This page provides information for new faculty and staff members in the School of Arts & Sciences about getting connected to electronic resources. If you have any questions through the onboarding process, please contact your Local Support Provider (LSP).

Essentials for Getting Started

Step 1 — Get on Payroll

The first step is to get onto Penn’s Payroll. At least two weeks before you arrive at Penn, request that your department send you payroll forms. Once payroll forms are completed and submitted to your business office, you will be able to move on to the next steps.

PennKey

Your PennKey is your electronic ID. It is required before opening any other accounts (email, Canvas, etc) and will be your username to access resources. Your PennKey will become the first part of your email address. Please note that once selected, your PennKey cannot be changed. 

Standing faculty, postdocs and staff in payroll: You will be assigned a temporary setup code that allows you to activate your PennKey online. You should receive a setup code in advance of your start date via email once your Workday process has been completed. If you have not recieved this set up code please contact your hiring manager. 

Guests and Visitors: These affiliations are requested by a sponsoring academic department. If you are in need of a Pennkey to access university resources you will need to get in contact with the department who will assist you in navigating obtaining a setup code. 

PennCard

Your PennCard is your Identification Card. You need it almost everywhere.

Once you have been in Payroll for 24 hours, go to the PennCard Center on the second floor of the Penn Bookstore (36th and Walnut) to obtain your Penncard and have your picture taken.

Please see the Penncard webpage for identification requirements and directions.

Email Accounts

Once a faculty or staff member has an active PennKey, an email account can be created. The School of Arts and Sciences offers both PennO365 and Google@SAS email accounts, and eligibility is decided based on one’s appointment and affiliation with the university. 

Incoming faculty and teaching staff will be eligible for emails 30 days before their hire date in Workday. Staff will be eligible 7 days before their start date in Workday. 

On the day after they set up a PennKey, faculty and staff members can go here to create their email account. The username for one's email account will be the same as one's PennKey, yourpennkey@upenn.edu. Most full-time faculty and staff members are eligible for PennO365 email accounts. 

	PennO365	Google@SAS
Who is eligible?	Full-time Faculty & Staff and Visting Scholars	Undergraduate and Graduate Students, Post-docs, those ineligible for O365 accounts.
How do I request an account?	To create your account go here	To create your account go here
Where do I access my email online?	https://outlook.office.com	https://gmail.com
For more information:	FAQ	FAQ

 

Internet Access (Network)

Wired Access

Wired access is faster and generally preferred. If you would like to use the wired network, you can either connect using DHCP or you can get a static IP address. Contact your Local Support Provider for assistance.

Wireless Access

Wireless networking is available in several locations. In order to gain access, you need to configure your computer in advance. See the online directions or contact your Local Support Provider for assistance.

Guest Pennkey holders may use the wireless network by authenticating via the AirPennNet-Guest webpage.

Eduroam is now available for guests from participating institutions.

Other Handy Resources

Penn Directory Listing

Check your entry in the Penn Directory. The information entered here propagates to many other Penn information systems. Update your listing to manage this information.

Canvas

Canvas is the course management system we use. It's a great way to post course materials online and to collect assignments.

Instructors and TAs can have a Canvas account. To request a Canvas site for a course, use the online course request form.

After submitting a request, courses will typically be available within one to two hours. The library's systems automatically enroll a course's students, instructors, and TAs into the course's site.

See "Things You Really Need to Know About Canvas".

Penn+Box (File Storage in the Cloud)

Penn has a cloud-based file management and file sharing service called “Penn+Box.” The basic Penn+Box service is free to members of the University community. Each person starts with 50 GB of space to save, access, and share their files from anywhere.

For more information, visit your LSP or our Penn+Box page.

File Storage (Domain Accounts)

Domain accounts are used to access a variety of SAS services. You can request an account by submitting our online form.

Home directories for file storage ("U drives") are generally only provided to faculty and staff. However, other requests may be submitted with an explanation for review.

You can also request access to departmental shares or lab directories on this form.

Websites

Full-time faculty members, staff members, and graduate students may request a CampusPress site for themselves or for a project.

It's also possible to request a website on one of our SAS servers. Please contact your Local Support Provider.

 

For More Information and for Help

1. Visit Resources for New Faculty, a web page provided by the SAS Dean's office.
2. Contact your Local Support Provider for further guidance and assistance.