SAS to Adopt Google for Student Email

In response to student feedback, the School of Arts and Sciences is preparing to launch Google Apps for Education as its new student email solution. The new service, branded Google@SAS, will provide a student email option based on the popular Gmail platform. The service will also include Google Docs, Google Calendar, and other tools for productivity and collaboration.

Google@SAS accounts will function much like publicly available Google accounts. Mail will be accessible through a web browser, a mobile device or mail client program such as Outlook, Thunderbird, or Apple Mail. However, the accounts will be linked directly to an SAS email address and will be free of advertising; Penn’s agreement with Google provides strong assurances for the security and privacy of Google@SAS email accounts.

The transition will begin later this month with alpha testing of Google@SAS by members of SAS’s Student Technology Advisory Board, to be followed by beta testing of the account creation system with about 250 students in March. Incoming students will be offered Google@SAS accounts later this spring. During the summer of 2012, all College, LPS, and graduate students will be able to sign up for Google@SAS.

Chris Mustazza, director of student technology for the School of Arts & Sciences, expects that the experience will be a positive one for students. He noted that formalizing a relationship with Google makes sense since so many SAS students are already forwarding their email to commercial Gmail accounts. “Many students already use Gmail to manage their SAS email, so we’re pleased to see an agreement that will allow for an ad-free, enhanced Gmail experience for our students. In addition to the core service of email, we think there is great potential for Google@SAS as a tool to enhance courses and foster more efficient collaboration,” Mustazza said.

An FAQ providing details on Google@SAS is available at: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/computing/google@sas.