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Microsoft Office at WWU

Microsoft Office 2007 for Windows includes Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, Excel and Access. Thanks to generous friends at Microsoft, Office 2007 Pro Plus is now installed in most general university classrooms and labs and is available to faculty and staff in academic departments for no charge. Please explore the links below for more information about Office 2007 at Western.

Faculty and Academic Dept Staff Request for Office 2007 for Windows

Office 2007 for Windows Distribution at WWU

Office 2007 in General University Classrooms and Labs

New Features

Compatibility Information

Office 2007 Transition Resources

Microsoft Office 2008 for Macintosh Distribution at WWU

Contact Info for Questions/Comments

Office 2007 Distribution at WWU

Thanks to generous friends at Microsoft, we now have enough donated copies of Microsoft Office 2007 Pro Plus for Windows for classrooms and labs, faculty and academic departmental staff. We cannot distribute donated copies of Office 2007 to all administrative staff at this time, but it can be purchased for $61.

Faculty and academic departmental staff can request a copy of Office 2007 by emailing Software Services. Other staff requests should include both the Software License form and a Software Billing Form.

The Western Foundation continues to request donations. Please thank your friends or relatives employed by Microsoft who have donated. For information about the Microsoft Software Donation Program which has been very beneficial to Western, please go to www.wwu.edu/Microsoft.

Office 2007 in General University Classrooms and Labs

Currently, both Office 2003 and Office 2007 are installed in general university classrooms and labs. Beginning Fall quarter 2008, only Office 2007 will be installed in general university labs and classrooms.

Since the Office 2007 interface is quite different from Office 2003, it is recommended that faculty who create or edit Office files during class become proficient with the new interface before Fall quarter. Curricular materials that reference step-by-step instructions in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Access will also need to be updated.

For more information on Microsoft Office software in classrooms and labs, please go to Microsoft Office 2003/2007 in Classrooms and Labs.

New Features

Office 2007 has been redesigned of the user interface based on a “ribbon” of commands designed for more intuitive document creation and editing. Popular new features include an improved search capability in Outlook, easier formatting, "Quick Parts" to insert frequently used text, and streamlined filtering in Excel and Access. The new file format provides improved interoperability with other software.

Compatibility with Other Microsoft Office Versions

Office 2007 applications, with the exception of Publisher, have a new file format which improves file and data management, data recovery, and interoperability with other software. The file extension for these new files ends with “x” (.docx, .xlsx, pptx or mdbx).

These new file formats can be opened by previous Windows versions of Office using an Office 2007 or Office 2008 for Macintosh Compatibility Pack. The Compatibility Pack is installed in all general university classrooms and labs. If you have received an Office 2007 file and have not been able to open it, please install the Compatibility Pack!

Office 2007 applications can also be set to save in Office 2003 format. This can minimize the potential for compatibility issues. This is currently the default setting in general university classrooms and labs, so files saved in those locations will not have the new Office 2007 files formats.

Microsoft Office 2008 for Macintosh can open Office 2007 files. It is currently available from ATUS Software Services for $50.

Resources Available for Transitioning to Office 2007

Go to the Office 2007 Resources page for more complete information, including hardware requirements, new feature information and interactive command references to help find menus that have moved. Other resources available include:

If you’d like to experience the software first-hand, visit the demonstration station available in the Student Technology Center in Haggard Hall 121.

Microsoft Office 2008 Distribution

Microsoft Office 2008 for Macintosh is now available for $50. Donations have been requested but have not yet been received. Microsoft Office 2008 for Macintosh can open corresponding Office 2007 files.

Questions?

For more information, or to let us know how to better assist with your transition to Microsoft Office 2007, please contact ATUS Software Services, Haggard Hall 124 or 650-3159.