Registrar and Enrollment Management

What is the program’s mission statement or statement of purpose? Why does the program exist?

The Office of the Registrar is committed to serving the needs of all prospective and current students, faculty, staff, alumni and external constituents. We provide student-centered services in the areas of registration, classroom scheduling, and reporting, as well as ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of the University’s academic records. The office provides administrative and logistical support for the institution’s academic programs.

How does the program mission align with the university mission?

The Office of the Registrar is committed to providing excellent service to the diverse population with which we work.  The office ensures that students, faculty and staff abide by the University's academic policies in order to assure the standard of excellence set by the University and faculty is upheld.

Whom does the program serve?

The Office of the Registrar provides services to prospective and current students, faculty, staff, alumni and external constituents.

What are the services provided? How do these services align with the university mission and program mission?

• Processing transcripts
• Providing information and academic policy interpretations to departments
• Processing readmission applications
• Creating and maintaining the academic calendar
• Providing graduation information and creating diplomas
• Processing grades
• Processing degree and enrollment verifications
• Providing registration information
• Processing late withdrawals
• Certifying athletic eligibility
• Supporting the classroom scheduling function
• Updating the catalog
• Generating reports
• Articulating  and evaluating transfer courses
• Maintaining academic records
• Managing current and historical academic documents
• Determining residency
• Changing names, addresses and social security numbers

Students who come to the Office of the Registrar are guided through the processes used to obtain information by highly skilled staff. Staff members within the office often teach students skills that may be applied when they are requesting information in the future. The Office of the Registrar staff also exhibits and trains students to properly articulate inquiries while trying to glean the specific information the student is requesting. Through this process, students learn to ask concise questions that will save them time and benefit them well past their time at Eastern.

Our staff members interact with students on a daily basis providing them with information regarding registration, course articulation, transcript evaluation, transcript ordering, readmission and other academic record issues. Providing information to students often involves discussion with multiple offices to make certain that the correct information is given. Other offices also contact our office to clarify information that students have provided to them or to discuss academic regulations. Providing accurate interpretation of the University’s academic policy helps to maintain the integrity of the academic transcript.

Reporting functions within our office support faculty research and institutional initiatives to enhance academic programming. Reports regarding prospective and current students allow the admitting areas to be aware of the number of students who have been recruited and enrolled so necessary adjustments can be made to ensure that we have a diverse student body that encompasses the enrollment goals of the University and supports its mission.

Describe the program’s origins (e.g. year established, purpose, expectations).

The Records Office was established for the purpose of maintaining the academic record.  According to institutional records, the first grades were recorded in 1899. The Registration Office was established to assist students in registering for courses.  Records maintained within the Office of the Registrar indicate that the office originally served a dual function of registering students and recording grades but later split into 2 offices which then merged back into one office in Academic Year 2007-08.

How has the unit changed or adapted over time?

The milestones listed below indicate some of the changes that the Office of the Registrar has made over time. 

• 1899 to 1954 – Grades handwritten on permanent academic record cards.
• Prior to the mid-1970s – Records Office and Registration Office both located in Old Main.
• Mid-1970s – Registration Office moved to McAfee Gymnasium.
• Fall Semester 1973 – Transitioned from quarters to semester hours.
• Fall Semester 1973 – Implemented a computer-generated permanent academic record card label.
• Summer 1991 – Bullring registration was replaced by Touch-Tone Registration.
• Summer 1992 -- Transcripts transitioned from a paper grade label to the Online Academic Records System (OARS).
• Academic year 1992-93 – implemented OARS online degree audits and transfer evaluations.
• 1994 – On-campus printing of diplomas implemented using Diplomas on Demand.
• 1996 – Administrative reporting lines for Records and Registration were realigned.  Before 1996 the Registration Office had a Director of Registration, Assistant Director of Registration and an Assistant to the Director of Registration while Records Office had a Registrar, Associate Registrar and Assistant Registrar.  In 1996 the reporting line became Registrar, Director of Registration, Director of Academic Records, Assistant to the Director of Registration and Assistant Registrar.
• April 1996 – Imaging of transcripts and academic records implemented.
• 1999 – Orientation Office and Registration Office merged.
• 2001 – Orientation Office and Registration Office were split. Registration Office and Records Office merged.
• Spring 2001 – Touch-Tone Registration replaced by PAWS.
• Spring 2001 – Academic records and grade submission implemented in PAWS.
• Academic Year 2005-06 – Administrative structure of the Registration Office and Records Office was reduced to include only the Registrar and Assistant Director of Registration.
• Academic Year 2006-07 – Implemented Banner registration and classroom scheduling.
• Fall Semester 2007 – Registration Office moved into the same physical location as Records Office staff in Old Main.
• December 2007 – Implemented Banner grade submission and academic history.
• Academic Year 2007-08 – Records and Registration merged to become the Office of the Registrar with the office titles of Records Office and Registration Office being eliminated.
• November 2011 – Implemented Escrip-Safe online transcript ordering system.
• May 2013 – The Grade Correction Workflow was implemented.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program’s history and relevance to university mission.

Provide data, if available, on the numbers of students, faculty, staff, or others served by the program during the past four years. If no data are available, please estimate the numbers served annually.

Demand for Services

Staff members also served on many committees including:

• EWorx
• Strategic Enrollment Planning Steering Committee
• EWorx Customer Service Subgroup
• Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Committee
• Banner Student Process Team
• Cross-Functional Collaboration Group
• NCA Self Study Committee
• Enrollment Revenue Management System Work Group
• Student Retention Predictive Model Committee
• Client-Relationship Management Development Group
• Driving Summer Through Banner Committee
• Hobart M. Heller Scholarship Selection Committee
• President's Award Selection Committee

Does the program offer any co-curricular opportunities for students (e.g., internships, RSO support, service-learning activities)? Please describe.

Currently, our office does not offer co-curricular opportunities for students.

Does the program contribute to the delivery of academic programs (e.g., providing professional expertise, serving as adjunct faculty)? Please describe.

Although not part of an academic department, the Office of the Registrar has provided support to them. Two of our staff members have been instructors for the EIU 1111 University Foundation class. The Registrar has discussed the aspects of student services in the Office of the Registrar with students enrolled in Counseling and Student Development courses. She has also presented information about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act to students enrolled in Family and Consumer Sciences courses. The Registrar and Assistant Registrar have presented at departmental meetings and Faculty Development workshops.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the internal demand for the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., curriculum changes made by another program) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Is the program accredited or approved by a recognized external agency or otherwise certified to meet established professional standards? Provide an executive summary of and link to the program’s most recent accreditation or certification report, if available.

There are no accrediting bodies for the Office of the Registrar.

Is the program required to meet any regulatory or legal requirements? Is the program subject to any special auditing requirements?

All educational records maintained in the Office of the Registrar are subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. All staff members in our office and across campus that have access to student records must keep a student’s educational information confidential unless they have written authorization from the student or have been served a subpoena. Failure of University staff members to uphold this law could lead to all federal financial aid being withdrawn from Eastern.

Because our office supports many other offices on campus, we are often included in audits of other areas.   Our office is routinely included in Financial Aid audits and must provide withdrawal information for students to ensure that Title IV refunds are appropriate. The Office of the Registrar has also been involved in audits of grading practices, registration procedures and admission practices.  Periodic audits are done to ensure that revenue generated from transcript processing has been collected and deposited according to University policy.

What are the most important outreach or public service activities supported by the program?

Our office is not involved in outreach or public service activities.

How do the local community and the region benefit from the program?

Our office is often called upon to verify graduation dates for community members who are being honored.  We provide the information we are allowed to provide within the boundaries set by university policy and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the external demand for the program.

What are the two or three more important measureable outcomes tracked to assess program quality? Does the program conduct an outcomes assessment, and if so, what has been the impact?

What are the two or three most effective best practices that the program has implemented? What benefits have been gained from implementing these best practices?

A predictive model was created to help determine which prospective students are most likely to enroll so that the University can focus resources on targeted populations which are likely to provide the highest return on investment.  This model allows the University to target students with higher scores with higher cost, direct mail communications and students that have lower scores with less expensive communications.  The model also increases efficiency and conversion rates from inquiries which in turn increases the application to yield rate.

Historically payments to faculty who were teaching summer courses included some inaccuracies.  In order to correct the inaccuracies in payment, a system utilizing Banner was created to handle faculty salaries.  This system allows for an audit of payments so that there is more accountability.  This functionality has made contract generation easier and allows for collection of data which was previously not available.

The University now offers electronic transmission of transcripts.  This practice has allowed us to deliver transcripts to students and employers the same day they are generated.  The amount of transcript paper required has been greatly reduced which saves our department and the University money. 

The office utilizes document imaging for storing documents.  This has allowed us to move documents much more quickly between staff members within the office.  It has also allowed for a reduction in the amount of paper used.  As a result of emptying filing cabinets, our office has been able to better utilize our office space to meet staffing needs.

What external recognitions (e.g., awards, accommodations, professional certifications, references in trade publications) have the program and its staff received in the past three years?

Superior Performance Award

Office of Academic Professional Development Director's Award

Is the program active with any regional, national, or international professional organizations?

We are active in the following organizations:

• Illinois Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers
• American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers
• Organization of Admission and Records Officers of State Universities of Illinois

Note any presentations, publications, or offices held in the last three years.

Secretary, Organization of Admission and Records Officers of State Universities of Illinois  Fall 2012

Chair, Organization of Admission and Records Officers of State Universities of Illinois  Fall 2013

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the quality of program outcomes.

Note any special benefits (e.g., personnel support, equipment, permanent improvements) that the program has received in the past three years from its grants and other sponsored programs.

Not applicable

How does the program benefit from donor gifts (e.g., scholarships, endowed chairs)? Does donor support provide a significant percentage of the program’s overall funding?

Not applicable

List two or three key relationships that the program maintains with external constituencies (e.g., community colleges, other universities, government bodies). How do these relationships advance the university mission or otherwise benefit the university?

The Registrar is a member of the Organization of Admission and Records Officers of the State Universities of Illinois. This organization meets twice a year to discuss issues that are evolving including changes to state and federal laws.   For the past few years, our staff members have not been able to attend state or national conferences so this meeting has provided information regarding emerging technologies and a way for the Office of the Registrar to meet with colleagues across the state to determine the direction the office should move in the future.

Relationships that we have forged with colleagues we have met at past conferences are still benefiting us. We have colleagues at community colleges who often serve as a point of contact. An example of this is the coordination between Lake Land College and Eastern in selecting a vendor to be used to exchange electronic transcripts. After discussing various options, both institutions decided to work with the same vendor so that the exchange of electronic transcripts between the two institutions would be as seamless as possible. The ease with which transcripts can be exchanged may increase the number of transfers we receive from Lake Land.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the resources generated by the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., revenue pass-throughs) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Provide an executive summary of and link to any metrics or benchmarks that the program tracks to measure productivity.

Because the Office of the Registrar exists to provide service to our constituents, we do not have control over the number or types of services requested. For example, the number of transcripts that we process is often controlled by the number of students and alumni entering the workforce or graduate school. If the number of available jobs falls or the cost of attending graduate school increases, the number of transcripts we process may decrease. The same holds true for the number of catalog changes we make which is driven by the number of departments making curriculum changes and the type of curriculum changes being made. Although we maintain a high level of productivity, the numbers we report may not necessarily reflect the fact that we have become more productive.

What initiatives has the program implemented to enhance staff productivity (e.g., access to training, workflow improvements)? Briefly describe the costs and benefits of these initiatives.

The Office of the Registrar has implemented the following:

• Student absence, deceased student and grade change workflow
• Electronic delivery and acceptance of academic transcript
• Sweep process to move electronic academic transcripts to various staff members
• Electronic notification to students to provide them with important information

Although requiring ITS and Office of the Registrar staff time, implementation of the workflows is very cost effective. During the 2009 H1N1/09 pandemic, three staff members in the Office of the Registrar and one in Health Service were notifying faculty of student absences multiple times per hour.   The manual system took 10-15 minutes per absence notification because a staff member had to look up the student’s class schedule and the instructors' information then address an envelope to each of the student's instructors. Processing time for the notifications is now 2 minutes.

The Grade Change Workflow removes the possibility that a paper grade correction form will be lost because it flows electronically from the instructor to the Office of the Registrar where the grade point average is recalculated. Before the implementation of this workflow, paper grade change forms were often misplaced which required staff time to locate the form or generate a new one.

Electronic delivery of transcripts has allowed us to provide better customer service for students. Being able to deliver transcripts electronically, allows us to assure the student same day delivery.  We have also saved approximately $10,000 in postage and supplies.

Prior to receiving electronic transcripts, the transcripts were logged in by one person, passed onto an evaluator for evaluation and finally imaged into the document imaging system.  The electronic receipt of transcripts has allowed us to set up a sweep process to move documents much more quickly between staff members and eliminate paper with its associated costs.

We have implemented several electronic notifications to share important information with students. The e-mails include notifications of academic status, completion of transfer evaluations, and notification of drop/withdrawal deadlines that are approaching. .  

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the productivity of the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., accreditation requirements, curricular changes, program restructuring) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the costs associated with the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., expenditures made centrally or externally, expenditures made on behalf of other units) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Staffing 12B020 -- The chart indicates that there are 7 Administrative & Professional positions in our office.  There are actually only 2 Administrative/Professional positions.  The other 5 positions included in this category are Academic Support Professionals which are classified as Unit B -- Faculty.

12B020 and 22B001 --  A total of 11 Civil Service employees were paid out of these accounts in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

How does the program seek to distinguish itself from similar programs at other institutions?

Many of the things that our office does are done by other registrar offices across the United States and around the world. Those offices often use the same software and vendors as our office so we seek to distinguish ourselves from other universities by offering excellent customer service. We think it is very important that students receive personal service so our staff answers the telephone rather than students being greeted by an automated voice system. Once a staff member starts to work with a student, they follow through until the student has an answer. If staff members do not have an answer they will strive to find one rather than passing the student along to another office.

The office staff is always looking for ways in which we can offer students convenient, timely and useful information.   Our goal is to provide the most accurate information we can in the fastest way possible which can be seen when you review the procedures we have implemented. We have implemented electronic notifications as to pending deadlines, information about the completion of grade corrections and the status of individual professor’s grade submission progress.

Some registrar’s offices at other universities dictate to students and staff members what they have to do. Although there are times that our office must also do that, we try to make students, faculty, staff and other interested parties part of our office team when it comes to development of services. Staff members are willing to listen to suggestions put forth by students and faculty. We evaluate each suggestion to determine if it will benefit Eastern. Once we determine something will benefit Eastern, we move forward to implement the plan. Through listening to our constituents, many useful procedures such as the grade change workflow, notifications of pending drop and withdrawal deadlines, and online transcript ordering have been implemented.

Note any unique and/or essential contributions that the program makes to the university.

The Office of the Registrar is continually trying to be on the cutting edge of new technologies. We were among the first universities to utilize digital imaging for archiving academic records.   The new grade change workflow that we have instituted is another facility that sets us apart from many of our peer institutions. The workflow allows us to complete grade corrections and notify the student much more quickly than our manual process did. Other technology that we were among the first to implement includes in-house printing of diplomas, online verification of enrollment and degrees, and online transcript ordering, receipt and delivery.

Provide any program-specific metrics that help to document program contributions or program quality. Examples of some commonly used program-specific metrics may be found here.

AFTER GRADES TRANSCRIPT COUNTS WITH PROCESSING TIME

*Reason for Delay if any

*Reason for Delay if any

*Reason for Delay if any

DEGREES AWARDED BY SEMESTER AND YEAR

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program impact on the university mission.

Provide a link to or listing of the program’s goals and/or strategic plan.

The Office of the Registrar will continue to provide excellent customer service to students, faculty, staff, alumni and other constituents. Decisions that are made and implemented will be student-focused to provide the best educational experiences possible for Eastern students.

Goals

Explore the use of mobile apps and web apps to provide easy access to information.

Collaborate with the Office of Financial Aid and the Bursar’s Office to develop One-Stop Student Services for students.

Analyze and update technology within the Office of the Registrar to ensure efficient service.

Continue to image documents within the confines of the Office of the Registrar to permanently archive them and regain the use of space now used for storage.

What role will the program have in the implementation of the university’s strategic plan (provide link to strategic plan)?

Academic Excellence -- Our office will encourage the academic advising task force to replace paper documents with electronic ones to facilitate moving student files from Admissions to Financial Aid, Office of the Registrar, Academic Advising, departmental advisers and deans' offices.

Global Competition an Changing Demographics -- We will continue to review our services for community college students to ensure that we are meeting their needs and look for ways to enhance services already offered.

Financial Sustainability -- Our office will continue as part of EWorx to explore ways in which our office can support the enrollment effort to reach the University's goal of a 10% increase in new students for AY 2013-14.

In the next two or three years, what best practices, improvements in operations, or other opportunities to advance the university’s mission are likely to be implemented?

Creating a One-Stop Student Services area is a best practice that will be pursued within the next two or three years. This will require collaboration with the Office of Financial Aid and the Bursar’s Office to design an environment that best serves our students. A One-Stop Student Services area would allow students the convenience of visiting one area to talk with representatives about financial aid, student billing, registration and academic record issues. This would also allow the staff members within the 3 areas to interact more closely to resolve student problems much more quickly.

As the use of mobile technology grows, so will the needs and demands of the students. The Office of the Registrar will evaluate the potential uses of this technology to determine which of the services we offer can be offered through a mobile application. One of the main considerations in using mobile applications is maintaining the security of student privacy and the student’s academic record. Some items that could potentially be provided through a mobile application is the student’s registration schedule, information pertaining to registration times and dates, reminders of pending drop and withdrawal deadlines, dates for official University holidays and, if the application was considered secure enough, grade information.

We will also continue to evaluate new functionalities that are introduced into Banner and Ad Astra to ensure we are maximizing our use of the software. Banner will soon be introducing a web-based version that will need to be thoroughly evaluated to determine how we can best utilize it to provide the information that students require to be successful at Eastern. Utilizing Astra and new functionality that it may introduce will allow Eastern to capitalize on space usage which may help save on energy used to operate buildings that are not being fully utilized.

Sending staff members to conferences such as the Ellucian Event, the American Association of Collegiate Registrar and Admission Officers Annual Conference, and the Illinois Association of Collegiate Registrar and Admission Officers Annual Conference is one of the best practices that we will follow. This will allow staff members to stay up to date on new initiatives under way at other institutions. It will also feed the creative imagination of staff members and provide information so that we will continue to develop services that will benefit all of our constituents.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand future opportunities for the program.