FAQs

When does the change take place?
Effective immediately, web users will be able to use MiamiOH.edu in place of muohio.edu in primary web URLs, with changes to other sites occurring gradually. Beginning August 1, 2012, faculty and staff will be able to use @muohio.edu or @miamioh.edu in email addresses, and both will work; the process for students and alumni through Google email is still being refined.

What does this mean for my email?
Starting August 1, 2012, faculty and staff will be able to send and receive email using either your current uniqueid@muohio.edu email address or your new uniqueid@MiamiOH.edu email address. To receive email using the new address, you will not need to make any changes. Email sent to either address will route to the your current mailbox. However, you are encouraged to being using uniqueid@MiamiOH.edu as your primary email address, which means configuring your email client to also send messages using that address. For instructions on how to do so, visit IT Services. (Again, the process for student and alumni email is still being developed).

What does this mean for my website(s)?
Starting August 1, 2012, University Communications & Marketing will be working with IT Services and Technology Support Representatives (TSRs) to ensure that Miami websites on the primary server will respond to either muohio.edu or MiamiOH.edu URLs. Other websites will be moved after August 1, 2012, but that schedule has not yet been finalized. Once the changes are made to the web server, no changes are needed by users. To test whether a particular website has been moved over, replace the “muohio” in the URL with “miamioh.” If you get to the website, then the web server in question has been updated. Once a webserver has been updated, a user clicking on a URL containing MiamiOH.edu will get the correct content. (Note that we are using capitalization in the URL to emphasize the change and our identity; capitalization will not appear in the URL).

Why can’t we keep the old muohio.edu domain name in addition to the new MiamiOH.edu domain name?
Unlike .com domain names, which companies can own in unlimited number, .edu domain names are restricted by federal policy. An educational institution can only have one domain name. EDUCAUSE, which is the registrar for .edu domain names, is currently considering a rule change that, if approved by the Department of Commerce, would allow educational institutions to have two domain names. A decision on this proposed change is expected by the end of the calendar year. Miami University has been advocating strongly for two domain names to be allowed for universities.

What happens if the policy isn’t changed?
We will have to fully migrate to the new domain by June 1, 2014. After that date, URLs containing muohio.edu will no longer work and email addresses containing muohio.edu will no longer receive email.

What does this mean for my research?
Many muohio.edu URLs are published in journals and other printed publications. If new policy allows us to have two domain names you will not need to take any action. However, if the policy isn’t changed, the published URLs will not work after June 1, 2014. Many people have expressed concerns about losing compliance with funding agencies if their research becomes inaccessible if/when the muohio.edu URLs no longer function. If that is the case, in order to remain in compliance with these agencies, you will need to contact each funding agency to advise them of the change and make sure your publications are accessible online.

What happens if the policy allows us to have two domain names?
We will keep both domains, but use and publish only the new one. A user clicking on an old link to http://www.muohio.edu will always be able to get to the correct content, which will be hosted at http://www.MiamiOH.edu.

I know of schools that have two domain names; how did they get to keep multiple domain names?
The rule limiting educational institutions to only one domain name came into effect in 2001. Educational institutions with more than one domain name prior to that date were allowed to keep the additional name. Some schools, like Kansas State, opted to keep multiple names retaining both ksu.edu and k-state.edu. Other schools, like Northwestern, opted to release their additional names, choosing to retain northwestern.edu while relinquishing nwu.edu. The University of Miami had both umiami.edu and Miami.edu.