Sponsoring authorities authorize certain individuals in their units, called sponsorship administrators, to create and manage identities in MCommunity. Sponsoring authorities do not perform sponsorship administration themselves.
This document explains the responsibilities of sponsoring authorities, lists the requirements for this role, and provides instructions for submitting an online request to become a sponsoring authority.
Responsibilities of Sponsoring Authorities
A sponsoring authority authorizes sponsorship administrators for specified university units and/or departments. Administrators perform data entry and management, using the MCommunity Sponsor System, to create and manage digital identities for sponsored individuals.
It is the responsibility of the sponsoring authority to oversee the sponsorship administrators s/he has authorized and ensure that appropriate policies and guidelines are in effect. The sponsoring authority oversees sponsorship processes within his or her unit.
Specific sponsoring authority responsibilities include the following:
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Authorize only eligible, responsible individuals to be sponsorship administrators for your unit For example, the people you authorize should be regular (not temporary) employees of U-M who are past their probation period. They should be trustworthy enough to take administrative responsibilities seriously.
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Understand the security implications of sponsoring an individual for membership in the university community through the MCommunity Sponsor System and ensure that the sponsorship administrators you authorize create and manage sponsorships with this in mind.
Note Sponsored individuals who receive a uniqname and UMICH password can access any university system that requires only these credentials.
Be aware that your unit/department is providing this access to the people your sponsorship administrators sponsor. Also be aware that sponsored individuals throughout the university will have access to all unit services that require a uniqname and UMICH password for access.
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Set appropriate guidelines regarding expiration of your unit's sponsorships Make sure that local sponsorship administrators understand that individuals should not, in most cases, be sponsored indefinitely.
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Remove your sponsorship administration authorization as appropriate and necessary Please let the ITS Service Center know when a sponsorship administrator leaves your unit so that person's access to the MCommunity Sponsor System can be removed. Sponsoring authorities receive a montly report via email of their authorized sponsorship administrators to help them with this responsibility.
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Set appropriate identity verification guidelines for your local sponsorship administrators. Pprovide them with procedures for verifying the identity information for the people your unit sponsors. It is your responsibility to ensure that data entered into the Sponsor System for your unit is accurate.
The ITS Service Center, for example, requires full name, last four digits of Social Security number, month and day of birthdate, and UMID to verify identity when resetting someone's password over the phone. You might require a photo ID or verfication of identity by the person requesting the sponsorship.
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Ensure that your local sponsorship administrators follow all applicable U-M IT policies Provide guidance to them in doing so and answer any questions that arise. Here are some of the most relevant policies:
Becoming a Sponsoring Authority
Requirements of Sponsoring Authorities
Sponsoring authorities must be regular (non-temporary) employees of the university.
Sponsoring authorities cannot also be sponsorship administrators. Sponsorship administration and authorization are separate and must be carried out by different people.
Apply Online to Become a Sponsoring Authority
Submit a request through the ITS Online Access Request System (OARS).
Note You will need to use two-factor authentication to log in to OARS.
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Navigate to the OARS home page. You will be prompted to login with your uniqname and UMICH password, as well as your two-factor authentication, if you are not already logged in to U-M web applications.
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Click Request.
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Under the Role Selection Tool heading, click the triangle next to MCommunity to see the MCommunity options, then click the triangle next to Sponsor System.
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From the list of Sponsor System roles, select MC Sponsor Authority.
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At the bottom of the page, click Submit for Authorization, then follow the online prompts to complete your request. You will have the opportunity to select the departments you are overseeing.