Webster University: Connections F.A.Q's for Faculty/Staff

Connections FAQ - Faculty/Staff

I have forgotten/don't have my password to either my Webster email or Faculty/Advisor Information, what do I do?
I do not know my Faculty/Staff ID number.
I never got a Webster email account, how do I sign up for a Connections account?
My Connections password is different than my current email password, what do I do?
I've setup my Connections account and am logged into the portal. When I click on the "Mail" icon, I get an error message that says: "Couldn't authenticate to the mail server. The system couldn't authenticate to the mail server for account 'Webster mail'. Please enter the correct password into the pop-up dialog box and press OK."
I receive the error message specified above but I do not see any other popup box to enter my password again.
Can I change my username?

I have forgotten/don’t have my password to either my Webster email or Faculty/Advisor Information, what do I do?

Call the Help Desk at 314-968-5995 or 866-435-7270 during the hours listed below:

Monday-Thursday 7:00am - 9:00pm
Friday 7:00am - 7:00pm
Saturday & Sunday 9:00am - 6:00pm

I do not know my Faculty/Staff ID number.

Your faculty/staff ID number is a seven (7) digit number found on all official papers from Webster. IF you have a Webster ID card, this is the number listed on this card.

If you are a faculty member and cannot locate your ID number, please contact Academic Affairs at 314-968-6962.

If you are a staff member and cannot locate your ID number, please contact the Help Desk.

I never got a Webster email account, how do I sign up for a Connections account?

Go to http://connections.webster.edu/myaccount and click on Create Account, enter your Webster ID or SSN then use your username/password to Online Grade Entry/Advising to setup your account.

My Connections password is different than my current email password, what do I do?

If you use an e-mail client such as Outlook or Netscape Mail to access your email, you will need to go into the account settings and change your password to your new Connections password. Detailed instructions for the major email clients are located on the main Connections page (click the Connections button in the left navigation pane).

If your Connections password is the same as your current email password you do not need to do anything.

I've setup my Connections account and am logged into the portal. When I click on the "Mail" icon, I get an error message that says: "Couldn't authenticate to the mail server. The system couldn't authenticate to the mail server for account 'Webster mail'. Please enter the correct password into the pop-up dialog box and press OK."

This error most often occurs when you try to access your email for the very first time after setting up your account. If you receive this error message, you should also receive another popup box, titled "Enter Password" asking you to re-enter your password. Simply type in your Connections password once more into this box and click OK. This should load your email for you without a problem, and you will not receive this error message in the future.

I receive the error message specified above but I do not see any other popup box to enter my password again.

If you are not seeing any popup box after receiving the error message specified above, you have some sort of popup blocker or security program installed on your machine that is preventing this box from appearing. You will need to determine what is installed on your machine and disable it in order to get the popup box to come up. Examples of popup blockers include the Yahoo toolbar and Google toolbar and the popup blocker that comes standard with Internet Explorer on Windows XP Service Pack 2 machines. Programs like Norton Internet Security or McAfee are also known to block certain popup windows. After temporarily disabling any and all of these programs, close your browser, reopen it, and then login to Connections again and attempt to access your email. The popup box should now appear. If it does not, not all programs preventing popups have been disabled.

Can I change my username?

Usernames are automatically generated and there is no way for your username to be changed. However, in the near future, we will be introducing email aliasing. Creation of an e-mail alias will allow some level of personalization to your Webster e-mail address. (For example, you could then use jane.doe@webster.edu rather than janedoe91@webster.edu.) There will be required guidelines in the construction of the alias, and users will probably be limited to one lifetime alias in addition to their official issued Webster e-mail address. More information and assistance will follow when we have this capability implemented. Please note that this is just an alias and your username will still remain the same.