- California - 1-866-468-5774
- Clarion - 1-855-376-5980
- Edinboro - 1-866-456-1951
Oral History Project
Your Story, Our History: The PennWest Oral History Project
Whether you're a Fighting Scot, a Golden Eagle, or a Vulcan, we want to hear your story!
The PennWest Oral History Project is a unique opportunity to capture your experiences
at California, Clarion or Edinboro in your own words. These personal narratives will
be preserved in beautiful, professionally produced books celebrating the rich history
of each campus.
Share Your Story
Ready to share your memories? You can call your dedicated Campus Update Line or email customerservice@publishingconcepts.com. You'll then receive a personalized link to submit your written story and a photo.
So, what California, Clarion or Edinboro memory will you share?
- Did a special faculty or staff member profoundly impact your life?
- Did you find your sweetheart on campus?
- Can you trace your career path back to a defining moment here?
- Have connections you made on campus turned into lifelong friendships?
- Were you on campus during a historical moment?
- Are you a legacy?
If you have stories from more than one campus, please let us know!
Our Partnership with PCI
To make this ambitious project a reality, PennWest has teamed up with PCI (also known as Publishing Concepts, Inc.). PCI is a family-owned business with over 100 years of experience publishing directories for educational institutions and other organizations. Their expertise allows us to collect and preserve your memories without any cost to PennWest University.
When a PCI representative calls you, they'll be eager to hear about your time at California, Clarion or Edinboro and how those experiences shaped your life. They'll also take a moment to confirm your current contact information, ensuring our records are up to date.
Please note: PCI is committed to protecting your information. The names, addresses and information provided to PCI for the publication of the PennWest Oral History Project will be held confidential by PCI, except to the extent that they are utilized in, or in the preparation of, the PennWest Oral History Project and except as required by court order or law.
Important note on purchases: During your call, PCI will offer you the opportunity
to purchase the Oral History Book and other exclusive, campus-branded merchandise
related to this project. We want to emphasize that your participation in sharing your
story is entirely voluntary, and there is no obligation to make any purchases. Your
decision to buy or not buy will not impact your story's inclusion in the book. Your
contribution is invaluable to this project, and we couldn't do it without our amazing
alumni and PCI's partnership. We sincerely thank everyone who participates and those
who choose to purchase the book.
What to Look for
Soon, you'll receive emails and postcards directly from the PCI team with instructions on how to participate. We warmly invite you to share your unique experiences and become a part of this special project honoring the voices of our alumni.
The PCI team will be collecting stories until December 21, 2025. Following that, they will enter a post-production phase for editing and compilation. We anticipate distributing the book in late spring 2026.
Email Examples
Postcard Examples
Frequently Asked Questions by Alumni
PennWest has partnered with PCI (also known as Publishing Concepts) to produce an Oral History Publication. 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 on campus and how the university 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
- 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 California, Clarion or Edinboro. Your story will be recorded, and the sound clip provided to PennWest 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 campus line:
- California - 1-866-468-5774
- Clarion - 1-855-376-5980
- Edinboro - 1-866-456-1951
If you are living internationally or are unable to call the update line, please email PCIservice@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 12/12/2025 by contacting PCI’s customer service helpdesk at 1-800-982-1590 / PCIservice@publishingconcepts.com.
You can call back at any time before 12/12/2025 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).
The California, Clarion and Edinboro Oral History Publications are available for sale only to alumni.
Contact PCI’s customer service helpdesk at 1-800-982-1590 and they will take care of this for you.