Market pressures in technology often compel (university) consumers to upgrade to the latest versions of software (and sometimes hardware) in order to keep pace with the emerging technologies and to be able to exchange data with students and colleagues. This is the case with regard to the newest Microsoft Office 2007 (Windows) and Office 2008 (Mac) document production software.
All of the centrally-managed student computer labs and many departmental labs across campus have already upgraded to MS Office 2007/2008. The fact that most students are submitting documents to instructors in the new Office 2007 formats requires that the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) likewise updates its document production software to keep pace and to maintain compatibility.
Also, the way that site-licensed software (Windows and Mac operating systems, Microsoft Office, statistical software, Adobe products, etc.) has traditionally been funded is changing: academic units will have to absorb at least part of those costs after July 1, 2008. Accordingly, it is in the best budgetary interest of CAS and its departments to upgrade to Office 2007/2008 prior to July 1, 2008, while that software is still free to us.
Beginning June 23, 2008 (Summer Session #1), CAS recommends that all departments communicate with each other and with the College in the new document format. Similarly, the College recommends that all faculty and staff migrate to the new format, or an alternative, in order to process the new document formats without difficulty.
Please navigate the menu above for more information about
this change in document format, and how it will affect you.
[This online resource is not intended to be a comprehensive tutorial for Office 2007. Rather, it is intended to help users with some of the most basic tasks during the first week or so of making the transition to Office 2007. Please see items under the Other Resources menu for more extensive tutorials on Office 2007.]