Email groups

Summary

This article explains what centrally managed email groups are at WSU and how they are used for campus-wide communication. It describes how ITS maintains and updates these distribution lists, how they differ from Outlook contact groups and Teams groups, where to find them in Outlook, and who can use them. The article also highlights commonly used email groups, outlines access restrictions, and provides best practices for sending messages responsibly.

Information Applies to

Faculty, Staff

What are email groups?

WSU Information Technology Services (ITS) maintains hundreds of centrally managed email groups that function as distribution lists. These groups include email addresses for individuals within specific organizational areas or categories (such as a college, program, department, or major) and are updated regularly using campus data. Unlike Outlook contact groups, ITS managed email groups have their own email addresses (for example, allemployees@winona.edu) and are managed centrally. Some groups are visible in the Outlook Global Address List while others are hidden, and usage permissions vary. Some are available to all users, some only to group members, and others require special approval.

Email Groups in the Global Address List

Not all email groups are visible in the Outlook global address list. To access the centrally-managed email groups that are visible to you, follow the steps below:

Outlook Classic on a PC

1. Select the To, Cc, or Bcc button to the left of the corresponding field in an email message to open the Select Names: Global Address List window.
2. Scroll down the list and select Winona State U - Distribution Lists to display email groups only.
3. Double-click the desired email group or click it once and select the To, Cc, or Bcc button to add it to that field.
4. Select OK to return to your email message.

Outlook for Mac and Outlook on the web provide limited support for searching distribution lists and require prior knowledge of the group name.

Popular Email Groups

Undergraduate majors and minors

• Email groups are maintained for all WSU undergraduate majors and minors listed in ISRS. These groups are updated at 6:00 pm Monday through Friday.
• The email address format for these groups is: major-[Code]@winona.edu (e.g., major-chem@winona.edu).
• Because there are so many of them, these email groups are not visible in the Outlook global address list and must be added to the address field of an email message manually.
• Access to these groups is restricted. Contact the Technical Support Center (email Tech Support, 507-457-5240, Somsen Hall 207) or fill out the service request for Major/Minor Distribution Lists to request permission to use a specific email group. Once permitted, you can continue to use it as needed.

All employees

• Use allemployees@winona.edu to send a message to all current WSU employees. The name of this email group is WSU-Campus-Employees.
• All members (i.e., current employees) can use this email group without permission.
• This email group is not listed in the Outlook global address list.

All faculty

• There are two email groups that can be used to send messages to WSU faculty.
• Use allfaculty@winona.edu to send a message to any WSU employee with any type of faculty designation. This includes adjunct and fixed-term instructors as well as all members of the MSUAASF bargaining unit. The name of this email group is WSU-Campus-Faculty. This email group is not listed in the Outlook global address list.
• Use ifo@winona.edu to send a message to any WSU employee in the IFO bargaining unit. The name of this email group is WSU-IFO and it is listed in the Outlook global address list.

Colleges

• Email groups are maintained for all five academic colleges that include all current employees associated with that college.
• The email addresses are college_business@winona.edu, college_education@winona.edu, college_liberal_arts@winona.edu, college_nursing_health_sciences@winona.edu, and college_science_engineering@winona.edu.
• These email groups are listed in the Outlook global address list and are named WSU-College Business, WSU-College Education, WSU-College Liberal Arts, WSU-College Nursing Health Sciences, and WSU-College Science Engineering.
• All current employees can use these email groups without permission.

Tips for using email groups

Use the BCC field

When sending an email message to an email group, place the group's email address in the blind carbon copy (BCC) field. This will prevent a reply from being sent to everyone in the group if someone selects Reply All inadvertently.

Think twice before sending

We all receive many internal email messages each day and we need to work together to ensure that this remains an effective communication channel. Before you hit send on a message to a large email group, take a moment to review it. Is your message important, clear, and concise? Are you sending it to the right group? Are you using the Bcc field?

Send to multiple groups

Just as you would send a message to multiple individuals, you can send a message to multiple groups by including more than one group email address in the address field.

Can't edit groups

You cannot edit email groups. If you notice a problem with a particular group, contact the Technical Support Center (email Tech Support, 507-457-5240, Somsen Hall 207).

Use Outlook contact groups

ITS will not create email groups for small, temporary, and/or personal groups that you could manage yourself in Outlook using the contact groups feature. If you have questions about using contact groups, contact TLT (email TLT).

Use Teams private groups

When you create a Microsoft Teams site, a private group is created in Outlook that includes all the members of that site. That group has an email address that can be used to send email messages to all members of the site. This is not the same as a centrally-managed email group and is under the control of the Team site's owner.

Learn More

Need additional information or assistance? Contact WSU Tech Support by email or call 507.457.5240, option 1.

Need additional information or assistance? Contact WSU TLT by email, phone (507.457.5240, option 3), or Zoom.