We know you may have several questions about the change to Google email accounts for alumni, so we have compiled some answers to common questions you may have.
Why did this change happen?
Google no longer offers free unlimited storage to universities. New pricing structures Google introduced in 2021 for universities and colleges would have made the University of Arkansas at Little Rock responsible for thousands of dollars in extra charges every year to maintain all alumni accounts at their current usage.
The cost to individually maintain a Google account is significantly lower with most being free or as low as $1.99 per month for an individual. If UA Little Rock had continued to cover this cost for all alumni with email accounts, it would have taken away essential funding from university priorities.
How exactly does this impact me?
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has three tiers of email accounts for alumni.
- A lifetime alumni member who had lifetime status prior to Sept. 2022, will maintain access to their account but will have storage limitations of 100 gb after the changeover date.
- A lifetime alumni member who joined after Sept. 2022 no longer has access to a ualr.edu address.
- An annual alumni member no longer has access to a ualr.edu email address after the cutoff date.
Are Google services going away for faculty, staff, and current students, too?
No, these services are not going away for faculty, staff, and students. However, faculty, staff, and students will now be subject to storage limitations in their email accounts.
What individual plans does Google offer?
See Google’s resources to choose a plan that works for you.
What happened to my email address?
Since the account has been deactivated, the email account has been retired.
Can funds to preserve services be drawn from money I already provide to UA Little Rock, or sourced from other accounts?
Unfortunately, no. This would take away important funding from other university priorities. Individuals can acquire Google services at a much lower cost than universities. This is a nationwide change, and many universities across the country have been forced to make the same decisions.
I have more questions that aren’t answered here.
We would welcome a conversation to talk more about this. You may contact Kristi Smith at klsmith@ualr.edu to discuss further.
