For New Employees

As of February 1, 2013, all new Simmons employees will be given a Google Apps for Education account. New employees will not receive access to our legacy email system, but will still be provisioned a legacy calendaring account (Meeting Maker) until a shutoff date is determined.

Information for New Employees

Simmons College has partnered with Google to provide our community with powerful email, calendaring, and document-sharing tools and services. We are currently in the process of migrating all email and calendaring over to Google Apps for Education, but as a new hire you will begin using a Google Apps account immediately, even if your department has not yet been migrated. If so, this may require some short-term coordination between yourself and your colleagues who have not yet been migrated to Google Apps for Education.

Getting Started

To get to your Simmons Gmail, go to http://gmail.simmons.edu and log in with your Simmons username and password.

The Chrome web browser is the client for Google Apps at Simmons, and should be pre-installed on all Simmons-owned computers. In addition to being the most compatible browser for Google Apps, Chrome also supports profiles, which means you can have your personal Gmail and Simmons Gmail in separate windows, with their own bookmarks, history, tabs, saved passwords, and more. For instructions on setting up Chrome profiles, see the “Chrome Profiles FAQs” page.

If you want to start using Google Apps on your mobile device, set up instructions are available for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry. Please note that Gmail IMAP access is not officially supported by Google for BlackBerry devices at this time. Simmons Technology recommends and supports iPhone/iPad and Android devices for use with Google Apps for Education.

Calendaring / Meeting Maker

In addition to Google Calendar, you will also have access to a calendaring tool called Meeting Maker if your department or school has not yet been migrated to Google Apps. The Technology team is migrating Simmons staff to Google Apps in phases and plans to have everyone migrated by May, 2013. At this time, your colleagues may still be using Meeting Maker to schedule appointments. Please speak to you supervisor to find out what calendar your team is using. Please click here for instructions on using Meeting Maker.

More Information

There are many useful guides and FAQs for Google Apps accessible in the left-hand menu. If you want step-by-step training on how to use Google Apps, there are tutorials built right into your Google Apps account. From your Gmail homescreen, click the "More" option at the top of your Gmail home screen, then click on "Google Apps Training". There, you can find tutorials for almost every aspect of Google Apps.

Additionally, we are offering in-person weekly trainings (every Tuesday and Thursday), where we'll help you get started and answer your questions. Please check the here for dates and times. You can choose the training you want to attend by clicking on it and then clicking "copy to my calendar."

Getting Help

If you need immediate assistance with your Google Apps account, please contact the Service Desk at 617-521-2222 or http://servicedesk.simmons.edu/getsupport/general.