Dwight Fischer our CIO, Ted Wisnewski our Manager of System Administraton and I had the opportunity to meet with some of our student leaders here at Plymouth to discuss issues surrounding email, particularly the problems they have had for the past several months because of technical difficulties that have been plaguing our integrated systems . Here's my notes:

• Reliability - was their highest concern. The performance problems and the downtimes have forced them to seek alternative solutions, such as google.
• M: Drive - students have problems mapping personal laptops to the m: drive and the web-based interface inside myPlymouth was too klunky.
• Email file size - Students need to email larger file attachments then currently permitted.
• Time out of myPlymouth - mixed feelings whether the time out provides security or inconvenience.
• Students are not learning enough about the technical capabilities of the PSU community.
• Some students are modifying and customizing myPlymouth. (yeah!)
• Help Desk support is "hit or miss."
• Students like gmail, google apps, etc.
• Students have concerns about paying for additional printing.
• Students like the "interactivity" of CampusLive

Here's some relative links:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=343
http://blogs.zdnet.com/micro-markets/?p=1199

Here's my thoughts from an earlier post:
http://ken.blogs.plymouth.edu/2006/04/22/outsourcing-the-killer-app/