Technology Benefits Upon Leaving the University or Retiring

Last modified 6/6/2024

University members who are retired or will be retiring from Illinois State University will retain some technology access and benefits in retirement. Select the tab below labeled Retirees Click Here for more information.

Students, faculty, and staff who leave the University for reasons other than retirement will lose access to university technology resources after they leave. Select the tab below labeled Non-Retirees Click Here for more information.

Employees retiring from Illinois State University will retain their ISU email accounts. Retirees will also have access to some Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365) online applications, including Outlook Online for email and calendar after they leave the university. These services are all available through a browser, using your ULID account, at Office365.IllinoisState.edu, and contain most of the features available in the application version. 

If you are leaving the University but not retiring, see the Graduates or Non-Retirees tab

Microsoft 365 Desktop Application and Adobe Creative Cloud Licensing Changes at Retirement

Microsoft 365: The ability to download or use previously installed desktop Microsoft 365 applications is not part of the retiree benefit with your ULID account. If you had downloaded the desktop applications using your ISU Microsoft account, once you leave the university you will be prompted to purchase a license or enter a product key if you attempt to launch the applications. It is recommended you delete these applications from your computer when leaving the university to prevent confusion. This will also avoid technical issues should you decide to purchase personal copies of Microsoft desktop applications in the future. While there may be a delay, these changes are considered to take effect immediately upon retirement, thus it is recommended you prepare beforehand. Please consult TechZone for discounted Microsoft licensing options if you wish to use the full Microsoft 365 applications on your personal computer. 

Adobe Creative Cloud: Retirees will not retain access to the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of applications. Files stored in Adobe Creative Cloud will remain for one year after you have left the university. It is recommended you move those files to alternate accounts or other cloud storage services if you wish to retain them. An individual personal Adobe Creative Cloud license may be purchased at Adobe.com.

How Will I Access My Microsoft 365 Resources?

Additional Purchase Options

Open an ISU File in a Personal Desktop App


Open an ISU File in a Personal Desktop App

Using OneDrive With a Personal Microsoft 365 License

If you choose to purchase a personal Microsoft 365 license, your purchased license may include OneDrive access. The Office Home & Student license, available for discounted purchase at TechZone, includes 5 GB of personal OneDrive cloud storage. Personal OneDrive storage will be separate from your Illinois State University OneDrive web storage. The consumer and business versions of OneDrive for Web have separate login pages. You may access your personal OneDrive account in your web browser by logging in at OneDrive.Live.com.

Retirees who have a personal OneDrive account in addition to their ISU OneDrive account may sign into both accounts simultaneously. When using the OneDrive desktop application, your ISU OneDrive will always be clearly labelled "Illinois State University."

Reactivating Existing Microsoft Desktop Applications


retirees who have purchased a personal Microsoft 365 license are encouraged to uninstall any previously installed Microsoft desktop applications and reinstall with the new license. However, you may choose instead to reactivate the previously installed desktop applications with the new license. When opening a previously installed Microsoft 365 application for the first time after retirement, you may be prompted to purchase a license for your ISU account.

After switching to a personal account with an active Microsoft 365 license, you may continue to edit and save documents in the desktop application.

Activating Existing Desktop Applications with a Personal Microsoft 365 License

About.IllinoisState.edu

Retirees may continue utilizing an existing About.IllinoisState.edu website or create a new one in retirement. More information about About.IllinoisState.edu can be found here.

TechZone

TechZone, a department of the Office of Technology Solutions, is conveniently located on the first floor of the Bone Student Center.  Services commonly utilized by retirees include:

  • Academic discounts and free consultations on computer, software, and technology purchases from major manufacturers such as Apple, Dell, Lenovo, and Microsoft
  • Hardware repair fixes, including warranty work from the above brands
  • Mobile device setup help and Apple iPhone repair
  • General walk-in technology help

Hours are adjusted during the year, so consult the TechZone website before coming in:  TechZone.IllinoisState.edu.

Note

These technology benefits are subject to change in the future, due to University policy or software licensing changes.

Illinois State University (ISU) members (students/faculty/staff) who leave the university will lose access to ISU technology resources. It is important to understand and prepare so important personal documents are not lost.

Leaving the University

Students, faculty, and staff are considered to have left the university when one of the following occurs:

Graduation or Termination of Employment

  • When a student has graduated with an undergraduate or graduate degree and is not enrolled in further courses, or a faculty/staff member leaves their employment with the university, their access to ISU technology resources will expire as described in the article below (if you are retiring from the University, see Retirees tab above for your for information regarding your technology benefits post-retirement).

Lack of Current Course Enrollment or Withdrawal

  • If a student has not completed a degree program and is not currently enrolled in courses and/or has withdrawn from the University, they will lose access to their ULID accounts as well as any other University online resources. It is recommended these users save any files they wish to retain to a personal storage device as soon as possible when they know they will be leaving the University. The 12-month grace-period described below does not apply to students who leave the University by withdrawal or cessation of courses.


Microsoft 365 Email and Applications

Adobe Creative Cloud

Individuals who leave the university will not retain access to the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of applications.

12 month to transfer files

Files stored in Adobe Creative Cloud will remain accessible for a 12-month grace period once you have left the university. It is recommended you move those files to a personal device, alternate accounts, or other cloud storage services if you wish to retain them. You may also create a new Adobe personal account and migrate your files from your ISU student Account to your new personal account. To do so, follow this link https://graduation.adobe.com/.  After the 12-month grace period has expired, you will lose access to any files still residing in your ISU Adobe Creative Cloud account.

An individual personal Adobe Creative Cloud license may be purchased at Adobe.com.

ULID Accounts

Users who leave the university will retain access to their University Login ID account for a 12-month grace period. This is the login that you use to log in to My.IllinoisState.edu, Reggienet, and other university online resources. Once the 12-month grace period has passed, your ULID account will be deactivated and you will no longer be able to log in to university resources.



How to Get Help

Technical assistance is available through the Illinois State University Technology Support Center at: