For involuntary separations, account disablement timing is covered in the
Involuntary Separations section above. The guidance below applies to all separations.
Within 24 hours of the Employee Record (ER) being processed, the University Computing
Account will be demoted to a sponsored account and scheduled to terminate in 14 days,
ending access to email and all associated services. Once the account terminates, any
forwarding options previously in place will be eliminated.
Out-of-Office Message
Setting up an auto-reply at the point of account disablement is
strongly recommended and in many cases eliminates the need for
IT or Security teams to grant any further account access. Coordinate with your unit
administrator to ensure it is in place before or at the point the account is disabled.
The approved standard verbiage (unless the department requests otherwise) is:
Thank you for your message. The individual you are trying to reach is no longer
affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh.
For assistance locating people at Pitt, please refer to the University’s
Contact Us page.
The response may be customized to direct senders to a specific department contact
or replacement.
No forwarding after termination. Pitt Digital will not configure
email forwarding for terminated employee accounts. It is the responsibility of the
unit administrator or designee to notify relevant parties and redirect University
business communications before the departure date.
📥 Business Continuity — Mailbox Archive
For business continuity, departments may request a .pst archive export
of the departed employee’s mailbox through the Technology Help Desk, subject to
appropriate management authorization. Direct live account access to a terminated
employee’s email will not be granted except in rare instances with explicit
OUC authorization.
During the 14-day sponsored account window, email can still be delivered to and
accessed by the employee. If the department requires earlier disablement for a
standard separation, submit this request to the Technology Help Desk.
Retirement — Email Account Retention
If the employee is eligible to retire and wishes to retain their University email
account, they must make this request at the time they submit their resignation. If
the department approves, send the following to the Benefits Department
(hr.pitt.edu/contact-ohr):
employee full name, department, retirement date, and primary email address.
See University Email Access, Privacy, and Forwarding Standards
for the full policy, including legal framework and access restrictions.