This condition of the mouse pointer "disappearing" has been around for quite a while, a long while. This condition has occurred when not using any version of Outlook. Yes, activating another window makes the mouse pointer visible.

"Critic spoke to one Masters student who had heard of PHD students losing an entire year's worth of data." Backing up of your own "stuff" is computer 101 and self-preservation stuff. Just because you are working on your Ph.D. doesn't make you smart. For the IT staff, this is an RGE (resume generating event).