FAQ: Changes to UMN Email and Google Workspace

When the University first began providing email to alumni and retirees 

• email was not widely available
  • today, email accounts are widely available and offered free of charge
• cyberattacks were less sophisticated and infrequent
  • today, cyberattacks are sophisticated and widespread 
• data storage was was free and unlimited
  • today, Google and other big tech vendors charge for data storage

Because the environment has changed, we must change. 

For people who graduated or retired from the University before June 1, 2024 and have an active UMN Google account, the University is offering an opt-in alumn.umn.edu email account.

Eligibility for the @alumni.umn.edu account

People who are considered to have had the expectation of continued access to email after graduation or retirement are defined as those who 

• graduate(d) or retire(d) before June 1, 2024; and 
• are not currently employed by the University or enrolled as a student.
   

University graduates who are currently employed by University or are enrolled in classes have active Google Workspace accounts and therefore are not eligible for the opt-in alumni account. 

• Learn more about the opt-in alumni email account  
• Learn more about  Changes to UMN Email and Google Workspace 

The Office of Information Technology's team met with individuals and groups systemwide to 

• understand how people and processes would be impacted
• determine if current processes that rely on email could be adapted; and
• to ensure that students, faculty, and staff 
  • are supported, 
  • can retain their personal emails, contacts, and files, and 
  • can stay connected to the University. 

Groups consulted include

• Academic and Support unit IT Leads systemwide 
• Academic Support Resources 
• Admissions Career Services 
• Graduate School Health Information Privacy & Compliance 
• International Student and Scholar Services
• Individual alumni and retirees 
• Office of the General Counsel
• Office of Human Resources 
• Office of Institutional Analysis 
• Office of Internal Audit 
• Office of Student Affairs
• One Stop
• MyU
• Research Data Services 
• Registrars systemwide 
• Senate Committee for Information Technology (SCIT)
• Senior academic and support unit leaders 
• Student organizations 
• Undergraduate Student Government
• University Data custodians 
• University Information Security 
• University of Minnesota Alumni Association 
• University of Minnesota Foundation
• University of Minnesota Retirees Association
• University of Minnesota Morris Retirees Association
• University Relations
• and more

The change to UMN email and Google Workspace will affect non-emeritus faculty, staff, and students who leave the University. 

Before June 1, 2024

People who graduate(d) or retire(d) before June 1, 2024 who have active UMN Google Workspace accounts are considered the legacy or transition population and will have one year to transition their accounts (including people in the Health Care Component).

After June 1, 2024

People who leave the University after June 1, 2024 including people who graduate or retire will have a transition period determined by their role and their affiliation with the Health Care Component.

Student, non-emeritus faculty, and staff who are not employed by or enrolled in classes at the University (excluding people on an official leave of absence or academic suspension) whose Google Workspace accounts have been inactive (no one has signed in) more than one year will be closed and their contents will be deleted.

For details on timelines associated with each role/affiliation, see the Leaving the University self-help guide.

People who work at the University less than 12 months — and are expected to return — usually have what is called a Person of Interest (POI) account. POI accounts are not affected by the changes to UMN email and Google Workspace initiative. Check with your department's Human Resources function to understand your access.

People who graduated or retired before June 1, 2024 are considered the transition population. For this group of people, the University is offering the following resources:

• Time: One year transition period for people who graduate(d) or retire(d) on or before June 1, 2024.
• How-to instructions: Detailed instructions to download or transfer your personal emails, contacts, and files.*
• Alumni Gmail Account: A new opt-in email (and contacts) account for alumni and retirees. Learn more about the opt-in alumni account. 
• Continued contact: Update your contact information so you don’t miss out on important University news. 
• Support: If you need help troubleshooting an issue when transferring your personal emails, contacts and files; or support when signing up for the alumni Gmail account, please complete this support request form. 
   

For more information, visit the Changes to UMN Email and Google Workspace.

*People who worked or studied in the Health Care Component are not permitted to use Google Takeout to transfer emails, contacts, or files of any kind out of their UMN Google Workspace account in compliance with HIPAA laws.

No. Due to legal and operational risks related to SPAM, the University will not offer email forwarding. We recommend that you set up a vacation reply as soon as possible that provides a different email account.

• Set up a vacation reply

  • Follow instructions to set up a vacation reply 
  • In the body of your vacation reply, provide your personal email address. Here is an example vacation reply message that you might use:

"Greetings, 

I hope this message finds you well. I have recently changed my primary email address to [[email protected]]. This change is effective immediately. Going forward, please contact me at the email address mentioned above.

 [Your Full Name] 

[Your Phone Number]"

• Update your contacts, subscriptions, memberships, and accounts

  • We strongly recommended that you begin updating all of the places you may have used your University email address. 
  • Use this Example Update Contacts list to get started.

No. The security risks associated with email accounts are the primary driver for this change. The @umn.edu Google Workspace is integrated with University systems, and therefore creates data security, data privacy, and licensing compliance risks. 

The opt-in @alumni.umn.edu accoun is not integrated with systems and does not carry the same risks. Learn more about the opt-in alumni account. 

Alumni Gmail accounts are being offered for a limited time to people who 

• Do NOT have a current active affiliation and account with the University 
• Graduated from the University of Minnesota before June 1, 2024 
• Retired from the University before June 1, 2024 
• Are lifetime memberships from the University of Minnesota Alumni Association 

Learn more about the alumni email account

Please note: People who graduated from the University and are current faculty, staff or students have active UMN Google Workspace accounts and are not eligible to create the alumni email account. 

To create your opt-in alumni account, you will need: 

• your University of Minnesota Internet ID and password
• a non-UMN email address that will be used to help recover your account if you forget your password to your alumni account 

If you are eligible to enroll in an alumni email account, you should have received an email with an enrollment link and instructions. 

If you are not eligible, the enrollment link will result in a "Account Not Eligible" message. If you tried the enrollment link and it resulted in an "ineligible" message, and you believe that you are eligible, please complete this form. 

The alumni account is being offered for a limited time to people who graduated or retired before June 1, 2024 and have an active UMN Gmail and Google Workspace account.

• People who graduated or retired before November 17, 2023 and have an active UMN Gmail and Google Workspace account will have until December 7, 2024 to create an alumni account.
• People who graduate or retire between November 18, 2023 and June 1, 2024 and have an active UMN Gmail and Google Workspace account will have until June 2025 to create an alumni account.
• People who graduate or retire after June 1, 2024 will not be eligible to create an alumni account.

No. Students currently enrolled in courses are not eligible to sign up for an opt-in alumni email account. 

Alumni accounts will only be available to people who graduate or retire on or before June 1, 2024 who do not have an active affiliation with the University. Active affiliations include if employment, enrollment, and people with Person of Interest (POI) accounts.

If you graduate between November 17, 2023 and June 1, 2024, you will be added to a group who will be eligible to sign up for an alumni account in June 2024. You will be notified at that time and you will have one year to complete your enrollment.

If you graduate before June 1, 2024 but your student record is not updated, you will be added to a transition group that will include graduates between June 1, 2024 and August 31, 2024. Your transition period will being in September 2024 and will end in September 2025.

No. The alumni email account is available only to people who have departed the University.

No. Opening an @alumni.umn.edu account has no impact on your ability to access your @umn.edu account. You can continue to access your @umn.edu email address until it is closed.

• If you graduated or retired before November 17, 2023 and have an active UMN Gmail and Google Workspace, your UMN email account ending in @umn.edu will remain open until December 7, 2024
• If you graduated or retired between November 18, 2023 and June 1, 2024 and have an active UMN Gmail and Google Workspace account, your umn.edu email account ending in @umn.edu will remain open until June 2025. People who graduate or retire in this time frame will become eligible to opt in to an alumni account in June 2024. 
• If you graduated between June 2024 and August 2024 and have an active UMN Gmail and Google Workspace account , your umn.edu email account ending in @umn.edu will remain open until September 2025. People who graduate in this time frame will become eligible to opt in to an alumni account in September 2024.

No. Once a umn.edu alumni account closes due to inactivity for 6 months, the account cannot be restored.

An email is sent after 5 months of inactivity to both the alumni account email address and to the back-up account used to set up the alumni account. The email reminds the alumni account holder to sign in. If the account holder does not sign in, the account will permanently close.

No. New alumni accounts will not be issued if the account closes due to inactivity. 

To access your University of Minnesota Google Workspace (Gmail account): 

• Use your internet browser to navigate to mail.umn.edu. You will need to sign in using your internet ID and password; or
• Use your internet browser to navigate to MyU, the University’s portal, at myu.umn.edu. 
  • After you sign in to MyU you will see the mail icon in the top right corner. Click that to access your umn.edu email messages. 

Password Resets

You can reset your password yourself on the self-service page at my-account.umn.edu if you know your current password; or have previously submitted an alternate email address; or previously set your password-reset questions 

If you do not know your password, the University will need to verify your identity to help ensure your privacy and data security. Contact Technology Help at 612-301-4357.

Internet ID

Your Internet ID is the portion of University email address before the @ symbol. For example, if your email address were [email protected], your Internet ID would be john9898.

The University takes reasonable measures to protect the privacy of its information technology resources and accounts assigned to individuals. However, the University does not guarantee absolute security and privacy. 

Users should be aware that any activity on information technology resources may be monitored, logged, and reviewed by University-approved personnel or may be discovered in legal proceedings. The University assigns responsibility for protecting its resources and data to technical staff, data owners, and data custodians, who treat the contents of individual assigned accounts and personal communications as private and do not examine or disclose the content except:

• as required for system maintenance including security measures; 
• when there exists reason to believe an individual is violating the law or University policy; 
• and/or as permitted by applicable policy or law. 

The University reserves the right to employ security measures. When it becomes aware of violations, either through routine system administration activities or from a complaint, it is the University's responsibility to investigate as needed or directed, and to take necessary actions to protect its resources and/or to provide information relevant to an investigation.

Yes. Your UMN Internet ID is unique to you. The University does not reuse internet IDs. If you return to the University as a student, faculty, or staff member, it will be yours to use again. 

Students who return 

If you enroll as a student or become employed by the University within your one-year transition period, your Google Workspace emails, contacts, and files will still be available. If you return to the University after your transition period, and your account has been closed, your content will not be available. 

During your transition period, you will receive monthly emails that indicate how much time remains before your account is closed. Use the Leaving the University guide to get detailed instructions for how to transfer your emails, contacts, and files*.

Retired faculty and staff who return (Non-Health Care Component)*

• If you retire from the University before June 1, 2024, you will have a one-year transition period. 
  • If within that transition period, you enroll as a student or become employed by the University your Google Workspace emails, contacts, and files will still be available. 
  • If you return to the University after your transition period, that content will not be available. 
    • During your transition period, you will receive regular emails that indicate how much time remains before your account is closed.
• If you depart the University after June 1, 2024, you will have 21 days before your account is closed. 
  • If you return within the 21-day transition period, your Google Workspace emails, contacts, and files will be available. 
  • After 21 days, if you return to the University, your internet ID will be reassigned to you, but your content will not be available.

*Retired faculty with emeritus status will have continued access to their UMN Google Workspace accounts, per UMN policy.

Faculty and staff who return (Health Care Component)*

• If you retire from an academic or support unit that is within the Health Care Component before June 1, 2024, you will have a one-year transition period. 
  • If you enroll as a student or become employed by the University within your one-year transition period, your Google Workspace emails, contacts, and files will still be available. 
  • If you return to the University after your transition period, that content will not be available. 
    • During your transition period, you will receive regular emails that indicate how much time remains before your account is closed.
• If you depart the University after June 1, 2024, in compliance with HIPAA laws, you will have 1 day before your account is closed. 

What you can do:

If you want to retain your personal emails, contacts, and files, you must transfer them before you leave the University or before your transition period ends. See: Leaving the University for detailed instructions.

*Note: People who worked or studied in an academic or support unit in the Health Care Component are not eligible to use Google Takeout to transfer their Google Workspace content (in compliance with HIPAA).

Yes. According to the Emeriti Title for Retired Faculty policy, retired faculty with emeritus status will continue to have access to email. 

Sometimes emeritus status does not get entered correctly in the University's administrative records system, PeopleSoft. You can contact your college or unit to validate or update your account status as Faculty Emeriti. 

See the Emeriti Title for Retired Faculty policy. 

Yes. Faculty, staff, and student researchers have special considerations when they depart the University, concerning: 

• Ownership and sharing of research data
• Continuing collaborations
• Publications

See Researchers: Leaving the University.

File types in your Google Workspace may include:

• Email 
• Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms
• Any file types uploaded to Google Drive or Shared Drive, e.g., (jpgs, pngs, mp4s, Word Docs, PowerPoints, PDFs, CSVs, etc.) 
• Google Sites
• Calendar entries
• Photos

After non-emeritus faculty, staff, and students depart the University, their UMN email and Google Workspace will be closed and the contents within will be deleted—including the accounts of people who retire or graduate. For collaborators who remain at the University who need to retain files created by people who have left, it is important to

• Understand the difference between files shared from an individual’s Google My Drive and files shared in a Google shared drive.
• Be aware of timelines for account transitions and closures, shared file availability, and deletion.
• Learn how to retain files before an account is closed, and if necessary, after an account is closed.

Visit  Google Workspace: Retain Files After Collaborators Leave the University to learn important details.

Follow good practices for safe computing.