Cornell Alumni Magazine and Cornell's Division of University Communications will be working together to develop a new Web site for the magazine, a move that university officials call a "wonderful opportunity" for building a new relationship.

The magazine, which is owned and published by the Cornell Alumni Federation and is independent from the university, will develop the new online presence starting this fall. The site, said magazine editor and publisher Jim Roberts, will serve as a better bridge between alumni and the university than ever before.

"We're hoping this will be much more engaging for the alumni community than our current site," Roberts said. Some of the enhancements for the new site he and alumni officials are proposing include: posting the entirety of magazine content online; offering the ability for readers to comment on stories; and creating a staff-run commentary -- somewhat like a blog -- on campus events and other news.

A complete rollout of the new site is scheduled to come early in 2008. Roberts emphasized that although Cornell Alumni Magazine is receiving support from Cornell's administration, the site, like the magazine, will remain independent from the university, as the magazine has been since it was first published in 1899.

The current site, http://www.cornellalumnimagazine.com, which dates back to 1995, lacks some of the capabilities that both university and magazine officials feel are necessary to bring it up-to-date. Magazine editors had long wanted to upgrade the site but lacked the funds to do so.

Vice President for University Communications Tommy Bruce said Cornell had agreed to provide both funding and some expertise for the project. He and others recognize the magazine is a key venue for communicating with alumni and others interested in Cornell, he said.

"We're really excited about the ability to show a broader range of information," Bruce said. "The more people in the world that are talking about Cornell, the better."

Creating a new Web site, Bruce continued, "will draw more people into an already excellent magazine."

"What they don't have at the moment is the kind of Web site that we all come to expect from publications of this quality," Bruce said. "This is a great group of writers and editors who need to be playing on a larger canvas."

Also lauding the collaborative effort, Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development Charlie Phlegar called the magazine "one of the best in the country."

"I think, during a point at which we have a new president and a capital campaign, a first-rate communication technique adds value to what we're trying to do," Phlegar said.

Roberts said he, together with Alumni Federation President Rolf Frantz, and Kevin McEnery, Cornell Alumni Magazine committee chairman (part of the Federation), had developed the proposal for the new site, which they then presented to University Communications for approval earlier this year.

"In a way, this is a landmark event," Roberts said.

Roberts said it is hoped to have some sample pages ready for display at Homecoming Weekend (Oct. 12-14) and the Trustee/Council meeting a week later.