I was forwarded a response from an alumnus who contacted several top officials at KSU. Out of approximately 16 emails sent, this was the only reply they received. Below, I’ve included that response first, followed by the original message that was sent to university leadership.

Response from One KSU top official:

"Thank you for reaching out and expressing your concern. This decision was reached after careful consideration and was the result of many conversations between IT and various stakeholders across the university. Our general counsel's office was one of the first to be consulted; they shared the opinion that this is not something contractually guaranteed or actionable. Although it was previously policy, policies are subject to change, and a formal policy change is coming. The email sent was designed to serve as a notice to prepare for that change.

It is important to note that Kent State is not the only school that is going in this direction. Last year, Ohio State was the first, followed by Miami, YSU, and Akron. The need to do so for all of these schools (Kent included) is twofold:

Financial

You correctly assert that the elimination of those services can recoup storage and would likely be better received. That said, if we went down the path you've outlined and provided a minimal amount of inbox-only space for the hundreds of thousands of alumni and stop-out accounts, our storage footprint would be improved but would still require major service impairments / draconian quotas to reach the storage footprint needed. Putting students first, we must prioritize providing enough space for students to complete their academic work. We've experimented with numerous permutations of solutioning, and unfortunately changing the user base is what mathematically gets us there

Security

For each account out there, it increases our attack surface area. Old accounts are frequently targeted by bad actors for phishing and ransomware attacks. If we do not practice proper account lifecycle management, with an ever-increasing number of alumni, or attack surface area will only grow (which is an issue somewhat unique to higher ed). Further, because we have not practiced this in the past, the number of identities under our domain is exponentially larger than some of the worlds largest corporations.
We currently run two mail systems due to legacy alumni. Through this action, we will eventually be able to run one core mail platform which greatly improves our ability to more accurately secure (and reduce the complexity of) the mail environment

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts; it is greatly appreciated. I hope this email helps provide a little more understanding on the decision."

Email sent to KSU top officials:  

"Dear___________________________________,

When I enrolled at Kent State University over two decades ago, earning both my undergraduate and master’s degree through Kent State, I—like many others—was assured that our student email accounts would remain active for life. This promise was not a minor detail; it was a foundational part of the student experience and Kent State’s alumni engagement strategy. It was clearly marketed and encouraged, and we were advised to use our Kent email as our primary address for professional, academic, and personal matters.

The recent announcement that these email accounts will be deactivated has caused widespread concern and frustration among alumni. These accounts are deeply integrated into our lives—used for everything from usernames, healthcare portals and tax documents to banking, job applications, published research, and international communication.

Many alumni feel blindsided by this decision. The shift away from the “lifetime email” commitment not only breaks the trust established between the university and its students, but also places an unreasonable burden on alumni. For those who have depended on their Kent email for years, the logistical challenge of transitioning accounts is enormous—and in many cases, not even possible. Some critical services, including professional organizations, research databases, government systems, and financial institutions, do not allow users to change the email address associated with their account. This creates long-term access issues that may permanently impact our personal and professional lives.

We understand that IT and budget realities evolve, but so must the way institutions honor long-standing commitments. I have heard that this change may be driven by evolving policies from Microsoft and Google. However, I believe nothing is ever a done deal. Kent State, Microsoft, and Google should collaborate to come up with a viable solution for alumni—one that preserves access to email without simply cutting off a service that was promised as permanent.

The most appropriate solution would be to grandfather in alumni who were explicitly promised lifetime email access, while revising the policy only for more recent or future students.

In addition, we urge Kent State to consider a cost-effective, practical compromise:

• Maintain email-only access for alumni with a 15 GB storage cap, similar to what free Gmail and Outlook accounts provide.
• Discontinue access to other services such as Google Drive and Photos to reduce storage and licensing costs.
• Offer automatic forwarding from Kent email to a personal address.
• Provide an optional paid tier for those wishing to retain more robust features.
• Extend the deactivation deadline by at least a year to allow adequate time for alumni to update accounts and communications.

This concern is not isolated. A Change.org petition urging the university to reverse or revise this decision has already gathered over 1,040 signatures and continues to grow. The message from the alumni community is clear: this change feels like a betrayal of trust, and Kent State must do better.

Alumni have expressed deep disappointment—not only in losing access to their email accounts, but in how the university has handled this change. Several have already stated they will no longer donate to or promote Kent State University as a result. That is a powerful signal of just how damaging this decision has been to the alumni-university relationship.

Kent State’s strategic roadmap begins with “Students First” and emphasizes supporting “engaged alumni and lifelong learners.” Eliminating a promised tool for connection, networking, and communication undermines that mission. The university encouraged us to adopt our Kent email as a permanent professional identity—now we are being punished for doing just that.

This policy change is more than a technical update—it’s a test of institutional integrity. I respectfully urge Kent State to honor its commitments, reconsider this decision, and work with alumni to find a fair and sustainable path forward. I look forward to your response and to learning how the university intends to address and resolve this issue."