Information and Technology

Story posted October 12, 2009

Starting November 2, 2009, Microsoft Office 2007 will be available to Bowdoin Staff and Faculty. By August 15, 2010 the standard software version for Windows machines at Bowdoin College will be Office 2007 (Word 2007, Excel 2007, Powerpoint 2007, and Outlook 2007).

Goals

1. Provide Bowdoin Faculty and Staff access to the latest Microsoft Office Productivity technologies to enhance their teaching, research and workday activities.
2. To provide better support and training by having students, faculty, and staff who use Windows on the same version of Microsoft Office.

Timeline

How is Microsoft Office 2007 different from Office 2003?

For people who have been using Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint for several years, the 2007 version looks quite different. The interface no longer has file menus. Instead, it has a more visual Ribbon with Tabs. Given the different look and feel, we are offering an array of training materials to orient you to the Office 2007 applications.

What types of Training will be provided?

• Quick Reference Sheets
• Online tutorials for those who like to learn on their own time, at their own pace
• Group training classes (30-60 minutes)
• Targeted training classes for your department, upon request
• "Open Lab" sessions: Work on your own project and ask any questions as they emerge

What are some Benefits of Office 2007?

• A streamlined, more visual user interface
• Create appealing and professional looking documents quickly and easily
• Preview formatting changes before you apply them
• Create PDFs within Office 2007 applications
• Document file size is smaller with new file format

When will I get a chance to see Office 2007 applications in action?

IT will be demonstrating Word 2007, Excel 2007, Powerpoint 2007, and Outlook 2007 at Smith Union on Thursday October 29th from 11:30am-1:30pm. Stop by and try Office 2007 out. We'll be in front of the Bowdoin Express C-Store.

Is Office 2007 available to Macintosh users?

Office 2007 is for Windows machines. Macintosh machines already have the option of upgrading to Office 2008. If you would like to schedule an upgrade to Office 2008 (Mac), contact the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@bowdoin.edu, 725-3030, or via the online form.

Can Office 2007 applications (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) read Office 2003 files?

Yes, Office 2007 can read any Office 2003 file. Because Office 2007 uses a new, more efficient file format, Office 2003 applications (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) need a "Compatibility Patch" to be able to read the newer format. Bowdoin has installed this patch on all centrally managed Windows machines. If you are using an Office 2007 application and sending a file to someone off-campus, who may be using an older version, you can chose to save your file in the older Office 2003 format.

Will my applications work with Office 2007?

Many applications have been updated to work with office 2007. IT has been testing many of Bowdoin's business applications (Financial Edge, Raiser's Edge, Recruitment Plus etc.) that depend on the Microsoft Office products to make sure things work correctly.

Can I install Microsoft Office 2007 on my Home Computer?

Bowdoin's Microsoft Office license permits staff, faculty, and students to install Microsoft Office on their personal machines. Visit our secure software download page, log in with your username and password, and agree to the license terms before downloading Microsoft Office 2007 (Windows) or Office 2008 (Mac).