This article guides University Administrators and IT teams on updating or regaining administrative access in Faculty Success. It emphasizes proactive succession planning, submitting work requests for new administrators, and security verification methods including IT consultation, DNS domain verification, or providing a notarized letter to ensure secure transitions and protect institutional data.
Overview
This article outlines procedures for updating or regaining administrative access in Faculty Success. Use these pathways to ensure organizational data remains protected when an administrator departs or access is lost.
Target Audience
- System/University Administrators transitioning responsibilities to a new Administrator
- IT teams assisting with domain-level security verification.
Administrator Transitions & Offboarding
University Administrators are top-level admins in Faculty Success with full access to institutional data, account management, and data import/export. It's important to share departure timelines and appoint a successor. Multiple top-level admins are allowed, and having more than one is recommended.
Proactive Succession Planning
If a top-level administrator is preparing to leave the role, it is best practice to submit a work request to Watermark’s team to add a new University Administrator. Taking this step while a current administrator is still active ensures a seamless transition and avoids the need for the more intensive verification options listed later in this article.
When possible, introduce new University Administrators to your Client Success Manager. This helps ensure they have the resources needed to manage the system effectively.
New Administrator Resources
Once a new administrator is appointed, the New Administrator Resource Section provides access to self-guided training and webinars from the Watermark Academy. These resources support a smooth transition into the University Administrator role. Click the link for our Self Guided materials Administrator Training & Resources.
Requesting a New University Administrator
To facilitate a smooth transition, the current administrator should perform the following steps:
Submit a support ticket by opening a General Work Request.
Specify the full name and email address of the individual who requires University Administrator access.
State the date the change in access should occur.
For more details on Requesting a New Administrator, visit How to Add or Remove a Faculty Success Administrator.
Authorization and Security
You must provide validation to authorize any administrative change. This ensures only authorized personnel update settings and keeps institutional data secure.
Note: If no current administrator is available to submit a work request, you must complete one of the verification methods below. For options 2 and 3, submit a ticket to Watermark Support. For more information on how to contact Watermark Support, please visit Contacting Watermark's Client Support.
1. Consult the IT Team
Contact your internal IT team first to obtain access quickly. Internal account recovery or security processes can usually restore access. Once the IT team accesses the system, they can submit a work request on behalf of the former administrator to add a new top-level administrator.
2. DNS Domain Verification
Your IT team can verify authority over the domain by following these steps:
Access the public Domain Name System (DNS) settings for your domain (e.g., schoolname.edu).
Add a new TXT record with this value: watermark=[Ticket Number].
Reply to your support ticket once the update is complete.
3. Notarized Letter
If the departing administrator is unavailable and IT methods are not an option, you must provide a notarized letter:
Request a letter signed by a Department Head or Vice President on institutional letterhead.
Ensure the letter is notarized to confirm authenticity.
Contact Watermark Support to obtain the notarized letter template.