Departmental Campus Agreement for Microsoft - Important FAQ

The University has recently reached an agreement with Microsoft for the use of Microsoft Office by faculty and staff.

The agreement is intended to cover the use of this software for faculty and staff only--it is not a 'blanket' agreement for everybody affiliated with Penn State. Please read the list of Frequently Asked Questions, below, before seeking more information from a technical contact.

Students should purchase MS Office for their own personal use from the campus Computer Store.

When will the Campus Agreement take effect?

The Microsoft Campus Agreement with Penn State will be effective July 1, 2005.

How will I order Office through the Campus Agreement?

Departments will no longer order Office licenses individually. Your entire Administrative Area will be charged a yearly fee to cover your FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) for Office licenses.

Are part-time faculty and staff covered by the Campus Agreement?

Yes, they are a factor when calculating the FTE.

Are retired faculty and staff covered by the Campus Agreement?

No, they are not a factor when calculating the FTE because they are no longer Penn State employees.

Are Tech Service employees covered by the Campus Agreement?

No, they are not a factor when calculating the FTE.

How is the FTE calculated?

We are required to use Microsoft’s FTE calculation which is: Full-Time Faculty&Staff + Part-Time Faculty/3 + Part-Time Staff/2

On which machines can Office be installed?

Office can be installed on any machine purchased with University funds. Machines that are loaned to the University for Penn State use are also covered. For example machines loaned for research purposes. Office must be removed from these machines once they are no longer in use by the University. See home use rights below for personally-owned machines.

What other products are available under Campus Agreement?

The options to license Windows Upgrades and Core CALs (Client Access Licenses) are available for an entire Administrative Area only. Individual departments do not have the option to add these products. Some examples of an Administrative Area: Arts and Architecture, ITS, Development & Alumni Relations. These options may only be added in June 2005 or June 2006.

What is included in the Core CAL?

Core CAL is a suite of client access licenses for the following servers: Windows, Systems Management Server (SMS), Sharepoint Portal, and Exchange. SQL Server is not included in the Core CAL. SQL Server CALs will still be available for purchase through Microsoft Select licensing.

What is the deadline for adding either Windows Upgrade or Core CALs for our Administrative Area?

The deadline for adding either of these for fiscal year 05/06 was June 3, 2005. Admin Areas will also have one additional opportunity to opt in either of these licenses in June 2006. The budget executive of your Admin Area must send notification via email to PSULSS@psu.edu.

What is the annual cost for Windows Upgrade and/or Core CALs?

Windows Upgrades will cost $12 per year per FTE and Core CALs will cost $10.50 per year per FTE. These do not have to be licensed together.

Can I get a refund for licenses I’ve already purchased that are now available through Campus Agreement?

No, those licenses were purchased through the Select Program and are non-returnable. They are perpetual licenses and are still legal to use once the Campus Agreement is in effect.

Are Penn State owned machines used by students, graduate students or graduate assistants covered?

Yes. Office can be installed on any machine purchased with University funds. Machines that are loaned to the University for Penn State use are also covered.

Are students, graduate students or graduate assistants eligible for Work at Home use?

No. They are not eligible for Work at Home media under the Campus Agreement. Per the contract, students including those that work part-time for the University are not calculated into the FTE. Students may purchase a student copy of Office for their personal academic use for approximately $64.

Does the Campus Agreement allow for home use?

Yes, however there has been an important change from the current Select Program. Departmental media and/or product keys may not leave Penn State. Work at Home (WAH) media will be available for purchase through the Computer Store for $10 (plus tax, if applicable) and will be limited to one copy per person. WAH media is for installation on one personally owned machine for work related purposes only and will have a unique product key. Retired faculty and staff are not eligible to purchase Work at Home media.

What if I already have Office installed at home?

If you currently have Office installed at home you do not need to do anything. Any new or upgraded installations after July 1, 2005 will require the purchase of WAH media for personally owned machines.

Can my department purchase Work at Home media for me?

Yes, however you must place the order yourself because there is a requirement to agree to the Acceptance Form. Orders can be placed in person in 12 Willard Building or online at http://computerstore.psu.edu and can be paid for with personal or departmental funds. Phone orders cannot be accepted because of the Acceptance Form requirement.

Can I borrow the departmental media to install it at home?

No. Per the Campus Agreement, departmental media cannot physically leave Penn State nor can you use the product key from the departmental media for installation at home. However, you may purchase WAH media for a personally owned machine.

Is the Campus Agreement media available for download?

You are now able to download Office Pro (mac and win) at http://downloads.its.psu.edu for your Penn State owned machines regardless of the machine location (labs, laptops, on campus machines or off campus machines). This is not for personally owned machines - they require the Work at Home media purchased through the Computer Store.

Are licenses under Campus Agreement perpetual?

No, the Campus Agreement is a 6-year lease program. At the end of the contract term, Penn State’s option will be to renew the lease, buy out the licenses to become perpetual, or revert to the versions that you currently have installed as of June 2005.

Will I still have Work at Home rights at the contract end?

Work at Home rights will continue only if the Campus Agreement is renewed.

Are the Office licenses cross-platform?

Penn State has covered our FTE for Office licenses that are not platform specific. Work at Home copies can be a different platform than what is installed on your departmental machine.

Can I still get licenses for products not covered under the Campus Agreement?

Yes, all other Microsoft licenses (including Windows Upgrade and server CALs) will continue to be available through the Computer Store under the Select Program.

If you have additional questions, please contact PSULSS@psu.edu

This page last updated 7/19/05 1:30 p.m.