This document describes how sponsorship administrators can use the Sponsor System to reset UMICH passwords for sponsored people with temporary uniqnames. Sponsored people with regular uniqnames plus UMIDs and those with temporary uniqnames can reset their own passwords via UMICH Account Management. People with regular uniqnames plus UMIDs may also contact the ITS Service Center to reset their passwords.
Contents
- Sponsored People Can Change Their Own Passwords
- Who Resets Which Passwords
- Resetting UMICH Passwords Using the Sponsor System
Sponsored People Can Change Their Own Passwords
Sponsored people can change their own UMICH password at accounts.it.umich.edu/password/set/.
If the sponsored person has forgotten their password, the password will need to be reset by either the ITS Service Center or a sponsorship administrator.
Who Resets Which Passwords
To reset someone's UMICH password when they forgot it, you must be certain the person's identity is verified. This way, you prevent unauthorized access to U-M computing resources; you protect other users of computing resources, the resources themselves, and the university's reputation. You must be able to verify the person's identity to make sure the uniqname associated with the reset password really is theirs. That's the key idea behind who is allowed to reset passwords for which sponsored people.
Self-Service Password Resets
Sponsored individuals who have set up a non-UMICH address email address for account recovery in UMICH Account Management can reset a forgotten password for themselves as long as they either have a UMID number or a date of birth on record. You can help sponsored individuals get set up to reset a forgotten UMICH password themselves by:
- Entering a date of birth when you set up a sponsorship.
- Encouraging sponsored individuals to set an account recovery address in UMICH Account Management when they change their initial password to something only they know.
The ITS Service Center Resets Passwords for People with Wolverine Access Entries
The ITS Service Center assists with account recovery steps for users that need to reset their password. Service Center staff members have access to verification steps via Duo Push.
Contractors, academic affiliates, temporary staff members, and incoming faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to configure Duo Push when they initially set up their password.
The Service Center can reset passwords for sponsored people who do not have Wolverine Access entries only in response to a request from the sponsoring unit when that unit has verified the person's identity.
Sponsorship Administrators Reset Passwords for People with Temporary Uniqnames
Shorter-term sponsored people, such as conference participants, as well as long-term guests, are required to provide only minimal identity information in order to be sponsored by a department or unit. They do not get an entry in Wolverine Access. The ITS Service Center does not have enough information to verify the identity of these people and must rely on the sponsoring unit to do so.
Sponsorship administrators for the sponsoring unit can reset passwords for long-term guests and for people with temporary uniqnames using the MCommunity Sponsor System—that is, for people who do not have Wolverine Access entries.
Why can't departments reset UMICH passwords for sponsored people who have Wolverine Access entries? It's a security issue. A sponsorship administrator can add a sponsorship to any member of the university community. For example, a sponsorship administrator could add a sponsorship to a faculty member in another department. Then, if departments were able to reset passwords for anyone they sponsor, the administrator could reset that individual's password. While most university employees are honest and would never do such a thing, allowing it would create a security risk.
Resetting UMICH Passwords Using the Sponsor System
If a sponsored person with a Temporary Uniqname lost or forgot their password, you can reset it and communicate the new password to them.
- Log in to the Sponsor System. You will see a View and Modify Sponsorships screen.
- Click the uniqname of the sponsored person.
- Click Reset password.
- Take note of the password that you will communicate to the sponsored person. See Communicating Passwords Securely to Sponsored People for more information.