Registrar

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POSITION

Reporting to the vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty, the registrar provides leadership to plan, organize, and manage all the activities related to the Registrar’s Office, including serving as the authorized keeper of the college’s student academic records. The registrar is also responsible for the compilation and maintenance of student records in compliance with federal and state regulations and accreditation agencies; assisting students, faculty, staff, alumni, and others in the Eckerd College community; maintaining smooth operations of the office; keeping abreast of regulations and procedures of student records as required by accreditation agencies; and serving as a resource regarding FERPA regulations.

Essential functions include:

• Supervises staff and provides leadership in processes, technology, and innovation, which improves efficiencies, reduces errors and cost, and offers excellent service in this critical support component of the institution.
• Oversees compliance with academic, regulatory, and accreditation policies in the collecting, recording, maintaining, and reporting of student records, e.g., grades, registration data, transcripts, National Student Clearinghouse, etc.; collaborates with Institutional Effectiveness.
• Collaborates with faculty to develop the course schedule each semester.
• Updates curriculum in the catalog, Banner, and creates course schedules in Banner.
• Directs and coordinates college registration activities; supervises the coordination, evaluation, and certification of all graduation applications and transfer credits.
• Manages transfer credit evaluation process, ensuring timely delivery of credit evaluations to prospective students and Admission.
• Prepares commencement lists and assists in graduation functions.
• Maintains petitions and manages the process for exceptions to academic and graduation policies.
• Directs preparation of and secure storage and transmission of student transcripts.
• Updates the college catalog and academic records.
• Coordinates class schedules with room assignments for optimum use of instructional spaces.
• Provides leadership, recommendations, and oversight for implementing technological applications to enhance the services offered by the Registrar’s Office.
• Oversees the creation of routine and ad hoc data reports for committees, faculty, and staff, as requested.
• Maintains classrooms for optimal learning environments in collaboration with Facilities and ITS.
• Serves as the custodian of all student academic records, both current and historic, and safeguards student privacy and institutional integrity where these are concerned.

QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS

The successful candidate must have a bachelor’s degree (advanced degree preferred) and a minimum of four years of related experience. The new registrar must have knowledge of Ellucian Banner, FERPA, and other applicable privacy laws regarding student records. An ability to communicate effectively with faculty and students in both oral and written form; to recognize, analyze, and solve a variety of problems and to exercise sound judgment in making critical decisions; to process and handle confidential information with discretion; and to pay close attention to detail and ensure accuracy of records and information are also required of the successful candidate. Further, the registrar will have experience planning, assigning, and supervising the work of others and planning, implementing, and evaluating programs, and will possess the ability to accurately prepare and maintain records, files, and reports.

In addition to the stated qualifications for the registrar, the stakeholders at Eckerd College indicated the following characteristics and attributes when considering the position of executive director (in no particular order):

• An excellent project manager adept at supporting and managing change and willing to improve existing operations and practices.
• A credible, supportive, and approachable supervisor with knowledge of each staff member’s responsibilities, respect for their work and contributions, and proficiency at advocating for the programs and other needs of staff and students.
• Possess a genuine passion for working with students, empathy for the student experience, and a strong service focus.
• Demonstrated success in introducing best practices and trends into the work of a registrar’s office.
• A compassionate, accessible, transparent, ethical leader with excellent communication skills to articulate a vision, direction, and purpose and earn the respect and confidence of the faculty, staff, and students.
• Extremely technologically proficient and preferably familiar with the current registrar-related software systems.
• Demonstrate collegiality, enthusiasm, enjoyment of the work, integrity, and high professional standards.
• Strategic, future thinker and collaborator committed to advancing student success within the entire campus community.
• The ability to manage, motivate, empower, and retain a diverse staff and to foster a positive, supportive, open, and collaborative work environment.
• Exceptionally capable of working with data – retrieving, analyzing, and making data-informed decisions based on thorough assessments.
• Embrace innovation and creativity and be willing to try new services and approaches to most effectively meet the needs of the students.
• The ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.
• A willingness to lead the conversations with campus partners to enhance processes, policies, and procedures to create efficiencies.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF THE ROLE

The new registrar will encounter the following opportunities and challenges:

• This is an outstanding opportunity for the successful candidate to put their professional mark on the program and build it to a higher level, as there is tremendous support for the registrar and the programs and services of this office; positive change is expected.
• Eckerd College is a unique institution that draws people in with its clarity of purpose, dynamic academic programs, highly engaged students, passionate and dedicated staff and faculty, and authentic charm.
• The new registrar must identify and advance technology solutions that support student success and reflect industry best practices in records and registration.
• The registrar is expected to evaluate the staffing structure of the office, ensuring staff is professionalized and properly trained and embraces a customer service philosophy.
• The new registrar will need time to get to know and establish positive relationships with the entire team, including their roles, talents, and contributions to the organization and its success.
• The registrar needs to provide clarity to the academic petition process.
• The staff in the office are knowledgeable, passionate, and eager to see positive changes in the office’s work.
• It is imperative that the new registrar properly train the faculty to utilize processes and technology to their fullest potential to best meet the needs of the students.
• There will be substantial support for the new registrar from senior leadership and the Eckerd community; however, the new registrar will need to get up to speed quickly and be proactive in learning and understanding the institution’s goals and priorities to be impactful in this role.
• The new registrar will find solid, professional colleagues to collaborate with.