Outlook: Email Access for Retired Staff and Administrators

This article explains the interim policy for Ithaca College email access for retired staff and administrators. It outlines what changes after retirement, what remains available, and the steps retirees must take during a 30-day transition period to retain personal email messages.

Audience

  • This interim email policy applies to staff and administrators who retired on or after January 15, 2026 
  • This policy does not apply to faculty and does not apply retroactively to employees who retired prior to January 15, 2026.

Contents

Email Policy for Retirees

As part of a broader review of retiree email access, Ithaca College has implemented an interim policy to support privacy, security, and responsible stewardship of institutional information, while continuing to provide our valued retirees with a secure email to stay connected with the campus community and beyond.

Under this interim policy:  

  • Retired staff and administrators may continue to use their @ithaca.edu email address after retirement. 
  • Email access remains available through Outlook on the web.
  • Retirees have a 30-day transition period following their retirement date to review their mailbox and retain any personal email messages. 

After the 30-day transition period:

  • Retirees can continue to access their Ithaca College email account through Outlook on the web. 
  • Institutional and work-related messages will no longer be visible in the mailbox. 
  • Institutional email records are retained by the College in accordance with records management and data governance practices.

What To Do During The 30-Day Transition Period

If you have used your Ithaca College email account for personal communication that you wish to continue accessing, complete the steps below within 30 days of your retirement date. 

  1. Sign in to your Ithaca College email account using Outlook on the web.
  2. Create a new folder named Personal. 
    1. Optional (but helpful): Create subfolders such as Personal – Inbox and Personal – Sent. 
  3. Move any personal email messages you wish to retain into the Personal folder(s). 
    1. This may include moving messages from your Inbox, Sent, Drafts, Archive, or other folders. 

Important: Only messages stored in the Personal folder(s) will remain visible after the transition period.

Tips for Finding Personal Messages

Use Outlook search tools to locate personal messages such as searching by:  

  • Sender 
  • Subject 
  • Keywords 

Optional Recommendation

Before the transition period ends, you may wish to set an automatic reply indicating that you have retired and providing an alternate contact, if appropriate.

After The 30-Day Transition Period

After the transition period ends: 

  • Only messages stored in your Personal folder(s) remain visible in your mailbox. 
  • Institutional and work‑related messages will no longer be visible. 
  • Institutional email records will continue to be retained by the College under standard records management and data governance practices.
  • Email storage quota is reduced from 100 GB to 50 GB.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What happens to folders other than “Personal”?
    Folders outside the Personal folder(s) are no longer visible after the transition period. Move any personal messages you want to keep into your Personal folder(s) during the transition period.
     
  2. Can I continue using my Ithaca College email for personal correspondence?
    Yes. Personal email messages stored in your Personal folder(s) remain accessible after the transition period.
     
  3. Can I move or save personal email outside of Outlook?
    Yes. You may export or save personal email messages. The IT Service Desk can help with options for exporting individual or bulk messages.
     
  4. What if I do not move my personal messages within the 30-day transition period?
    Messages not moved into the Personal folder(s) will no longer be visible to you after the transition period. Institutional email records are retained by the College in accordance with records management and data governance practices.
     
  5. Does this policy apply to faculty?
    No. This interim policy applies only to staff and administrators.
     
  6. Does this policy apply to employees who already retired?
    No. This policy applies to staff and administrators retiring on or after January 15, 2026. It does not apply retroactively to individuals who retired before that date.
     
  7. Can I continue accessing my email on my phone or other devices?
    Yes. You may continue accessing your Ithaca College email on any device configured to use Microsoft Outlook.
     
  8. Will my email account be shut off at some point?
    This is an interim policy while a long-term retiree email policy is developed. If additional changes are made, affected individuals will be notified in advance.

Additional Resources

Need help or have questions? 

  • The IT Service Desk can assist with creating folders, searching for messages, or moving emails.  
  • Human Resources can help with retirement-related guidance or connect you with additional support.
  • Learn more about which Ithaca College applications and services remain available after retirement here: Article - Retiree Access to Applications

We appreciate your contributions to Ithaca College and are here to support you during this transition.

Print Article