Name Changes for Faculty & Staff

Name changes for faculty and staff are administered by Human Resources. Detailed information, and a link to the Employee Name Change e-sign form, are available in the “Personal Information” section of Web4U.  Academic Technology and User Services (ATUS) provides guidance about updating personal software applications and devices after changing your name with Western.

Employees may also be interested in this Guidance to Support Employees Transitioning in the Workplace.

First name change.  Faculty and staff may indicate a preferred first name for use at Western by submitting an Employee Name Change e-sign form.  After the update is processed, the name will be used in Outlook, the Campus Directory, Canvas, telephone display name, and the employee’s email address. Faculty and staff can also request a new Western Card, business cards, and name plate.

Legal name.  Faculty and staff can change their legal name with the University by submitting an Employee Name Change form and an updated social security card to Human Resources.  Directions are on the “Name Change Information” page within the “Personal Information” section of Web4U. You can also find helpful information about changing your name on state and federal identity documents.

Updating user names.  Staff and faculty who indicate a preferred first name or change their legal first name may request a corresponding change to the first initial appearing in their user name and the username@wwu.edu email address.  Request this change via the Get IT Help form. Emails sent to the old username@wwu.edu email address will be forwarded to the new address.

Western Card:  To obtain a new Western Card, visit the Western Card Office after submitting the Employee Name Change e-sign form.  Because name changes may take several business days to process, you might call the Western Card Office at (360) 650-7414 to be sure the name change has been processed before visiting the office to request a new card.  There is no charge for a new Western Card requested due to a name change.  At your request, the Western Card Office can take a new photograph of you for the updated Western Card.

Questions about employee name changes may be directed to Human Resources.

Name Changes on Scholarly Publications

Several academic publishers have introduced policies making it easier for scholars to change their name on journal publications. There is a list of publishers introducing name change policies on the office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) website. The RSP is available to assist in name changes and other identifying info such as pronouns, photographs, and email addresses.