Retiree Email Access
The University of West Georgia values its retired faculty and staff and encourages them to maintain contact with the university as members of the Association of Retired Faculty and Staff (ARFS). UWG’s relationship with retirees is important to our ongoing advancement as an institution, and we hope any inconvenience experienced related to this change will not impact our continued commitment to fostering a community of belonging and connectedness at the University of West Georgia.
In light of the escalating cybersecurity risks surrounding email account management, including the growing threats of phishing, ransomware, malware, hacking, and the theft of information relating to students, faculty, and staff, it has become imperative for UWG to enhance our email system management. Failure to do so could result in severe legal, regulatory, and financial consequences.
To ensure compliance with the University System of Georgia and the University of West Georgia’s email security practices, it is necessary to inform current retirees their email access will cease on August 31, 2023.
By implementing these measures, we aim to safeguard sensitive information, mitigate potential risks, and adhere to the established email security protocols set forth by the University System of Georgia and the University of West Georgia.
To update your email address, please complete this form.
Frequently Asked Questions for Retirees
Retirees will no longer have access to their work-related email account as of August 31, 2023, except for rehired retirees and emeriti faculty, as these remain in review. This change is necessary for UWG to align with the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia practices and industry standards and, as well as strengthen the security and privacy of your personal information.
Until August 31, 2023
To ensure the security and accessibility of your data, it is essential to complete the email and data migration process before August 31, 2023. Once the data has been deleted, it cannot be recovered.
UWG highly recommends that you transfer any personal content and subscription services, such as Yahoo, Netflix, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google Suite documents stored in Google Drive folders and others, to a personal email account. To retain any personal information from your westga.edu email account, please forward personal emails to your personal email address or download/save the emails to your computer. Here are instructions on how to download/save.
Also, if you used your @westga.edu account to set up your Apple ID, you should change that to your personal email account. Follow these instructions from Apple.
If the rehired retiree returns to active status within 30 days and is considered an active employee or student of the university, they will be able to keep their mailbox as is. But, when the individual decides to stop working they are considered inactive their access will be removed.
You will only lose access to email when your employment status becomes inactive with the University of West Georgia for 30 days or more. Typically, you will remain active if you decide not to teach a semester and intend to return. You will only lose access when you choose to terminate your employment with the university. If you need clarification of your status, contact the Office of Human Resources at hrservices@westga.edu.
For those who have been approved as UWG emeriti, we will be reaching out to you with further information.
All emails (sent and received) containing UWG business are the property of the University of West Georgia and must not be exported, forwarded, or duplicated. Retirees are encouraged to remove all personal records and images and preserve all official UWG records according to USG Records Retention Schedules and guidance.
For further information about Records Management and retention of these records at UWG, contact Records Information Management at rim@westga.edu.
No, it is against standards to set up auto-forwarding on a westga.edu email account.
If you need further clarification please send an email to hrservices@westga.edu or complete the form below.