our alumni database.
Yes, in a few different ways:
- Legacy – sharing and collecting stories preserves the history of our university. Official copies of our memory book will be available in the library.
- Updated Information – allows us to effectively communicate with and engage alumni
- Pride –sharing your story paints a collective picture of Northwestern pride, available for all future generations of Northwestern students and alumni.
- If you have received a postcard or an email with Northwestern’s interview phone line, 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 Northwestern. Your story will be recorded, and the sound clip provided to Northwestern 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 Northwestern update line at 1-800-488-9218
- If you are living internationally or are unable to call the update line, please email [email protected]. PCI will send you a personalized link for you to share your written story and photo.
No. This project is open to Northwestern alumni, friends, and faculty/staff.
If you would like to participate and are Deaf/Hard of Hearing, please email [email protected]. 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. You will receive a copy of your transcribed conversation with the PCI representative via email for review. No contact information is printed or shared. When you call to update your contact information, it will only be used to update your alumni record for the Northwestern alumni engagement team. You may revoke consent for your story and/or photo to appear any time before 10/17/2025 by contacting PCI’s customer service help desk at 1-800-488-9218 or email [email protected].
You can call back at any time before 10/17/2025 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).
You do NOT need to purchase anything in order to participate or share your story. Additionally, this project is being done at NO COST to Northwestern. The project is completely funded by the alumni who choose to purchase the memory book that will be produced at the end of the project. Following your story share, various packages will be offered to you as well as an opportunity to make a gift to Northwestern. These optional materials are products of PCI and pricing/packages are set by PCI. You are welcome to purchase these items, but you are not required or obligated to do so to participate in the project. Northwestern does not make any profit from this project, unless you choose to make an additional donation to Northwestern.
The Northwestern Oral History Project publication is available for sale only to Northwestern alumni and friends that were targeted for this project. A copy will also be available in the Bernsten Library at Northwestern.
The total duration of the Oral History Project is approximately 12 months. Since we will begin the project in April 2025, the books have an estimated distribution date of May 2026.
Contact PCI’s customer service helpdesk at 1-800-982-1590 and they will take care of this for you.
PCI is committed and contracted 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, Northwestern’s Oral History Project and except as required by court order or law.
