SSN-to-UFID Conversion

Charles E. Frazier, Vice Provost for Information Technology

I am writing to update you on the new UFID number that will replace the Social Security number (SSN) as the primary identifier in university records. The conversion of computer application systems will take place over the Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, January 18-20, 2003.

Effective January 21, the use of SSN should be continued only where necessary for state or federal data reporting purposes. The technology developers in your area should be working on this conversion. Your staff should be revising forms, computer applications and records that currently collect or store SSN data, and changing filing systems based on SSN to UFID or some other ordering system. After the conversion, any new paper or electronic forms and files must not contain SSN data unless prior approval has been obtained.

If you believe your area needs to use SSN data, either permanently or for a transition period, please send a detailed justification to the University Directory Administrator at http://ufid.ufl.edu by November 29. This date is important because if your request comes too close to the implementation day, we may not have the systems in place to provide you with the SSN data that you need to operate, should your exemption be approved. If not approved, you will need this time to revise and order new forms, change computer programs, etc.

I should emphasize that we believe it will be extremely rare for any unit to need SSN data stored locally so very few exemptions will be granted for storage. Units that deal with outside vendors (that require SSN identifiers) may request access to SSN data to attach to the file that they send the vendors but there should be no need to store the SSNs. Similarly, when creating a new UFID, it may be appropriate to enter SSN data but the SSN should not be retained in local records.

If you or your staff have questions about the UFID number and conversion, there are meetings every Friday that everyone is welcome to attend. Developers across UF meet every other Friday in Room 122 Frazier-Rogers Hall. Administrative staff and others interested in discussing strategic and procedural implications of the UFID are meeting on alternate Friday mornings in S201A Criser. For a meeting schedule, see http://www.it.ufl.edu/projects/directory/meetings.html .

We have also created a new web site – http://ufid.ufl.edu – to inform the campus and UF affiliates about this conversion. Available on this site is an application called What’s My UFID? This application will allow an individual to look up his or her UFID number (and we will also mail UFID numbers to employees and students in December and early January). The site also has a Frequently Asked Questions section for faculty & staff, students, and departmental administrators, and a downloadable UFID logo (with active link to http://ufid.ufl.edu) that should be placed on any web pages for your area that receive a lot of traffic. Please encourage your staff to visit this site and learn more about the project.

For general questions about the UFID number and UF Directory Project, please email the University Directory Administrator at ufid@ufl.edu. For technical questions, please email the UF Directory Team at baufdir@nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu.

Thanks very much for your cooperation in this SSN-to-UFID conversion. Early work involving personnel from many units has gone very smoothly. Your attention and careful preparation now is very important and will ensure a smooth transition.