TAMIU’s Student Growth Prompts E-mail Service Expansion

This Spring, Texas A&M International University’s (TAMIU) exponential student growth has prompted the launch of an expanded and enriched e-mail service for the over 13,000-plus (and growing) current users.

Like many universities across the nation, TAMIU has seen growth threaten to eclipse optimal service levels for its popular student and alumni “E-mail for Life” offering. Like others, it will now move those services off-site through a Microsoft-developed e-mail service, Live@edu.

Leebrian Gaskins, TAMIU vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer, said the initiative brings the University into alignment with other major universities, including most in The Texas A&M University System and others.

“As TAMIU grows, so does its level of service commitment to its students and alumni. We started ‘E-mail for Life’ in 2003 with about 3,500 users. Now we are at over 13,000. Through this arrangement, we’re able to expand on our service capabilities while optimizing our existing resources. Our students and alumni get services expected and preferred at all major universities and we are able to rededicate our resources to additional needs and future growth. This provides all with a primary account that makes it easy to collaborate with others,” Gaskins explained.

The service requires student and alumni transition via a web-based entry point, https://dusty.tamiu.edu/ to sign up and move their existing accounts over to the new System. E-mail addresses will change from @students.tamiu.edu to @dusty.tamiu.edu; passwords can be retained or reset.

Gaskins said the primary attraction for the new service would be a dramatic increase in storage capacity, while a range of other benefits add robust features.

“To start off, we’ll see our student and alumni accounts grow from a 50-megabyte limit that auto-deleted every three months to a 5-gigabyte capacity that does not delete. This is a dramatic increase and provides students and alumni with great, reliable storage.

“Additionally, our E-mail for Life accounts will include messaging, chat, Windows Live Spaces, SharedView and a new Sky Drive that functions as a virtual memory stick. The system will also join with specific University services like access to labs, UOnline, Banner and our Angel learning management system.

“The combination of expanded memory and services makes for a very attractive package for all our users,” Gaskins said.

He noted that the University’s aggressive security measures to protect data and identity theft are also present with the Microsoft-based E-mail Service.

“This is part of the expectation of living in a digital information age. The spam and virus filtering and identity encryption protections in place are formidable and represent some of the best the industry offers, all designed to keep our users safe online and control unwanted marketing,” he said.

The University hopes to have all student and alumni “E-mail for Life” accounts transitioned within the year.

For additional information, contact the TAMIU Office of Information Technology at 326.2310, visit offices in Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library 255, click on oit.tamiu.edu/ or e-mail hotline@tamiu.edu

Information on Live@edu is available at get.liveatedu.com/Education/Connect/Apps

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu