Western Washington University

07/16/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 07/16/2026 19:26

WWU Launches Email Retention Labels in Outlook

WWU Launches Email Retention Labels in Outlook

July 16, 2026

WWU has launched email retention labels in Outlook, marking an important milestone in the University's Email Retention Improvement Project. Email retention labels are electronic 'tags' that place email records into categories based on record type. This initiative strengthens the University's compliance with state requirements governing public records disclosure, retention, and disposition, including RCW 42.56 (Public Records Act) and RCW 40.14 (Preservation and Destruction of Public Records). The Public Records Act requires agencies to conduct adequate searches for records responsive to public records requests, while records retention laws require those records to be maintained and disposed of in accordance with approved retention schedules. Because email is one of the University's largest repositories of institutional records, effective email management is essential to transparency, accountability, and compliance.

As part of this effort, Western has implemented a standardized set of retention labels in Outlook, the University's official electronic communication platform. Beginning today, these labels are available to all employees and will help ensure email records are retained and disposed of appropriately. The new system is designed to promote consistency, reduce uncertainty in records management practices, and improve the University's ability to locate records when responding to public records requests.

What this means for you

There is no new software associated with this change. Retention labeling will be available directly within Outlook. Once labels are deployed, you will be able to assign retention labels to emails as part of your normal workflow.

Why this matters

Email communications constitute a significant portion of the University's public records. Applying appropriate retention practices in alignment with state law and institutional policy is critical to meeting our legal obligations and supporting responsible stewardship of university records.

Next steps

Labels should begin populating in your Outlook account starting on July 16. If you don't see the labels under the Policy tab in your Outlook ribbon, try restarting your machine. Guidance materials and training resources will be shared by the project team following this email and opportunities to connect directly with the team who has been working on this will be available.

The dates and times for the demos, and Q&A are:

  • Monday, July 27, 11 am - Noon
  • Monday, August 3, 2 - 3 pm
  • Thursday, August 13, 10 - 11 am

There is already a Teams site set up where you can ask the project team questions, collaborate, and learn more about email retention. Join the Team here: General | Email Retention

Questions

Some great resources have already been posted:

Email Retention Tech Overview and How-To | ATUS | Western Washington University

Email Retention Basics | Records Management | Western Washington University

If you have questions or would like to ensure that colleagues in your area are included in a demo session, please contact Project Manager .

Western Washington University published this content on July 16, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on July 17, 2026 at 01:26 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]