Associate Registrar

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Wayne (NE); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Wayne State College invites applications for the Associate Registrar role. The successful candidate will provide strategic and operational leadership in academic administration, ensuring the integrity, compliance, and efficiency of student records, enrollment, progression, graduation, and policy implementation.

The position requires strong organizational, analytical, and communication skills, with experience in SIS systems and related tools like Stellic and Coursedog.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Three years of experience in higher education registrar functions.
• Experience with student information systems (SIS).
• Knowledge of FERPA compliance and data privacy.

Responsibilities

• Oversee student records, enrollment, progression, graduation, and awards processes.
• Ensure compliance with policies, accreditation requirements, and regulatory frameworks.
• Interpret and implement academic regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Lead operational and strategic initiatives within the Registrar’s Office.
• Collaborate with campus offices to ensure data integrity and efficient operations.

Skills

SIS expertise

Data management

Communication skills

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Stellic

Coursedog

Job description

Wayne State Collegeis seeking an experienced academic leader to serve asAssociate Registrar.

The ideal candidate will be a strategic and technologically proficient professional with demonstrated expertise in Student Information Systems (SIS) and other registrar-related software, such as Stellic and Coursedog. This key leadership role requires a strong understanding of the legal requirements and security standards governing student records, including FERPA compliance.

Successful candidates will possess exceptional organizational and data management skills, along with strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities. The Associate Registrar must be able to communicate effectively across all levels of the institution and engage confidently with diverse audiences.

Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills are essential, as this position collaborates broadly to support student success and institutional effectiveness.

Nature of Work:

This position leads and operates in conjunction with the Registrar to ensure successful fulfillment of the department’s missions, oversight of the department’s services and processes, and to keep the focus on student success. The Associate Registrar provides strategic and operational leadership in academic administration, ensuring the integrity, compliance, and efficiency of student records, enrollment, progression, graduation, and academic policy implementation. The Associate Registrar position has a significant amount of professional autonomy and works collaboratively with others on campus to greatly impact student and faculty success.

Examples of Work Performed:

Academic Operations & Compliance

• Oversee student records, enrollment, progression, graduation, and awards processes.
• Ensure compliance with institutional policies, accreditation requirements, and government or regulatory frameworks, such as academic certification representative for athletic eligibility.
• Interpret and implement academic regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Support academic governance committees and decision-making processes.
• Collaborate with other departments to ensure institutional reporting compliance and data integrity.
• Manage consortium agreements and joint enrollment requests.

Leadership & Management

• Serve as a key leader within the department of Records and Registration, working closely with the Registrar relating to the full scope of academic records and representing the Registrar when needed, both internally and externally.
• Responsible to oversee all aspects of the operational, front-line customer service teams that process registration, maintain academic records, facilitate grading, and process transcripts for domestic and international students.
• Manage workload allocation, performance planning, and staff development.
• Foster a culture of service excellence, accuracy, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Systems & Data Management

• Lead technical operations and project management efforts as key responsibilities – both internal to the department and external to the entire campus and the community.
• Functional Lead for student information systems (SIS) and related tools such as degree audit software (Stellic) and class scheduling software (Coursedog).
• Oversee student information systems (SIS) and ensure data integrity and security.
• Lead process improvement initiatives, including digital transformation and automation.
• Manage and collaborate on system updates and new process testing; maintain degree planning tool (Stellic).

Policy & Governance Support

• Contribute to the development, review, and implementation of academic policies and procedures.
• Provide expert advice to senior leaders, faculties, and committees on academic administration matters.

Campus Collaboration & Engagement

• Collaborate with Advising, Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Financial Services, Institutional Research, Athletics, and academic units to support student success and ensure efficient operations.
• Serve as an escalation point for students, faculty, and academic units with any issues or problems. Resolve complex student cases, appeals, and complaints with fairness and consistency.
• Communicate academic regulations and processes clearly to departments.
• Assist the Registrar in prioritizing multiple competing projects and manage the time of staff and resources accordingly to complete departmental responsibilities in a timely and efficient manner.

Strategic Contribution

• Oversee a range of complex, detail-oriented functions critical to the effective management and strategic advancement of the department.
• Regularly collaborate on high-impact projects and contribute to long-term planning and decision-making at the institutional level.
• Support institutional strategic goals related to student success, retention, and quality assurance.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Three (3) years of experience in higher education registrar functions, or related administration roles.
• Mandated experience and knowledge of student information systems.
  Wayne State College serves as a model of success for regional public higher education. Investments in infrastructure and facilities, expanded academic programs and partnerships, a whole-campus approach to recruitment and retention, and a commitment to strategic planning position the College as a strong member of the Nebraska State College System. More than 4,500 students rely on Wayne State for access to graduate and undergraduate degree programs in more than 130 programs of study each year, a role the College has proudly filled since its founding in 1891. Our goals are clear: continually improve retention and graduation rates, provide high-quality academic programs and campus facilities, support workforce and economic development in the region, maintain affordability and access, and manage resources for sustainability. We invite qualified applicants to join us in our important work.