Last week, I posted part 1 of a presentation made by Barb Elich. This is part 2. Barb is Associate Registrar at the University of Regina.
What needs to go back to “pre-covid” and what doesn’t?
What needs to goes back? Being together in person in new ways; Convocation in person and include the best of what worked online to add value to the celebrations; in person Library access; the University experience; and athletics and community/recreational opportunities.
What doesn’t go back? Services that have been improved and enhanced due to COVID – fillable forms, online photo ID, online graduation applications, learning modes and modalities; a colleague (Grant McMillan) commented recently that he is committed to ensuring all services, new or old, are designed for virtual service; we need to be prepared for the years to come.
What worries you? The pace – the processes in the Registrar’s Office run so far in advance of the term and the operations continue parallel to all the additional requirements needed to respond to post-secondary education in a pandemic. A former Registrar described our work as “silent service”; our current Registrar (James D’Arcy) has been affirmed for the “magic” that has been accomplished. However, this has come at a cost to all of us and there is a need to find a new and good rhythm as we come back to the office.
I also worry about resistance to change – to simply revert to not considering change because we do not have to or we really like the way we have always done things. To combat this concern we must keep sowing ideas/new ways of doing things, watering those ideas, and expectantly waiting to see what will spring forth.
What excites you? All that we can do and learn together to push the boundaries of the traditional Registrar’s Office to one that is representative, transparent, inclusive, solves problems with new lenses, and is open minded such that the student experience is enhanced and the RO processes are improved. To live and thrive at the intersection of academic and administrative life; at the intersection of protecting student data and making student data actionable; and at the intersection of supporting pathways and scaffolding opportunities (Mathay, 2021)*. What excites me is that it takes the university community to turn ideas into action.
Who Wants To Be A Registrar? 