Offboarding Instructions

For Alumni & Students Taking a Hiatus

WIU Alumni will no longer have access to their WIU email account beyond the one-year period following their graduation from the university. Any alumni interested in maintaining access to a WIU email account may apply for such access through a sponsorship process coordinated by University Technology.

Students on leave from the university but who have not yet graduated will have their email access discontinued after two consecutive semesters of complete non-attendance. For example, if you last attended during the Fall 2023 semester, your email account will be disabled if you do not register for classes for the following Spring 2024 and Fall 2024 semesters.

If you do not plan on taking classes at WIU for two consecutive semesters, please complete the following:

Create a Personally-Owned Email Address if You Don’t Already Have One
If you do not already have a personally-owned email account, you can set up an account with a free service like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo Mail. Western Illinois University does not endorse any particular email product; the above are only provided as examples of some of the most popular services.
If you received a degree from WIU, update your contact information with the WIU Alumni Association
Visit https://www.wiu.edu/alumni/updates/ and complete the update form to ensure the Alumni Association has your personal email address.
Notify All Email Contacts
Inform your contacts of your new email address to ensure continued communication. We suggest sending them a message such as:

“Hello! My email address is changing; please contact me at [personal email address] effective immediately. I will not have access to my Western Illinois University email account in the near future.”
Update Third-Party Websites
If you have any personally-owned services or accounts tied to your Western Illinois University email address, update your email address with these services so that they use a personally-owned email account. Per the Technology Use Policy, personal use of university computing resources, which include email accounts, is strictly prohibited.
Set Up an Auto-Reply
Add an auto-reply to your Western Illinois University email account informing people of your new email address. We suggest setting a brief message such as:

“Please contact me at [personal email address] effective immediately. This Western Illinois University email account will be disabled in the near future.”
Download any Personal Files
The Technology Use Policy prohibits the personal use of university computing resources, including your email, Google Drive and Google Photos. That being said, if you have any personal files in your email account, Google Drive, or Google Photos, you will want to manually download any files you wish to keep.

Before you download or forward any personal files, it is very important to read and understand the following:
- Due to the inability to distinguish between personal and university-protected data, bulk downloading or exporting of data is prohibited.
- Forwarding of university emails to personal email accounts where such emails contain data that is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), or any other security or privacy-based law or regulation is prohibited.
- Downloading of university emails to devices not owned by the university where such emails contain data that is protected by FERPA, HIPAA, GLBA, or any other security or privacy-based law or regulation is prohibited.
- This can be a time intensive process, and University Technology staff is limited in the support they can provide. Please use the following help documents to assist in this process:

For Retirees

Employees who retired prior to June 25, 2024 may retain access to their WIU email account provided that their account remains active. Active is defined as logging into the email account via the official Gmail website at least once every 90 days. Such retirees must also complete required annual security training when provided by the university.

Employees who retire on June 25, 2024 or after will have their WIU email account disabled on the day of their retirement. Any such retiree interested in maintaining access to a WIU email account may apply for such access through a sponsorship process coordinated by University Technology.

Otherwise, to prepare for the closure of your WIU email account, please complete the following:

Create a Personally-Owned Email Address if You Don’t Already Have One
If you do not already have a personally-owned email account, you can set up an account with a free service like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo Mail. Western Illinois University does not endorse any particular email product; the above are only provided as examples of some of the most popular services.
Update your contact information with the University
During your exit process with Human Resources, ensure that you provide your personal email address on the required clearance form.
Notify All Email Contacts
Inform your contacts of your new email address to ensure continued communication. We suggest sending them a message such as:

“Hello! I have retired from Western Illinois University, and my email address is changing; please contact me at [personal email address] effective immediately. I will not have access to my Western Illinois University email account in the near future.”
Update Third-Party Websites
If you have any personally-owned services or accounts tied to your Western Illinois University email address, update your email address with these services so that they use a personally-owned email account. Per the Technology Use Policy , p ersonal use of university computing resources, which include email accounts, is strictly prohibited.

Special note for retirees: If you used your WIU email for services at any library systems outside of WIU, take special care to contact those libraries to update your account with a personal email address to ensure you continue receiving communications from them.
Delegate Access to your Inbox if Necessary
If a supervisor or colleague will require access to your email inbox for continued business operations, delegate access to your inbox prior to leaving the university. Contact the uTech Support Center at support@wiu.edu if you require assistance.
Transfer Ownership of any Necessary Google Drive Files or Folders
If a supervisor or colleague will require access to any files in your personal Google Drive for continued business operations, transfer ownership of these files prior to leaving the university. Contact the uTech Support Center at support@wiu.edu if you require assistance.
Set Up an Auto-Reply
Add an auto-reply to your Western Illinois University email account informing people of your new email address. We suggest setting a brief message such as:

“I’ve retired! Please contact me at [personal email address] effective immediately. This Western Illinois University email account will be disabled in the near future.”
Download any Personal Files
The Technology Use Policy prohibits the personal use of university computing resources, including your email, Google Drive and Google Photos. That being said, if you have any personal files in your email account, Google Drive, or Google Photos, you will want to manually download any files you wish to keep.

Before you download or forward any personal files, it is very important to read and understand the following:
- Due to the inability to distinguish between personal and university-protected data, bulk downloading or exporting of data is prohibited.
- Forwarding of university emails to personal email accounts where such emails contain data that is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), or any other security or privacy-based law or regulation is prohibited.
- Downloading of university emails to devices not owned by the university where such emails contain data that is protected by FERPA, HIPAA, GLBA, or any other security or privacy-based law or regulation is prohibited.
- This can be a time intensive process, and University Technology staff is limited in the support they can provide. Please use the following help documents to assist in this process:

A note regarding University Libraries
You will be able to continue to access online Library resources using your ECom username and password. Please contact University Libraries for assistance.

For Separated Employees

Employees who are separated from the university for any reason will have their WIU email account disabled on their effective day of separation.

To prepare for the closure of your WIU email account, please complete the following:

Create a Personally-Owned Email Address if You Don’t Already Have One
If you do not already have a personally-owned email account, you can set up an account with a free service like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo Mail. Western Illinois University does not endorse any particular email product; the above are only provided as examples of some of the most popular services.
Set Up an Auto-Reply
Work with your immediate supervisor to determine if you should add an auto-reply to your email account informing people who to contact in your absence.
Update Third-Party Websites
If you have any personally-owned services or accounts tied to your Western Illinois University email address, update your email address with these services so that they use a personally-owned email account. Per the Technology Use Policy, personal use of university computing resources, which include email accounts, is strictly prohibited.
Delegate Access to your Inbox if Necessary
If a supervisor or colleague will require access to your email inbox for continued business operations, delegate access to your inbox prior to leaving the university. Contact the uTech Support Center at support@wiu.edu if you require assistance.
Transfer Ownership of any Necessary Google Drive Files or Folders
If a supervisor or colleague will require access to any files in your personal Google Drive for continued business operations, transfer ownership of these files prior to leaving the university. Contact the uTech Support Center at support@wiu.edu if you require assistance.
Download any Personal Files
The Technology Use Policy prohibits the personal use of university computing resources, including your email, Google Drive and Google Photos. That being said, if you have any personal files in your email account, Google Drive, or Google Photos, you will want to manually download any files you wish to keep.

Before you download or forward any personal files, it is very important to read and understand the following:
- Due to the inability to distinguish between personal and university-protected data, bulk downloading or exporting of data is prohibited.
- Forwarding of university emails to personal email accounts where such emails contain data that is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), or any other security or privacy-based law or regulation is prohibited.
- Downloading of university emails to devices not owned by the university where such emails contain data that is protected by FERPA, HIPAA, GLBA, or any other security or privacy-based law or regulation is prohibited.
- This can be a time intensive process, and University Technology staff is limited in the support they can provide. Please use the following help documents to assist in this process:

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Western Illinois University

University Technology