University Park, Pa. -- Life after college takes Penn State graduates many places, but they will never be too far from the University thanks to a service called Friends of Penn State (FPS). FPS is a lifetime, digital identity provided free from the University beginning with the graduating class of spring 2004.
The same Penn State Access Accounts with which students began their Penn State careers are now theirs to keep. Prior to commencement, all spring 2004 graduates-to-be will receive a notice explaining FPS and how to confirm their lifetime digital identities via a set of easy-to-use Web pages.
Though the lifetime digital identity user ID is the same as one's Penn State Access Account, it will not entitle a user to the same services once the Access Account expires six months after graduation.
At this time, this service does not provide for access to e-mail or other services, such as personal Web space, dial-up, the Penn State Portal, and Student Computing Labs. During the six-month period after graduation, alumni will still be able to use those services, but once the Access Account expires, so too will these privileges.
Several centralized, student-based University services are making or have made the transition to Web-based applications for their business transactions and use FPS as the primary method for serving those transactions. With a FPS digital identity, users can authenticate to a variety of Web-based applications and services to order official transcripts, re-enroll and register for classes via the Office of the University Registrar Web site; apply for undergraduate or graduate admissions via the Office of Undergraduate Admissions Web site; manage financial aid and student loan payments; enroll in World Campus courses; enroll in Agricultural Extension courses; and use eCommerce services.
For more information about FPS, visit http://aset.its.psu.edu/fpsproject/