Question
What is a Chosen Name and how can I change it?
Answer
Some members of our BGSU community may use chosen names, which are names other than their legal names. Often, chosen names more accurately reflect a person's identity.
Expand the panels in this article for information on BGSU Chosen Name and how to set/change/update it. For additional information on Chosen Names, visit this webpage.
Set BGSU Chosen Name - Students
- Log in to the MyBGSU portal.
- Select Student Center.
- Select Profile.
- From the Personal Details screen, select the plus sign (+) under Names.
- Select Chosen from the Type drop-down menu.
- If you already have a Chosen Name, you can edit the name by selecting the Chosen Name row.
- Enter your Chosen Name as you would like it to appear.
- Select Save.
- Once you have created your Chosen Name, the change should update throughout the systems within 24 hours.
Visit our legal name change guide if you had recently had a legal name change.
Set BGSU Chosen Name - Faculty/Staff
- Log in to the MyBGSU portal.
- Select the Employee tab from the top navigation menu.
- Select Update Personal Information from the left navigation menu.
- On the next screen, select the Names tab.
- Select Add New Name.
- If you already have a Chosen Name, you can edit the name by selecting edit.
- For Name Type, select Chosen.
- Enter your Chosen Name as you would like it to appear.
- Select a date in the Date new name will take effect field.
- Select Save.
- Once you have created your Chosen Name, the change should update throughout the systems within 24 hours.
Visit our legal name change guide if you had recently had a legal name change.
What is an Acceptable BGSU Chosen Name?
An acceptable BGSU chosen name adheres to the following:
- First Name and Last Name (middle name optional).
- No numbers.
- No special characters (for example: ?#*@ ,").
- No pronouns.
- You may include these in your BGSU email signature, not in your chosen name.
The chosen name can be used to search for a specific faculty, staff, student, etc. across a variety of BGSU communication platforms and applications. Some of the more common areas a chosen name may appear include: BGSU email, Office 365, Navigate, etc.
Chosen name changes are monitored and if standards are not met, changes will be reversed.
What BGSU Applications Will Show My Chosen Name?
After setting a Chosen Name in your personal information within MyBGSU, the Chosen Name will be used on the following BGSU applications and systems:
- BG1 Card
- Both the Chosen Name (if set) and legal name will be printed on any BG1 Cards purchased after the Chosen Name is set.
- There is a standard charge of $25 to have a new card printed.
- Chosen Name will also be used with any applications within Dining Services that display names on meal orders or online meal orders (i.e. Starbucks).
- Navigate (EAB) App
- BGSU Email/Office 365
- Microsoft Forms currently do not display Chosen Names. Other Office 365 products (SharePoint, OneDrive, Microsoft Teams) DO display Chosen Names.
- Canvas
- Setting a Chosen Name via MyBGSU will override any previously set Chosen Names names Canvas.
- As of October 7, 2021, users are no longer able to change their Chosen Name (display name) within Canvas and instead must do so in MyBGSU.
- Users who have previously set a Chosen Name in Canvas but not via MyBGSU should set their Chosen Name in MyBGSU by following these instructions. Once the Chosen Name is set in MyBGSU, it will display in Canvas within 24 hours.
- Class Roster/Grade Roster
- Student Recreation Center
- Residence Life communications
Setting a Chosen Name does not allow for the change of a user's Last Name or usernames. Last names/usernames can only be changed if a Legal Name Change has occurred. View this article for more information on making a Legal Name Change.
Zoom Display Name
Your Zoom display name is directly linked to the Chosen Name listed in your BGSU account. To change your display name, you must change your Chosen Name in MyBGSU.
If you have questions about how this will impact records, please contact the Office of the Registrar at 419-372-8441 or registrar@bgsu.edu. For technical questions, please contact the ITS Service Desk at 419-372-0999. For questions related to this policy, please contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs and LGBTQ+ Programs at 419-372-2642 or oma@bgsu.edu.
For additional assistance, please contact Information Technology Services at 419-372-0999 or through chat.