This document provides an overview of the MCommunity Directory, with general information about the transitioning and mobility of its contents.
For tips and instructions on directory use, see the list of MCommunity Directory documentation.
What Is the MCommunity Directory?
The MCommunity Directory is a public listing of individuals and groups at the University of Michigan. All current members of the U-M community have profiles in the MCommunity Directory. This listing includes faculty, staff, students, retirees, alumni, and sponsored affiliates. Anyone who has a profile in the directory can create groups in the directory.
The MCommunity Directory is an enterprise directory-that is, it covers the entire university. It is part of a larger identity management system that allows the university to keep track of U-M community membership so that central offices-as well as departments, schools, colleges, and campuses-can grant and remove access to their online resources as necessary.
As of July 2011, there are more than 421,000 people profiles in the directory and more than 84,000 groups.
LDAP access to the MCommunity Directory is provided via an LDAP Tree. For details, see
Searching the MCommunity Directory
You can run basic searches through the Search box at the top of any page in the directory. The Advanced Search option allows you to refine your search with specific attributes, i.e. name or phone number.
Related Link Tips for Searching the MCommunity Directory
People Profiles
Each member of the U-M community has a profile in the MCommunity Directory. Official contact information in the profiles comes from university records. MCommunity receives up-to-date information from these official university information sources:
-
Wolverine Access (for Ann Arbor students and all faculty and staff)
-
Dearborn Banner System (for Dearborn students)
-
Flint Banner System (for Flint students)
-
Development Alumni Constituent (DAC) System (for alumni)
-
MCommunity Sponsor System (for sponsored individuals, i.e. conference/program attendees, contractors, wireless guests and others)
This information cannot be updated in MCommunity. It must be updated at the source, and will subsequently update within MCommunity.
People can provide additional contact information, as well as other information about themselves in their profiles. For details, see Related Link Managing Your Profile in the MCommunity Directory
Group Profiles
Everyone who has a profile in the MCommunity Directory can create groups in it. These groups can be used to send e-mail or for service authorization. For details, see
How People Appear in MCommunity
People appear in MCommunity when they join the U-M community-and are therefore included in one of the authoritative information sources for the directory.
-
Faculty and staff become full members of the community when their information is entered into Wolverine Access during the hiring process.
-
Students get MCommunity profiles when they matriculate (that is, they pay their enrollment deposit or otherwise indicate their intention to enroll).
-
Sponsored people are entered when a sponsorship administrator enters information about them in the MCommunity Sponsor System.
Generally, people get a uniqname at the same time they get their MCommunity profile. For more, see Procedures for Getting a Uniqname.
Many people have multiple relationships with the university, and data about them comes from multiple official sources. Each person will have only one profile that consolidates the available information.
How People Leave MCommunity
People lose their MCommunity Directory profile when all their relationships with the university end.
-
Faculty and staff profiles are removed, after a grace period, when faculty and staff leave the university and their appointment is terminated. When a person's profile is removed from the MCommunity Directory, that person's uniqname and UMICH Kerberos password stop working. Terminated faculty and staff need to be able to log in to Wolverine Access to retrieve their W-2 forms through April 15 of the year after they leave, so the grace period is long enough to accommodate this. Retirees remain in the directory for the rest of their lives.
-
Students transition from one authoritative information source (Wolverine Access, Dearborn Banner System, or Flint Banner System) to another (Development Alumni Constituent database) when they graduate and become alumni. Students who complete at least one term in a degree-granting program but who do not graduate are also considered alumni. Alumni remain in the directory for the rest of their lives.
-
Profiles for sponsored individuals are created with expiration dates. The sponsoring department can renew sponsorships as needed. When a sponsorship expires, the sponsored person's profile is removed from the directory and the uniqname and UMICH Kerberos password stop working (if this person has no other sponsorships or relationships to the university).
For more detail, see Uniqname Use and Online Access After Leaving U-M.
Setting Policy for MCommunity
In 2003, the MCommunity Project was started by a group of information technology professionals from departments throughout the university. Focus groups were held with various campus constituencies to glean input regarding directory functionality, and an MCommunity Governance Board, with members representing U-M units and campuses, was formed to set policies regarding data access policies for the new directory and identity management system.
The Governance Board outlined a number of directory policies in its 2006 recommendations. The MCommunity Governance Board continues to meet regularly to refine MCommunity policies as the project continues its phased implementation. The board sets new policies regarding appropriate privacy and personal entry information changes by directory users.