Gmail Program

During the 2006-2007 academic year, we conducted a pilot test of the use of Gmail accounts for students hosted by Google mail. Approximately 50 students participated in the pilot over the course of the year. There were some sporadic instances of delayed delivery to the Gmail accounts due to DNS and connection issues. As of May, 2007, those problems appear to have been resolved.

The initial pilot was begun for 2 primary reasons:
1. The existing email system, IMail, was unreliable and extremely slow.
2. Hosted email is a new option worth exploring.

The results of the pilot are that the new Exchange system has eliminated the performance issues of the old system, making WebMail a more attractive option for students than Gmail. We will continue to make Gmail accounts available for students, but not as an alternative to campus WebMail.

Students who wish to have a Mercyhurst Gmail account should send an email to pbenekos2@mercyhurst.edu. These accounts not be deleted as long as Google continues the program and the account is active. Accounts will be deleted after 6 months of inactivity.