Washington and Lee University (W&L) seeks a seasoned, collaborative, and innovative professional to join the university as its next registrar. The university registrar is an onsite position, and the anticipated start date for the successful candidate is spring/summer 2024.
Details About The University Registrar Position
Responsibilities of the Position
Serving as a member of the provost’s leadership team and reporting to the associate provost for academic development and operations, the university registrar (registrar) is responsible for oversight and support of all registrar office services, including ensuring the integrity, security, and maintenance of academic and student records, as well as the development, implementation, and management of course registration, academic schedules, transcripts, diplomas, the academic catalog, and classroom scheduling and utilization. The registrar advises on academic policy for faculty, staff, and students and serves as the secretary of the committee on courses and degrees. This campus leader works closely with multiple units across the campus, including accreditation and institutional research, student affairs, admissions and financial aid, information technology services, the Law School, human resources, the business office, and development.
The registrar oversees an operating budget of approximately $220,000 and a team of five full-time professionals who collaborate to provide timely, efficient, and consistent business processes for records, registration, and scheduling. The registrar analyzes enrollment trends and course demand data, regularly provides this essential information and data to the deans and the provost, and plays a crucial role in technical and policy implementations. As Washington and Lee recently transitioned its student information system and reporting to Workday, the registrar defines, evaluates, and operationalizes reimagined academic processes and reporting, including advising, registration, degree audit, and transcription.
Additional duties of the registrar include the following:
- Manages undergraduate student registration processes in Workday, including course inventory, course schedules, classroom scheduling, and student enrollment.
- Utilizes Workday reporting to ensure enrollment trend data is accessible and accurate.
- Serves on standing and ad hoc committees including, but not limited to, courses and degrees, automatic rule and reinstatement, international education, registration and class schedules, commencement planning, and information security and privacy risk.
- Ensures that the university complies with all federal and state regulations for records, reporting, and documentation, as well as Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation requirements.
- Coordinates with the director of law records on university-wide services related to calendars, policy, data entry, supporting software, and external reporting in the Law School and oversees the provision of certifications, verifications, diplomas, and other law-student academic services.
- Manages financial, personnel, policy, and technology operations for the university registrar’s office; mentors and supports the registrar’s office staff and ensures their ongoing professional development.
- Oversees the commencement budget and the process for degree audits and the production of academic transcripts and diplomas.
- Serves in an advisory capacity to faculty and administration in academic policy discussions as a member of the provost’s academic council.
- Assures the inclusion of all approved administrative changes, revisions, and updates into the university catalog, class schedules, and other university databases as necessary, and compiles, regularly edits, and publishes the university catalog and consults on the Law School catalog.
- Actively participates in developing, maintaining, and evaluating various communication efforts, including academic catalogs, university registrar and commencement operations websites, and social media for the university registrar’s office.
- Serves as a U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement designated school officer and acts as the NCAA academic eligibility contact.
Qualifications and Characteristics
A master’s degree and five or more years of management experience in a higher education registrar’s office, or a combination of education and relevant experience providing a similar background and capabilities, are required.
The search committee is particularly interested in candidates who can work effectively with complex administrative software systems, analyze and interpret data, and provide strong leadership in managing, securing, and protecting the integrity of academic records.
Washington and Lee University actively promotes a dynamic and inclusive environment that allows students and employees of multiple backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives to learn, work, and thrive together. Successful candidates will contribute to this environment and demonstrate excellence in their areas of expertise.
In addition to the qualifications stated above, key stakeholders indicated that the successful candidate should be someone who:
- Is a strong collaborator with faculty, staff, and students.
- Effectively champions and garners support for new initiatives.
- Has excellent project management skills.
- Is passionate about the mission of a premier national liberal arts university with a leading law school.
- Has an unwavering commitment to professional conduct that exemplifies integrity, fairness, honesty, and respect for others.
Opportunities and Challenges of the Role
There is significant support and respect at W&L for the work of the university registrar and the programs and services of the office. As such, this position is an outstanding opportunity for the successful candidate to put their professional mark on a university registrar’s office with a deep and impressive history and to raise its profile and impact.
W&L’s next university registrar will provide leadership on the following priorities:
Vision and Innovation: Articulate a forward-looking vision for the university registrar’s office, review and refine the office’s mission and goals accordingly, and contribute as an active and engaged member of the provost’s academic council.
Technology Optimization: Assess the status of the Workday Student implementation; review business processes to ensure high-quality experiences for students, faculty, and staff who use the system; and partner with information technology services to continue to maximize the capacities of Workday.
Collaboration and Partnerships: Be a credible and consistent partner on campus; gain the trust and confidence of faculty, staff, and students; and continue identifying opportunities for systemic collaboration with faculty through formal committee work and informal relationship building.
Staff Leadership and Supervision: Assess the office staff and their talents, strengths, and current roles; fill staff vacancies; and support the staff in elevating the office’s functions to their next best iteration.
Operational and Communications Excellence: Build on the historical strengths of the office and ensure timely and efficient execution of academic processes and communication with the university community.
Diligent Compliance: Ensure continued compliance with all current university, state, and federal policies, regulations, and reporting obligations; serve as a trusted expert on emerging regulatory and compliance matters; and consistently adhere to professional best standards.
Measures of Success
The new university registrar will work with the associate provost for academic development and operations to determine specific success measures and their respective timetables. The search committee offers the following general metrics for initial success in the position:
- The registrar is a visible, engaged, and contributing leader and colleague throughout campus and has established collaborative working relationships with colleagues on the provost’s academic council.
- Communication with the university community regarding registration, graduation, classroom scheduling, grading, and other academic operations is timely, clear, and accurate.
- The new university registrar has become substantively familiar with Workday and can assess system utilization strengths and areas where processes need to be revised and strengthened.
- W&L faculty feel confident about the office of university registrar services and activities, and solid partnerships have been formed.
- The new registrar has established strong relationships with colleagues in the registrar’s office.
- The skills and knowledge of the university registrar’s office staff have been assessed, and a strong sense of purpose has been developed.
- Departmental resources have been evaluated to determine the support necessary to deliver records and registration services of the highest quality.
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Overview of the University Registrar’s Office
Mission
The office of the university registrar supports Washington and Lee University’s mission to provide “a liberal arts education that develops students’ capacity to think freely, critically, and humanely and to conduct themselves with honor, integrity, and civility. Graduates will be prepared for life-long learning, personal achievement, responsible leadership, service to others, and engaged citizenship in a global and diverse society.”
The university registrar staff will function together as an academic service station to all of the university’s constituents in a consistent, accessible, and friendly manner.
Goals
The goals of the university registrar’s office include:
- Providing secure and confidential academic records evaluation and storage.
- Administering the registration, grade collection and distribution, and certification processes as efficiently as possible.
- Providing quick, accurate, and personalized action on requests for transcripts, advising, research, and other appropriate requests for information.
- Informing, in a timely way, the entire campus community of academic and other related policies and providing a fair and consistent interpretation of these policies and their appeals procedures.
- Acting as a policies-and-practices expert, especially regarding those actions that are unclear in wording or purpose or inconsistent in application.
- Helping students negotiate the degree completion process and making the commencement celebration meaningful and enjoyable.
- Improving the office staff’s professional interpersonal skills and technical competencies.
- Modeling the Statement of Professional Ethics and Practice of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO).
Operational Highlights
- Student Information System: Workday
- Classroom Scheduling System: 25Live
- Transcript Service: Parchment
- Degree Verification Service: National Student Clearinghouse
- Undergraduate Academic Terms: The undergraduate calendar consists of two 13-week terms (fall and winter) and one four-week term (spring), with the final week in fall and winter terms reserved for examinations.
- Law Academic Semesters: The Law School calendar consists of two 13-week semesters (fall and spring) and a two-week 3L immersion before the start of the fall term.
- Degree Conferrals: October 1, December 31, and May date approved by faculty
- Commencement, Law School: Held in early May of each year
- Commencement, The College and Williams School: Held in mid to late May of each year
- Professional Affiliations: Virginia Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Counselors (VACRAO), Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Counselors (SACRAO), and AACRAO
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Institutional Overview
Washington and Lee University is a top-ranked private institution in Lexington, Virginia, where the rigorous inquiry and critical thinking of a liberal arts curriculum are integrated with nationally accredited undergraduate programs in business and journalism and a graduate School of Law. One of the hallmarks of the W&L experience is the accessibility of its faculty. With an eight-to-one student-to-faculty ratio and 96 percent of classes enrolling fewer than 25 students, students can immerse themselves in courses while benefiting from the faculty’s personalized attention and guidance.
W&L is the ninth-oldest institution of higher education in America, and its historic campus, situated in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, is home to a vibrant, welcoming university community. With an enrollment of 1,898 undergraduates and 379 law students (Fall 2023), Washington and Lee’s small size enables students to find mentors and develop personal relationships across campus. W&L students hold each other to the highest standard of integrity, united by the student-run honor system. And when they graduate, they do so with a network of support, lifelong friendships, and a degree that opens doors.
William C. Dudley
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Institutional Leadership
William C. (Will) Dudley became the 27th president of Washington and Lee University on January 1, 2017. Under his leadership, W&L has made significant progress in attracting highly qualified and increasingly diverse students, faculty, and staff to Lexington. The university has implemented curricular and capital initiatives from the strategic plan, bolstering its commitment to interdisciplinary programs with new minors in legal studies, entrepreneurship, and data science. Dudley has also overseen the campus master plan update, which includes the opening of the Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning; expanded facilities for the sciences and the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics; a museum of institutional history and culture; and a center for admissions and financial aid.
Before joining W&L, Dudley was a member of the faculty at Williams College for 18 years and served as provost from 2011 to 2016. In this role, he oversaw the operations supporting the college’s academic mission, allocated budgets and positions, and undertook strategic initiatives. He also established priorities for Teach It Forward: The Campaign for Williams, which launched in October 2015 and raised more than $750 million.
A Virginia native, born in Charlottesville and raised in Arlington, Dudley received his B.A. in mathematics and philosophy, magna cum laude, from Williams College in 1989, where he was the recipient of a Herchel Smith Fellowship to study at Cambridge University from 1989 to 1990. Dudley worked for AES Corporation from 1990 to 1992 before pursuing graduate studies at Northwestern University, where he earned an M.A. and a PhD in philosophy.
Lena M. Hill
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Institutional Leadership
Lena M. Hill began serving as provost in July 2021 after serving as dean of the College at W&L since 2018. She received her bachelor’s degree from Howard University and her PhD from Yale University, and she completed postdoctoral work at Duke University.
Hill’s scholarship and teaching focus on African-American literature and visual culture, and she is known internationally as a scholar of Ralph Ellison. In addition to publishing numerous articles and essays, she has published three books. She authored Visualizing Blackness and the Creation of the African American Literary Tradition (Cambridge, 2014), co-edited Invisible Hawkeyes: African Americans at the University of Iowa during the Long Civil Rights Era (University of Iowa Press, 2016) and co-authored Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man: A Reference Guide (Greenwood, 2008). She serves on several boards, including the National Humanities Alliance Board and the Modernist Studies Editorial Board.
At W&L, Hill has prioritized the support and growth of interdisciplinary programs, the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, and faculty mentoring and development. She is a passionate advocate for the liberal arts curriculum, and as the chief academic officer, she is focused on delivering an academic experience to students that prepares them to flourish after graduating from W&L.
Academics
Washington and Lee University offers 36 majors and 41 minors and programs often found only at larger schools, including business, journalism, engineering, and a top-tier graduate law school.
The university’s academic programs are offered through the College, the Williams School, and the Law School.
The College: The College departments and programs represent the liberal arts core of the university, ranging from fine arts, humanities, certain social sciences, journalism and mass communications, natural and physical sciences, computer science, and mathematics.
The Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics: W&L is the only top liberal arts college in the United States to claim a nationally accredited undergraduate business program. The Williams School is distinctive among its peers—offering a business education within a liberal arts curriculum—and most students take some classes there, regardless of major.
School of Law: One of the smallest of the nation’s top law schools and W&L’s only graduate program, the Washington and Lee University School of Law seeks to cultivate broad-minded, highly skilled, and honorable practitioners of law. Its law professors also teach undergraduate students alongside law students in courses affiliated with W&L’s interdisciplinary Law, Justice, and Society program.
Undergraduate Academic Indicators Report
Statement of Commitment to Diversity
Washington and Lee University affirms that diverse perspectives and backgrounds enhance the community and is committed to the recruitment, enrichment, and retention of students, faculty, and staff who embody many experiences, cultures, points of view, interests, and identities. As engaged citizens in a global and diverse society, Washington and Lee University seeks to advance a positive learning and working environment for all through open and substantive dialogue.
See here for more information on diversity, equity, and inclusion at Washington and Lee University.
Student Enrollment Dashboard, Fall 2023
https://my.wlu.edu/prebuilt/fall-2023-enrollment-report.html
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Salary and Benefits Overview
The anticipated hiring salary range for the university registrar is $115,000-$140,000, commensurate with education and experience.
See here for information on the full range of comprehensive benefits offered at Washington and Lee University.
Application and Nomination
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. To apply for this position please click on the Apply button, complete the brief application process, and upload your resume and position-specific cover letter.
Nominations for this position and questions about the status of the search may be emailed to Michel R. Frendian, senior consultant, at mrf@spelmanjohnson.com. Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895 or email info@spelmanjohnson.com.
Visit the Washington and Lee University website at www.wlu.edu and the W&L university registrar website here.
In compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and all other applicable non-discrimination laws, Washington and Lee University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran’s status, or genetic information in its educational programs and activities, admissions, and with regard to employment.