Webtools retirement for UIC

Categories: Admin note

Erika Chavez

Monday, January 22, 2024

Below is the official UIC announcement on the plan to sunset Webtools at UIC. Currently, units across the university, including AHS, use Webtools to send out mass communications internally (Inside AHS Weekly, AHS Research Blast, AHS Connections, etc.) and externally (emails to alumni, donors and friends about engagement opportunities, publications, events, etc.) as well as to create QR codes, short URL’s, email groups, forms, surveys and more. Please see below to view the decommission timeline as well as alternative tools that are available to cover some functionality found in Webtools. There are hopes to offer an enterprise level email marketing tool in the future but no other details are available at this time including whether or not it will be available before the WebTools decommission date. Webtools will continue to be available for those who send emails to TED recipient lists provided by the University of Illinois Foundation (advancement/fundraising). Additional information will be shared as it becomes available. In the meantime, if there are any questions, please contact me via email at eachavez@uic.edu. – Erika 

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Beginning Aug. 15, 2024, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Web Services team will begin a phased retirement of Webtools applications for the UIC campus. All Webtools services will be fully retired for UIC users Aug. 15, 2026. UIC Technology Solutions and Strategic Marketing and Communications are working together to provide options and guidance to support the transition from Webtools. 

Read the UIUC Webtools Retirement for UIC message.

UIC Webtools retirement schedule   

Aug. 15, 2024

  • Email+:  
    • Email functionality will be fully retired Aug 15, 2024. Foundation emails will not be retired for UIC users. 
    • Current Email+ users do not need to make changes to their email tools at this time. Additional updates and information on alternative options and recommendations will be provided in the coming weeks and months.  
  • Webtools forms and surveys: The option to create, copy or start a new form or survey will no longer be available to UIC users. Existing live forms and surveys will continue to work as expected until Aug. 15, 2026. Any form or survey that is stopped after Aug. 15, 2024, will not be able to be restarted. Technology Solutions offers Qualtrics, a robust survey tool, at no cost to all faculty, staff and students. 
  • Short URLs (go.uic.edu): Technology Solutions will work with the UIUC Webtools team to transition the short URL service to a standalone application serving uic.edu.  Similar functionality and enhancements will be in place for a go-live prior to Aug. 15, 2026, including transition of all existing, currently used short URLs.

Aug. 15, 2026
Webtools forms, surveys and short URLs will be fully retired and no longer available to UIC users.  

Alternative options for UIC
The following options are currently available to the UIC community at no additional cost.

Targeted and mass email options: 

  • Campus Official Announcements from administrative offices such as the University President, Chancellor, Provost or Vice Chancellors that are intended for all staff, faculty and/or students will continue to be sent by UIC Strategic Marketing and Communications. Announcements should be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the preferred send date using the UIC today announcement webform. 
  • For smaller, targeted audiences, listserv is the simplest solution allowing a group to communicate with a list of email addresses.  
  • M365 Groups offers more modern interfaces, additional features and is ideal for communication among internal users.

Forms and survey options:
Qualtrics is a market leader in the survey space and is available to all faculty, staff and students.

Short URL options:
Technology Solutions will work with the Webtools team to transition the short URL service to a standalone application serving uic.edu. Similar functionality and enhancements will be in place for a go-live prior to Aug. 15, 2026, including transition of all existing, currently used short URLs.

Ongoing Webtools updates 
Ongoing updates and information will be sent via campus announcements to help support a smooth transition for the UIC community.

For questions regarding listservs, groups, forms, surveys, short URLs or other services provided by Technology Solutions, visit help.uic.edu. 

For marketing-related questions or more information about submitting Official Announcements, visit UIC today or email smcs@uic.edu.

TJ Augustine
Vice Chancellor for Innovation 

Chandra Harris-McCray
Vice Chancellor for Strategic Marketing and Communications