Ithaca College

Information Technology Services (ITS) is pleased to announce that Microsoft Office 2007 is now available as a free upgrade for installation on college-owned Windows computers.

Office 2007 is a major new release with a different interface and many new features including:

• An option to save files in .pdf format
• The ability to preview formatting changes before applying them using Live Preview
• Extensive online help and training features, and much more

Faculty and staff can now install the new version themselves. However, because of the significant changes and possible compatibility issues, departments may also want to consider a coordinated effort to have all users upgrade at the same time. ITS has verified Office 2007 compatibility with the mainstream software used on campus, but for other specialty applications that interact with Microsoft Office in some way, users should check with the manufacturer of the application to confirm its compatibility with the new version.

Faculty should be aware that Office 2007 will be installed in labs and eClassrooms during summer 2008. Faculty should therefore plan to upgrade before the fall semester to allow time to become comfortable with the new interface and features.

Users at IC remote campuses will be contacted directly with upgrade information.

Office 2007 is substantially different from the current version. Here are some resources to help new users understand what to expect with the new version:

• Come to an Office 2007 overview workshop (students welcome to attend!)
• Take an interactive online tutorial of Word 2007 at Microsoft.com
• Review the major new features in our What's New guide

Users who are not ready to upgrade yet will have until December 2008 to do so. After December 2008, Office 2003 will no longer be supported or installed by ITS. Those who wait should install the Compatibility Pack in the interim. The new version of Office uses different file formats, which will likely be encountered as more people move to Office 2007, and the compatibility pack may be needed to work with those files.

Please visit our Microsoft Office 2007 Support page for detailed upgrade information and a complete list of Office 2007 FAQs.

ITS Helpdesk
helpdesk@ithaca.edu
4-3282