Being an alumna is new to Dominique Kunz, but she already is worried about two years from now, when she may lose her student email address.
On May 30, MSU alumni who have not registered for classes in more than two years were informed their MSU email accounts would be deleted. Since then, the university has heard many complaints and suggestions on the issue. The response, MSU is looking into alternatives for alumni accounts.
“I’d love to (keep my email) just because it gives some Michigan State recognition with it,” Kunz said, adding her @msu.edu email is on her résumé and it would be a long process to update the contacts and accounts linked to her email.
“After two years just seems a little abrupt,” Kunz said.
Vallabh Sambamurthy, an Eli Broad College of Business professor of information technology, said money is not the primary issue when considering to delete alumni emails. MSU having the relationship it wants with its alumni is.
“The alumni relationship is very valuable,” Sambamurthy said. “If there is a small group that really values that service, it’s not worth getting them upset.”
This is how Big Ten universities have chosen to handle alumni email accounts, according to each university’s email services website or a university spokesperson:
University of Michigan offers email forwarding services for all alumni and currently is considering
the possibility of an alumni account.
University of Wisconsin continues alumni use of student email accounts for four to six months after graduation and then offers a uwalumni.com address.
University of Nebraska offers alumni association accounts or the option to keep student email addresses for life.
University of Iowa offers an optional alumni forwarding address for members of its online community.
Purdue University transfers student email accounts to alumni.purdue.edu accounts beginning their junior year and deletes all accounts not transferred one year after graduation.
Northwestern University offers an optional alumni email address or continued use of the student account with a different login.
Indiana University offers a forwarding service for alumni association accounts.
University of Illinois discontinues student email accounts after three months and offers a forwarding service for one year; it also offers an alumni association email account.
Ohio State University offers email for life with alumni association membership.
University of Minnesota offers continued access to student email accounts as long as the account remains active.
Penn State University continues access to student accounts for six months following graduation, after which it offers email forwarding for alumni association members.
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