On March 31st, UConn’s University Information Technology Services (UITS) announced that the Adobe Creative Cloud Service, which is available to students for free, will end on May 31st, 2017. This means that On May 31st, any student who uses the University-funded Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or any of the Adobe products, will no longer be able to use them on their personal computers. The 2014 contract allowed students to use Adobe applications while they are enrolled UConn students. UITS stated that they “do not expect to continue this agreement” due to a price increase from Adobe.
These Adobe programs are very important to students studying Fine Arts, Marketing, Graphic Design, Digital Media and Design, and more. Many students can’t afford to purchase the applications on their own, not even under the $240/year ($960/four years) student discount that UConn recommended as an alternative. These applications are very important for the education of students in many areas of study. Without them, these students will suffer.
“As a photographer, Adobe Creative Cloud is a crucial part [of my studies]. If this program is taken away, it will affect me and my fellow students who depend on UConn’s free Adobe Suite for their projects. This course of action should be reconsidered for the benefit of the students as well as staff who use these programs on a daily basis” — Ginikachi Anosike, ACES at UConn.
Adobe services are crucial to the education and success of UConn students.
“My friends and I at UCTV and DMD use Photoshop, Premiere, and After Effects on a daily basis. Without personal access to these programs, our work will definitely suffer. UConn needs to provide personal access to give creators fair practice with the tools they will use every day in their future careers.” — Christian Partenio, DMD major at UConn.
Partenio also claimed that those at Nutmeg Publishing, who make the yearbooks and take senior portraits, will be “really badly affected” by this decision.
It’s not just an educational service, students and staff also use the Adobe products for their UConn-related jobs and clubs.
If UConn doesn’t reconsider, all students using UConn-funded Adobe products will be unable to use them after this semester, impacting the work and education of the entire student body.
Read more on UConn’s decision to revoke the agreement with Adobe here.