At Lehigh, we affirm the right of individuals to utilize their chosen name across the university and to be referred to appropriately. Please see the University's formal policy here for additional information.
This page provides information on how and where you can update your legal name, chosen name, and gender identity. Please note, that not all University systems, databases, and processes may be able to display a chosen name. The University continues to explore ways to allow those systems to display chosen names and will update this policy as those changes occur.
In addition, because legal names will still be contained in the University’s systems, they may appear in an unexpected context. As the University utilizes a number of systems, the timeframe in which changes can or may be updated within those systems may differ. Should your legal name appear where you think your chosen name should be used, please submit a Dead Name Incident Report here.
Where to start...
To start the process of identifying your chosen name, submit your information via go.lehigh.edu/UpdateChosenName.
Current Systems That Display Chosen Name
Chosen names are displayed in the Housing & Dining portal as well as on the Housing Rosters used by various offices across campus. To provide your chosen first, middle, and/or last name to be included in the system of record, please visit https://go.lehigh.edu/UpdateChosenName
The University continues to work through the implementation of chosen name and gender identity. We appreciate your patience as we work through the many systems that display names campus wide
Individuals wishing to change how their name appears when they send an email can update this information in Google. To change how your name appears:
- Sign into your Google account.
- In the top right corner, click on the gear.
- Select “Settings.”
- Select “Account.”
- In the “Send mail as” section, locate the email address you would like to edit and click “edit info” next to the email address.
- In the “Name” section, specify what you would like your chosen name to be and click “Save changes.”
At this time, the user name of your email address (e.g. abc123) cannot be changed.
If you have a special character in your legal name that you would like to have included, please follow the process of updating your legal name with the university.
To provide your chosen first, middle, and/or last name to be included in the system of record, please visit go.lehigh.edu/UpdateChosenName
The University permits individuals to use their chosen name on their Lehigh ID card. In some contexts, a Lehigh ID card is considered legal identification. If your chosen name is not also the same as your legal name, you will need to consider using another form of identification (such as a driver’s license) for legal identification.
Starting 5/20/22, new ID cards will be printed with the chosen name. If you want to change the name displayed on your ID card, please contact the IDEAL office to request a replacement ID card.
Chosen names and are displayed in the Housing & Dining portal as well as on the housing rosters used by various offices across campus.
To provide your chosen first, middle, and/or last name to be included in the system of record, please visit go.lehigh.edu/
Please update your Chosen Name at https://go.lehigh.edu/UpdateChosenName and your CourseSite name should update within 24-48 hours. If your name does not update in that time frame, please email Bobby Siegfried at rrs207@lehigh.edu.
Students may opt to have their chosen name rather than their legal name printed on their diploma. When a student applies for graduation, they can enter their name as they would like it to be displayed on their diploma. This will also be the name that is printed in the commencement ceremony booklet. Please note that this does not change a student's name in their student record but rather only changes how it is displayed on the diploma itself.
Chosen name will be displayed for faculty members on the course evaluation forms. To provide your chosen first, middle, and/or last name to be included in the system of record, please visit go.lehigh.edu/UpdateChosenName
Chosen name will be displayed for the instructor on the course roster during registration. To provide your chosen first, middle, and/or last name to be included in the system of record, please visit go.lehigh.edu/UpdateChosenName