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Email & Calendaring Direction

Email Options Change

Starting in 2022, OIT began the process of moving all faculty, staff, students, alumni, and retirees to exclusively use Microsoft Exchange for email. Gmail is no longer offered as an alternative email delivery location in accordance with the OIT Major Projects and Service Direction initiative.

Why are we making this change? 

  • More streamlined security for the CU Boulder Community 
  • Easier collaboration with everyone using the same platform for email
  • Better cost consciousness given the changes to the cost of Google Workspace

Email platform changes 

  • As of 2023, new faculty and staff are provisioned Microsoft 365 mailboxes as their email service. They are not able to switch their email delivery and sending settings to CU Boulder’s Gmail service. 
  • Students admitted after January 19, 2023 will have email routed to Microsoft email services. They will not have the option of receiving colorado.edu email via Gmail. 
  • Existing students will be routed to Microsoft email services upon graduation.
  • Faculty and staff who have opted to have their email routed to Gmail will be transitioned by the time all students have transitioned to Microsoft email services.
  • Faculty and staff who are currently on CU Boulder’s Gmail will be automatically moved to the campus's Microsoft Exchange service and receive notifications before the migration. Learn more about the migration to Gmail for Faculty & Staff.

Email client standards

Microsoft Exchange Online is the default email and calendaring solution for all CU Boulder faculty and staff. OIT highly recommends the use of either the Outlook desktop or mobile application or Outlook Web Access for email and calendaring on macOS. OIT has provided documentation to configure the Apple Mail client for Exchange, but cannot support the application past this initial configuration because the vendor does not consistently adhere to Microsoft's Exchange standards. In addition, OIT does not have the means or access to receive escalated support from the vendor.

Warning: If you have delegates assigned to your inbox or calendar, or you are a delegate of someone else’s inbox or calendar, you must use a Microsoft Outlook client or application. Using the Apple Mail app in this manner can result in mailbox and calendaring corruption for both you and the delegate.

Additional Information