More Colleges Offer Graduates Lifetime E-Mail Addresses

By SCOTT CARLSON

For colleges that want to keep tabs on alumni in the post-graduation diaspora, a simple e-mail account can work as a homing device. It's also a constant lure back to university Web pages, a venue for free publicity, and a sort of graduation gift.

Many institutions, even smaller colleges, are offering alumni free, permanent e-mail accounts as a means of maintaining contact with graduates. Although the perk often amounts to little more than a basic Web-based account -- similar to the