Preferred Name Policy

Reminder: On Monday, March 18, 2019, President Cole announced the University’s Preferred Name Policy. The University completed the rollout of preferred name for students in May of 2019. The policy will take effect for employees on Tuesday, October 1, 2019.

Preferred Name Definition

Preferred names are defined by the University as a name different from an individual’s legal name that the individual selects and the University approves for use within the University environment.

Verifying or Changing a Preferred Name

You can verify your preferred name by logging into Workday and viewing your preferred name on the landing page, or by searching for your name in the employee directory. If you need to update, request or remove a preferred name designation, please use the following steps below:

Preferred Name Change Process

1. Log into Workday
2. From your Home page, click on the “Personal Information” worklet.
3. In the “Change” column, click on the “Preferred Name” button.
4. Enter your Preferred Name in the “Prefix,” “First Name,” “Middle Name,” “Last Name” field.
5. When finished click “Submit” at the bottom of the page.

Approval Process

• Requests for preferred last names will be approved on a limited basis, and must be based on some reasonable justification such as use of a professional name that is different from the legal name, such as a maiden name. The reason for a preferred last name request should be submitted as a Comment when requesting Preferred Name in WorkDay.
• All requests are initially approved by the requesting employee’s immediate supervisor.
• All requests are routed to the Vice President for Human Resources for final approval.

See a full list of where preferred names will be visible effective October 1, 2019.

Please Note: Student employees must request preferred name changes both in Workday (for employee preferred name) and through request to the Dean of Students (for student preferred name).

Where Preferred Names Will Be Displayed, Upon Final Approval

As a reminder, preferred names will be displayed in place of legal names in:

• Workday
• NEST/Banner
• University ID card (If requested and if associated fee is paid for replacement card)
• Email display name (note – NetID does not change, once created)
• Employee directory information
• Class lists and grade reports (Banner)
• Course evaluations
• Learning management systems (Canvas)
• Building/service access systems
• Red Hawk Dollars
• Class rosters (Banner and Canvas)
• Convocation and Commencement programs and announcements
• ServiceNow (IT and Red Hawk Central incident ticketing system)

At this time due to technical constraints, only preferred first name can be displayed in all of the systems listed above. Preferred last name will be visible only in Workday, the employee directory, email display name, ServiceNow and Canvas.

Legal Name Change/Update

As a reminder, in the event that you are in need of updating your legal name, you may request those changes directly in Workday, as well.

Legal Name Change Process

1. Log into Workday
2. From your Home page, click on the “Personal Information” worklet.
3. In the “Change” column, click on the “Legal Name” button.
4. Enter your Legal Name in the appropriate fields (Prefix, First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, Suffix)
5. Attach appropriate supporting documentation:
   1. A certified copy of a marriage certificate, court order, or dissolution decree reflecting the new name in full
   2. An updated Social Security Card, Driver’s License, Passport, Government or Military I.D.
6. When finished click ‘Submit’ at the bottom of the page.

Questions?

Please use the following resources for more information about the Preferred Name Policy:

• Full Policy
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Contact Email: workday@montclair.edu