William Haid calls them the horror stories of the profession -- the kind
of tales registrars share when they get together at national conferences.
They're not gruesome, but if a university doesn't catch the perpetrators,
the effects can be devastating.
"Whenever the integrity of records comes under fire, registrars either
do the job or fall flat," says Haid, who has been a registrar at the University
of Colorado for nearly 10 years. "No registrar goes through more than a year
without some attempt of fraud."
Bruce Shutt, registrar at the University of Georgia, agrees. During his
nearly 40 years on the job, he's seen just about every trick in the book.
"Having been a registrar for all these years permits me to smile often
at the stories that students come up with in an attempt to obtain permission
for a favor or to avoid some misfortune they've created for themselves," Shutt
says.
It's not uncommon for students to try and get a hold of their records,
and once they get them, try and tamper with them.
The worst case Haid ever came across had nothing to do with a student,
however. He learned that an employee within a university department was giving
credits away, even selling them to the students.
"It went on longer than anyone realized," he says. Haid notified the senior
administration and the situation was dealt with. It was hard on everyone.
Experiences like that simply underline the importance of record security
within universities. "When we had them in vaults and filing cabinets, then
we could have been broken into or had a fire. Now there's electronic hackers
and we have to make sure there are controls and safeguards in place," he says.
"But we can always track down a break in the system."
There are other challenges too. Ron Heath is a registrar and dean of student
services. Heath says the university environment is so steeped in tradition
that it's difficult to bend the rules -- even when appropriate.
Heath recalls a student taking her degree in agriculture. She wanted to
take her minor in music -- something never heard of for those in the program.
"Her argument was that she planned to work in Central America, she had
taken Spanish, and she suspected she would be doing a lot of work with children.
And the best way of communicating with children is through music."
The university bent the rules, and the student got her degree.
"The university always has rules and regulations. But we have 17,000 students
here and they all don't fit into these traditional boxes," says Heath.
The trick is to ensure the university maintains its standards while remaining
open-minded enough to allow for growth. "Too often, institutions forget they're
dealing with the individual, not groups of individuals," he says.
Susan Salusbury, a senior associate registrar and director, says working
within the academic culture while trying to get an administrative job done
can be tough.
An example? The realities of transcript production and deadlines for scholarship
applications sometimes clash with the task of receiving and processing grades
from professors.
"Working on complex, comprehensive student information systems, trying
to take into account various and sometimes conflicting needs and keeping everyone
happy is a challenge," she says.
Or how about working with so many students, and having staffing cut significantly?
That's another economic reality for many in the academic world.
Despite that, Salusbury enjoys her work. "The highlight is dealing with
the students and knowing that you've helped them work his or her way through
the regulations. I love seeing students walk across the stage at convocation,
watching the happy eyes of parents as they watch their young people graduate.
I know I can get things done -- I can get things changed to make life simpler
for students and staff."
The economy also plays a huge role in the work of university registrars.
Cutbacks to education funding in the United States means registrars are dealing
with tighter budgets. Sometimes that means fewer placements for students.
"You need to develop an equitable and fair process so that deserving students
can get in," Heath says. His university has set up a new entry standard for
"diverse qualifications." This sets aside some spaces for students who may
not meet the standard entry requirement, but may have other strong
attributes, such as being class president, doing part-time work and volunteering.
But the biggest plus of all comes from working in a place where there is
constant stimulation, says Anne Montgomery, a university registrar.
"It's an absolutely fascinating and stimulating place to work. You've got
young people around you all the time, important ideas, faculty, research [and]
speakers coming in. It's a superb atmosphere to work in."