Starting Monday, Jan. 31, a new “Manage Account” button at login.wvu.edu will give students and employees a simple way to request preferred first and last names without submitting a ticket to Information Technology Services. This will expedite what has long been a manual process. The self-service site at login.wvu.edu will be down from 8 a.m. to noon Sunday, Jan. 30, to make this system change.
Once approved, preferred names will be distributed automatically to systems technically capable of accepting them. These currently include: Banner/STAR; eCampus/Blackboard; MIX/Google Workspace; Microsoft 365; directory.wvu.edu; and CS Gold, the software behind the WVU ID card. This automated process, which typically takes one business day, will change the display name on your email but won’t change your email address.
Not all vendors have updated their technology to accommodate preferred names, and some WVU systems still require legal names. As vendors upgrade their applications or new services with this functionality come online at WVU, preferred names will automatically flow to them.
If you already have a preferred name in MAP or STAR, you do not need to take any action. If you entered different preferred names in the two systems, the MAP name will be used.
All preferred name submissions will be compared against a database with hundreds of thousands of names and nicknames from dozens of global sources. If the name you choose is in the database, you’ll see an automatic, on-screen acceptance. Only names that are not in the database will be reviewed.
More detail about preferred names will be available Monday, Jan. 31, in the ITS Help Center, where you should first log in with your primary WVU email account.
Direct any questions to ITSHelp@mail.wvu.edu.