Some college students, including Ohio University students, will be offered a complimentary new version of Microsoft Office.
The corporation said in a press release that universities licensing Microsoft Office to its faculty and staff will be able to offer the newest version of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus for students with no additional cost in December.
“I was very intrigued and interested by this,” said Sean O’Malley, IT communications manager. “We don’t know when it’s coming (to OU).”
ProPlus is expected to have a similar “flavor” as the current version of Microsoft Office 365, O’Malley said.
“We’ll be letting students know this free one is coming,” he said. “In this transition period, you can weigh your options if you need to buy Office or hold off on it until the free version comes out.”
Since 2007, OU has worked with Microsoft, giving focus on office systems and suite. This included Excel, Power Point and Word.
“The agreement was about buying the product and installing (it) on individual machines,” said Brice Bible, OU’s previous chief information officer.
OU previously offered a free-trial version of the software; however, this would be the first time the university would be able to offer it extensively.
Currently, TechDepot offers Microsoft Office four-year subscription for $76. But O’Malley said he wasn’t concerned about sales decreasing once the free version is offered.
“It won’t hurt TechDepot,” he said. “What we provide for students already are educational discounts. We provide (Office) for a reasonable price and it’s not going to cut into our profits. It won’t hurt us.”
Even though finer details are still yet to be worked out among OU, Inter-University Council of Ohio representatives and Microsoft, some students said having the newest version of Microsoft Office places less financial burdens on them.
“I absolutely would’ve loved it,” said Gabrielle Kisner, a senior studying integrated math education. “I wished they would’ve offered it when I was a freshman.”
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