University moves forward with use of preferred names

Updated 12:30 PM May 16, 2007

University moves forward with use of preferred names

By Mary Jo Frank
Office of the Vice President for Communications

Students on the Ann Arbor campus and all U-M employees who want to identify themselves to peers, colleagues and the public by a name other than their legal one now have that option.

A new policy on the use of preferred names, which was announced March 29, will facilitate finding contact information for individuals through the U-M Online Directory (UMOD) and reduce the "no results match" responses to searches that occur when a person is known by a name other than his or her legal name. For University purposes, using preferred names also will make it easier to match documents related to various business operations with the right person.

"The University recognizes that many members of our community use names other than their legal names to identify themselves," says Jeff Frumkin, assistant provost and senior director of academic human resources. "Demand for use of a preferred name has increased as individual information has expanded in databases and is more accessible via the Internet. As long as the use of this different name is not for the purposes of misrepresentation, the University acknowledges that a preferred name can and should be used wherever possible in the course of University business and education," Frumkin says.

Since April 25, individuals have been able to use the Wolverine Access self-service preferred names feature to specify a preferred name. Preferred names added through Wolverine Access will become available in the UMOD after each weekly UMOD update.

Later this year, preferred names will be used in the 2007-08 printed faculty and staff directory. June 2008 is the target date to make preferred names available to University business offices that retrieve names data from M-Pathways. Preferred names should be used except when a business process, such as payroll record, tax information, license certification for faculty or staff or student transcript requires use of the legal name.

All U-M offices are encouraged to develop plans to begin using preferred names as soon as reasonably possible before the end of the 2007-08 academic year, Frumkin adds.

Also in the works is a larger, more inclusive Enterprise Directory, which will bring together, organize, present and secure data from multiple institutional sources. With the Enterprise Directory will come the opportunity for those who currently cannot use Wolverine Access to have a preferred name. The Enterprise Directory will contain preferred names and other data for employees, students, alumni, emeritus faculty, contractors, visitors and sponsored individuals.

To add a preferred name, go to Wolverine Access at wolverineaccess.umich.edu/ and click on "Employee Business."

University moves forward with use of preferred names

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