Alumni email

01/12/2024

discontinuing email for cyber security

Due to increasing security concerns and to keep our student data safe, Bluffton University is no longer able to offer an “email for life” to its alumni community. While the higher education industry is renowned for openness and collaboration, it also makes colleges and universities very vulnerable to cybercrime. Fortunately, to date Bluffton has not experienced a ransomware attack.

Since email is the most common gateway for a ransomware attack, federal laws are now requiring schools take increased measures to secure student Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and insurance carriers have increased their requirements to retain cyber security insurance.

We have identified a period of transition to make this as smooth as possible for everyone. Alumni accounts will expire March 21, 2024. Please use this time to transition your Bluffton University email to a personal email account.

Actions for You to Take Prior to March 21, 2024:

Update your contact information in our alumni database!
Add an auto-reply message noting that the email will no longer be of use as of March 21 and include a current email address if you wish.
Set up Email forwarding for incoming mail.
Review your Inbox and Send folders. Forward individual email messages that you want to retain to your personal email account.
Export contacts, email and calendars.
Identify accounts where you have set up your Bluffton email if you have forgotten your password for this other account. Log into the account and replace your Bluffton email with your personal email address. Examples include but are not limited to Dropbox, Apple, Chewy or Google.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding that our top priority is to protect personal information Bluffton maintains on behalf of our students, faculty and staff.

If you have any questions, please email helpdesk@bluffton.edu for assistance.