Institutional Research and Enrollment Management
Office of the Registrar
Our Mission
The Registrar’s Office is committed to function as a visible, responsible, student centered office.
We will create and maintain accurate student academic records in compliance with applicable
policies, laws, and regulations. We will offer exemplary customer service.
Our Customers
The Registrar’s Office maintains a record for every student who enrolls at GCSU, and provides
these students with registration, verification, and record services each term. The Registrar’s Office
also certifies degree requirements for each graduating student.
Total Headcount
Degrees Certified
Summer 07
3120
206/167
Fall 07
6256
229/74
Spring 08
6046
480/151
The Registrar’s Office also continues to support students after they leave GCSU, primarily through
the provision of transcripts. In 2007-2008, the Registrar’s Office printed nearly 20,000 transcripts
for students and administrative use.
Our Staff
The Registrar’s Office staff currently consists of eight full-time employees. In addition to some
part-time and/or temporary support along with between four and eight students at various times
throughout the year.
Our Accomplishments in 2007-2008
The Registrar’s Office set and met the following goals for the 2007-2008 academic year:
Goal #1:
Continue the office’s emphasis on providing strong customer service to
students, faculty, staff, parents, and third-parties. Use staff development
(including training for student employees) to teach and promote customer
service philosophy. Develop and implement additional assessment strategies
to measure satisfaction with office services, including those recommended in
the Customer Service Improvement plan.
 Completed our Customer Service Project for the Governor and System
Chancellor’s “faster, friendlier, easier” customer focus initiative.
 Continued to review office operations for opportunities to improve services and
to reduce inefficient processes, particularly through the IREM process mapping
initiative.
 Implemented training for department secretaries and academic front line staff,
with emphasis on using Banner, R25, DegreeWorks, and other technologies to
efficiently and effectively serve students.
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Held weekly staff meetings, emphasizing improved service and ways to predict
student and customer needs.
Had all new staff members and new student employees participate in The Fred
Factor training and discussion groups.
Continued integrating student employees into the office staff. Trained them to
help provide front-line customer service to office patrons, thereby doubling our
staff members available for direct customer interactions during high volume
periods of each day.
Solicited regular feedback on new services released to the campus community,
particularly DegreeWorks and Smart Catalog. Sought informal feedback from
key constituents as other processes, such as graduation clearance and R25, were
adjusted and improved.
Reviewed existing models for benchmarking, satisfaction surveys, needs
assessment, usage statistics, and program review instruments (including the
AACRAO Self-Study and CAS Standards) in preparation for the development of
an office assessment plan.
Goal #2:
Support the University’s diversity initiatives by providing staff professional
development and training on diversity issues, providing support for programs that serve
underrepresented and diverse populations (e.g. the Bridge Scholars program, Center for
International Education), and providing clear communication on office policies and
procedures (of particular significance for international students and first generation college
students).
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Staff members attended workshop sponsored by the Center for International
Education on intercultural communication. Office staff discussed strategies for
supporting international students, particularly those who speak English as a
Second Language, during a subsequent staff meeting.
Worked with Center for International Education to streamline processes for
study abroad credit entry and registration for international students.
Registrar participated in interviews and co-facilitated a fireside chat for Bridge
Scholars Program.
Wrote, rewrote and personalized several office communications to students,
particularly academic standing letters, registration information, beginning of term
communication, immunization holds, etc., to provide clearer and more effective
information to students.
Staff members attended training provided by the Veterans Administration to gain
additional understanding of benefits available to returned servicemen and women
to help them resume and continue their education.
Goal #3:
Use weekly staff meetings, staff development, and supervision session to
promote a supportive, team-focused work environment for office staff.
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See staff development and training bullets under Goals 1 and 2.
Goal #4:
Continue to use available technologies to improve student service and office
operations, including the possible purchase and implementation of Degree Works and a
new mechanism to collect and maintain correct student addresses.
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Goal #5:
Solve issues with R25 Scheduling software prior to advance registration for the
Spring 2008 semester.
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Goal #6:
Updated online catalogs were released for the Fall 2007 semester.
Made new change of major program available to departments at the start of the
Fall 2007 semester.
Promoted use of National Student Clearinghouse for enrollment and degree
verification.
Successfully implemented DegreeWorks degree evaluation tool, and released it to
all students and faculty in Spring 2008.
With support from DTS, developed online photo rosters for faculty which were
released at the start of the Spring 2008 semester.
With support from DTS, released a password reset function for myCats to
students and faculty. This change significantly reduced call volume to the
Registrar’s Office; over 300 passwords were reset online during first week of
implementation.
Formed workgroup to discuss address issues during the summer term
Received four R25 training sessions on key issues
Registrar met with deans and department chairs to ascertain key issues with
software and scheduling processes
Proposed process changes to Council of Deans to address problems encountered
with software, which included schedule deadlines and process updates, additional
proofing, and more directed communication with departments
Conducted R25 training with department secretaries
Implemented and monitored changes with Spring 2008 schedule implementation
Antidotal evidence suggests that changes were successfully implemented,
minimized problems, and improved the process for end users
Develop a new graduation clearance process that ensures that student
problems are addressed before the end of the student’s last semester (not
after), and that reduces processing time for the final graduation clearance.
Implement with the December 2007 graduating class. During the first year of
the new procedures, reduce time to clear graduates and mail diplomas to one
week from the grade deadline.
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Met with each department chair to review need for change and possible benefits
to department
Worked to streamline end of term processes through automated processing and
reduction of unnecessary tasks
Effectively enforced grade submission deadlines
Reduced processing time for August and December graduates to two days
Mailed diplomas for December graduates three days after grade deadline
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Streamlined submission of IC, IP, and NR grades by providing pre-printed forms
to faculty and not requiring department chair and dean signatures
In addition to these accomplishments, the Registrar’s Office provided the following additional
services to the campus and professional community during the 2007-2008 academic year:
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Reduced number of students effected by drop for non-payment processes
Implemented 5 W policy established by University Senate
Developed process to place temporary registration holds on continuing students
during orientation days to allow incoming students access to classes
Staff members served on Administrative Technology Advisory Group,
Technology Planning Council, University Senate, Staff Senate, Academic Policies
Committee, RPIPC, IREM Customer Service Committee, Retention Committee,
Registration Task Force, Commencement Task Force, Academic Calendar
Committee, and various search committees
Established COPLAC Registrar listserv to facilitate communication and
information sharing with peer institutions
Organized the annual undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies
Staff members presented at GACRAO (Georgia Registrars) and MACRAO
(Missouri Registrars) conferences, and at the Spring RACRA Meeting.
Registrar presented information on DegreeWorks to the Board of Regents’
Technology Committee in June 2008.
Staff members provided references and implementation information to various
schools considering the purchase of DegreeWorks on their own campuses.
Registrar served as Conference Chair of the annual MACRAO conference.