Attention UMRA members who use a UMN email account and internet ID. In early January, you should have received an email from the Office of Information Technology that said "… your University of Minnesota email and Google Workspace account will be closed on Saturday, December 7, 2024." 

One exception: Emeriti faculty should not have received this message. I encourage those of you who are retired tenured faculty to confer with your departments if you have questions about your status as emeriti.

I have been meeting with OIT leadership, and together we are planning a special workshop on this transition.  See the announcement for this event.  

I've asked OIT to cover these topics:

1. transition details, including the opportunity to sign up for an alumni email account (@alumni.umn.edu) as well as other options (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, AOL). The alumni account includes Gmail and contacts only, and offers 5 GB of storage;

2. how to transfer personal email and documents from your UMN email and Google Workspace to a service of your choice;

3. how to update your contacts, subscriptions, and memberships; and

4. tips for managing and protecting your email and online identity.

In addition, we plan to record the session and post it on the UMRA website and to identify contacts for any follow-up questions regarding the changes to UMN email and Google workspace.

I know many of you have been anxious and want to move on with this transition to a different email address (@alumni.umn.edu or another email service).

Remember, we have until December 7, 2024, to complete the transition. I'm planning to make the change in the late summer or early fall.

—Eric Hockert, UMRA president