Your MCAD account refers to a username and password that you’ll use to access all MCAD related systems and services. It is your own personal identifier in our directory server so you can interact with services, networks, and servers within the institution.
Username
For most people, your username is the first initial of your first name followed by your whole last name. If a previous person already had a username with the same first initial and the same last name, your username will be your first initial, lastname, and last three digits of your Student ID or Paylocity ID.
As an example, if your name were “Misi Ziibi”, your username would be mziibi. If someone else already had it previously, your username would be mziibi000.
MCAD accounts use single sign-on (SSO) technology, letting you use the same user credentials (your username plus your password) to log on to multiple services. Depending on your role within the institution your access to systems, networks and servers will vary.
A few important notes:
- Usernames are not case sensitive.
- Passwords are case sensitive.
- MCAD accounts take some information from Paylocity but the systems are not connected directly to each other.
- Students, this is not the same as the account used to apply to MCAD.
Password
When your account is initially created you will receive a message at a personal email address with a password reset link. Through it you can set a password for your account. Should you not receive this email make sure to check the spam folder of your account.
Once your password is set you can change it directly at https://password.mcad.edu. This page also contains the appropriate links to reset your password should you experience issues. For more information please refer to this article.
You cannot change your password anywhere else, including pages or services that offer a password reset link themselves.
This is your username followed by @mcad.edu (e.g. mziibi@mcad.edu), handled through Google Workspace. This is what is historically referred to as your “short email address”.
Email Alias
In certain places your MCAD email is displayed as firstname_lastname@mcad.edu (e.g. misi_ziiby@mcad.edu) rather than username@mcad.edu. You can provide it to people and messages sent to it will be stored in your email inbox as usual.
Historically they have been referred to as your “long email address” and cannot be used to sign-on to systems and services provided by the institution. They exist to help integration of certain services and to ensure continuity for other legacy systems still in use. If you have questions about them get in touch with the Help Desk.
Available Services
Your account grants you access to a variety of products and services. Some of them are hosted on-premise, others are cloud-based.
- Google products like Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Meet, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Chat, and Keep. We refer to the combination of them as your MCAD Google account.
- The main MCAD Wi-Fi network. See this article for instructions on connecting various types of devices to the various wireless networks on campus.
- Logon to macOS devices on campus.
- Logon to Windows devices in our WinLab Active Directory environment.
- On-premises storage servers, including but not limited to the Class Server and Studio Server for faculty and students. Staff have access to storage servers for their specific Departments.
- The Service Bureau, which offers a variety of printing services.
- Printing to public on-campus printers through our PaperCut printing server. Please see this article for more information. As a student, printing requires you to have funds in your account, this article shows you how.
- The Equipment Checkout system of the Media Center equipment library.
- Canvas, our learning management system.
- Adobe Creative Cloud tools on your personal device (regardless of purchasing origin) and on lab computers on campus.
- Toon Boom Animation software packages like Harmony and Storyboard Pro via educational licensing.
- Autodesk products such as 3ds Max, Maya, Fusion 360, and AutoCAD via educational licensing.
- MyMCAD is the main interface for institutional forms, including class registration, grade reports, financial aid, name changes, degree audit, FERPA proceedings, and degree declarations.
- LinkedIn Learning, for self-guided educational courses.
The institution does have other Windows based devices managed through Active Directory. Your access to them is based upon your role and is handled separately from your MCAD account.
Be aware depending on your role within the institution you may or may not have access to certain services.
Service Access
Currently Enrolled Students:
Degree-seeking students who are currently enrolled in at least one course for credit are assigned an active MCAD account and email address. Continuing Education students are assigned an MCAD account but do not receive an email address.
For previously enrolled students who have not graduated, there is a one semester (six month) grace period before their email account is disabled. This means, for example, that if you are enrolled in a fall course and choose not to enroll in the following semester, your email account will remain active until the start of the following summer session.
Recent Graduates
Services are provided to 21 days after date of graduation except for email, which is suspended 1 year after date of graduation.
Graduating students will have their email accounts open one year from the date of their graduation. This applies only to the email account but not other services such as Wi-Fi access software licensing, service bureau, etc. These services are only available to currently enrolled students and will be disabled at the time of graduation or shortly after.
For more information on what services are available to you after graduating please see Graduating or Leaving MCAD.
Alumni
At this time, alumni are subject to the “Recent Graduates” requirements above and do not maintain an mcad.edu email account beyond the graduation grace periods.
Withdrawal or Expulsion
If a student withdraws or is expelled from school, their account and all associated services (including email) will be immediately disabled.
Staff
Staff members will have their account created after the final submission of Employment Eligibility Verification with Human Resources. Staff accounts will be immediately disabled on the last day of employment or upon termination.
Full-Time Faculty
Professors instructing a for-credit course in the undergrad/grad degree program will receive an email account on their contract start date, pending final submission of all required employment documentation to Human Resources. Accounts are disabled one year after the last day of the last effective contract, or immediately upon termination.
Adjunct Faculty
Adjunct faculty who are instructing a for-credit course in the undergrad/grad degree program will receive an email account on their contract start date, pending final submission of all required employment documentation to Human Resources. Accounts are disabled one year after the last day of the last effective contract, or immediately upon termination. Adjunct faculty email accounts will be disabled one year after the contract end date.
Visiting Faculty
Full-time Visiting Faculty will receive an email account on the first day of their contract start date pending final submission of all required employment documentation to Human Resources. Accounts will be disabled one year after the contract end date.
End dates for contracts are maintained by Human Resources and generally coincide with the week after the end of the semester.
Parent or Guardian of a Student
In order to obtain access to a student’s information, the student must first fill out a FERPA form in full via MyMCAD, which will then be processed by our Records Department. Please see this article for more information.
Casual Labor and Special Circumstances
Casual Labor staff and other MCAD community members can be given access to only certain services but not others depending on their roles and expected work.
Early Account Creation or Changes to an Account
A department chair/director may request early access for newly hired faculty who is expected to teach in the upcoming semester by filling out the Account Support Request Form, and the faculty member signing an acknowledgment letter administered by Academic Affairs. Access to Canvas may not be granted more than 30 days prior to the first pay day of the semester in which the adjunct faculty member will teach.
This also applies for changes to other accounts including Casual Labor staff.
Name Changes
The process for this will be different depending on your role within the institution. Please see this Knowledge Base article for more information on how to proceed.