OHIO STATE REACHES LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH MICROSOFT
COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University today (9/20) announced that it has signed license agreements with Microsoft Corp. to distribute several Microsoft software packages at reduced costs to university students, faculty and staff. Ohio State joined the Inter-University Council of Ohio (IUC), an association of Ohio’s 13 public universities and two freestanding medical colleges, in negotiating the agreements. The IUC will release its own announcement about the agreement in October.
While beneficial to students, faculty and staff at Ohio State, the agreements are nonexclusive and do not prevent the university from purchasing or using other software products. Included in the package are Microsoft Office (Mac and Windows versions), Microsoft Visual Studio Professional (a collection of programming development tools), Microsoft FrontPage (a Web development tool), 32-bit operating system upgrades and other specialized items.
The software will be sold through the University Bookstores beginning in early October. The cost is $99 total for the term of the license (three years and the IUC can opt for a fourth year) and includes all of the software products and all of the updates and new versions of products that become available during the contract period. This package would cost approximately $2,000 if purchased off-the-shelf at a local retailer. Faculty and staff can obtain perpetual licenses through their departments and use the software at home as well as at the office. Students own their licensed copies, and they may take the software with them when they leave their universities.
Ohio State elected to give students, and faculty and staff through their departments, the option to purchase the software. “Ohio State University has many Microsoft users,” says Chief Information Officer Jim Davis, “and we want to provide them the product they want as inexpensively as possible.” He added, “Sales of the software will determine the interest level within the university, which will help us with future negotiations.”
For Students: Students will be able to purchase the software at The Ohio State University Bookstore by any means of cash or credit and can take the software with them when they leave the university.
For Faculty and Staff (through their departments): Departments can purchase the software at The Ohio State University Bookstore through the approved Ohio State purchasing process (e.g., an internal purchase order or procurement card) for faculty and staff to use in their offices or homes while they are employed at Ohio State.
The price of the software has been set solely to recover projected costs; however, if sales exceed expectations, the university plans to use the revenue to improve computing services for students.
Negotiations began with Microsoft in December 1997 and involved the presidents, provosts, chief information officers and legal counsels from all IUC universities.
Contact: James F. Davis, (614) 292-6553 or davis.64@osu.edu