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Monash University > News and Events > Monash Memo
A Google future for Monash
21 October 2009
Monash is going Google. The University announced last week it would offer customised Google Apps for Education to all of its students.
Monash Vice-Chancellor Professor Ed Byrne said the University's 58,000 students would be given sign-up details for their opt-in Monash gmails next month, along with information about how they could use other online tools available through Google Applications.
Professor Byrne said adopting Google email and applications was a clever solution to the ongoing challenge of providing accessible, user-friendly and cost-effective e-communication tools to a growing Monash community.
"Online communication is one of the dominant mediums through which our students and staff exchange information, build knowledge and interact with the global community, so naturally we want to adopt the technology that will best ultilise this medium," Professor Byrne said.
"We want to give students the best online tools on offer in order to boost their communication and information-sharing capabilities and in terms of our e-technology capital, we are giving the University plenty of room to grow in the future."
Monash Vice-President (Administration) Peter Marshall said the move reflected the University's commitment to using the best technology available and to continually find better ways to facilitate quick, efficient and versatile communication and information-sharing capabilities.
He said the advantages of switching to Google Apps from the current in-house email system included increased storage capacity (up to 7GB from the current 40MB for each user), instant chat functionality, the integration of email with online calendar and the ability to work collaboratively on shared documents.
There was also the potential to spread the benefits of the new email system to Monash alumni.
"We are investigating the potential of email for life and email-forwarding services for our global alumni community," Mr Marshall said.
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