So, I’ve been waiting to announce this. I knew it was a possibility but I didn’t want to fool myself into believing it would happen. But, to my surprise, the University of California came through. UC Davis is officially using Gmail this coming fall. Awesome.

Status update (August 2008):

UC Davis to provide Gmail service for students starting this fall

UC Davis will begin to move forward with a plan to transition all UC Davis students to Gmail this fall. The transition is scheduled to begin the second week in October with the intent to be completed by the end of fall quarter.

A system-wide UC contract with Google Inc. was developed to ensure protection of student privacy and the campus’ ability to retain exclusive control of UC Davis email accounts. The campus retains the right to back out of the relationship at any time. This plan will not affect School of Medicine students using UCDHS mail systems. While faculty and staff are not included in the current implementation plan, UC Office of the President (UCOP) has structured the basic agreement with Google to allow for them to be included on an “opt-in” basis once appropriate consultation takes place.

Endorsements and/or support came from ASUCD, Alumni Relations, development officers in academic departments, the 300+ students who participated in the pilot, and the broader community through the vetting process pursuant to PPM 200-45. IET will continue to work closely with University Communications and with Student Affairs to ensure the partnership with Google continues to be beneficial to the campus.

The Pilot Advisory Group—which included representatives from Student Affairs, University Communications, graduate and undergraduate students, among others—helped guide the pilot to a successful completion in March 2008. Questions and issues identified during the pilot period were reviewed with campus constituencies, including the Campus Council for Information Technology (CCFIT), the Deans’ Technology Council, the Technology Infrastructure Forum, campus counsel, and an ad hoc committee of campus privacy specialists.

Information and Educational Technology (IET) would like to thank the students who participated in the pilot and the members of the campus community who ensured we have the best possible plan going forward. We also recognize the work of the UCOP in contract negotiations on behalf of Davis and other campuses.

Questions? Contact us at ucdgmail-pilot@ucdavis.edu.

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