Associate Registrar

Associate Registrar

Virginia Union University (VUU) was founded in 1865 in the heart of Richmond, VA. Over the past 156 years, the university has become a premier liberal arts urban institution of higher education and center of excellence for the preparation of students and the development of leaders for tomorrow's world.

The Associate Registrar provides leadership to staff and ensures the development and implementation of policies and procedures for managing the Office of the Registrar. The Associate Registrar represents the Registrar as directed and provides a high quality of customer service and senior project leadership on special projects. The Associate Registrar provides overall coordination of nonexempt personnel with office operations, oversees the refund appeal process, coordinates the document imaging process, masters FERPA regulations in order to serve as a resource, and represents the Office of the Registrar on high-level University committees. The Associate Registrar is responsible for final determination of undergraduate degree completion, the issuance of all University diplomas and certificates, and oversight of the preparation of the printed commencement programs. The Associate Registrar serves as an integral participant in the overall success of commencement ceremonies.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Specific duties may include and are not limited to the following:

• Administers and provides direction to the Office of the Registrar staff in goal setting, assists in departmental planning, identifies and solves operational and/or personnel challenges, clarifies expectations, and evaluates personnel and processes.

• Interacts with departments and faculty to resolve challenges, implements new procedures and ensures consistency, and evaluates programs and services to enable responses to changing priorities.

• Develops and presents training workshops for support staff members to update knowledge, upgrade skills, and ensure quality services and maintains office procedural documentation.

• Coordinates office equipment, develops knowledge of relevant technologies, and makes recommendations to update systems in order to maintain an efficient operation.

• Serves on ad hoc and/or high-level committees to represent the Office of the registrar and strengthen communication between various campus constituencies.

• Enforces established policy and makes recommendations for policy changes when appropriate.

• Oversees the Office of the Registrar communication plan, including messages to students, faculty, and staff postings in the University portal.

• Serves as a University FERPA expert including providing training opportunities for University staff and properly responding to subpoenas issued to obtain student academic information in conjunction with the University's Legal Counsel.

• Ensures compliance with the fee payment, refund, and credit policies by approving or rejecting student appeals for refunds and credits due to drops and withdrawals, and assuring decisions are communicated to Financial Services, the student, and any other appropriate parties.

• Supervises and appropriately delegates the document imaging process within the Office of the Registrar, including coordination of the documents to be imaged, training and overseeing the employees involved in scanning and indexing, creating and maintaining the schedule for scanning, and managing the responsibilities associated with the imaging software.

• Provides accurate information to the Registrar, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management, and others by creating ad hoc reports using the University's query development and reporting system.

• Supports and serves students, academic advisors, staff, faculty, and administrators by interpreting and clarifying University policies regarding graduation requirements.

• Maintains the academic integrity of the application for graduation process by managing the process that compares the student's academic record with established degree requirements.

• Assures historical data is preserved and accessible by maintaining the computer-based Graduated Student File and statistical data on all University degrees awarded.

• Contributes to the success of commencement and graduation ceremonies by overseeing the preparation of the printed commencement program with a list of degree candidates (graduate and undergraduate) and their scholastics honors, coordinating program production with Printing Services, maintaining the commencement web site, assuring an adequate supply of diploma covers, mailers, and paper, overseeing the production, content, and distribution of commencement name cards, serving on the Commencement Committee, and assisting during the commencement ceremonies.

• Oversees the final graduation process by reviewing final graduation deficiencies, notifying graduation candidates of deficiencies and steps to resolution, assuring processes run in proper timing and sequence to meet published University timelines, posting degrees to the official transcript, and developing the final graduation list.

• Schedules and submits graduated student information to the National Student Clearinghouse and assists in resolving clearinghouse inquiries and discrepancies.

• Resolves problems and enhances various processes, projects, procedures, etc. by employing critical thinking skills and creativity.

• Develops a competent, productive, and effective staff by selecting and supervising, directly and through delegation, assigned staff.

• Contributes to a work environment that encourages knowledge of, respect for, and development of skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds.

• Remains competent and current through self-directed professional reading, developing professional contacts with colleagues, attending professional development courses, and attending training and/or courses required by the Registrar.

• Contributes to the overall success of the Office of the Register by performing all other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in education, administration, or related field

• Three to five years of experience in a university, or combination of education and experience commensurate with the requirements of this position

• Proficiency in word processing and ability to learn a variety of computer software.

• Ability to communicate effectively in an educational setting.

VUU is nourished by its African American and Christian heritage and energized by a commitment to excellence and diversity. Its mission is to: 1) Provide a nurturing, intellectually challenging and spiritually enriching environment for learning; 2) Empower students to develop strong moral values for success; and 3) Develop scholars, leaders, and lifelong learners of a global society.

Established in 1865, Virginia Union University gave newly emancipated slaves an opportunity for education, for establishing a community, and for gaining economic, political and social advancement. The University is the result of a merger among four historic institutions: Richmond Theological Seminary, Wayland Seminary, Hartshorn Memorial, and Storer College. Richmond Theological Seminary held its first classes at Lumpkin's Jail, a former holding cell for runaway slaves. The Wayland Seminary was founded in 1865 by the American Baptist Home Mission Society in Washington, DC. Two years later Storer College was founded in West Virginia, and Hartshorn Memorial College opened its doors in 1883 as the first college for African American women in the country. After operating independently for three decades, these notable seminaries joined forces to form Virginia Union University in 1899. Hartshorn Memorial and Storer Colleges would eventually join this Union in 1932 and 1964, respectively.

Located in the heart of Virginia's capital city, Virginia Union University, a Baptist affiliated private institution, is best known for its world-renowned graduate school of theology. It also offers a broad range of educational opportunities in the liberal arts, teaching, research, science, technology, continuing education, civic engagement, and study abroad. VUU's commitment to student success has included an emphasis on student engagement and retention, and close interaction between faculty and students, both of which produce a synergy among scholarship, teaching, and learning.

At Virginia Union University, we consistently search for and create growth opportunities that forge groundbreaking research, state of the art technology, or top-of-the-line curriculum. We welcome and encourage new ideas and processes that positively impact experiences. We require the following core values.

Spiritual Formation, as a faith-based University, we welcome the regular practice of prayer, worship, silence, and mediation that matures one's relationships, values, and life purpose that lead to ongoing spiritual growth and transformation.

Integrity, we value our commitment to fairness, honesty, and truth reflected in each person's words and deeds while holding ourselves accountable for our personal and words and actions.

Diversity & Inclusion, as one of the nation's oldest HBCUs, we value diversity in thought, perspective, and embodiment, trusting that we are stronger when various voices, traditions, and experiences are present.

Excellence, we provide the highest quality of experiences and interactions while remaining flexible, responsive, and open-minded in developing and delivering programs, services, and facilities committed to exceeding the standards of what it means to be Best-In-Class.

Salary: Commensurate with experience

Applications Deadline:

Review of candidate materials will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. If you have any questions, please contact Askhr@vuu.edu

The selected applicant may be required to submit to a background investigation. VUU is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, protected veteran status, or other protected class.

For more information about Virginia Union University, visit https://www.vuu.edu/about-vuu