University Registrar - Western Washington University

Western Washington University is committed to inclusive student success, expanding its impact across Washington, and delivering transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences. Western fosters an inclusive learning and working environment where students, faculty, and staff can thrive.

About the Department

The Registrar’s Office is a key partner within Western’s Division of Enrollment Management, supporting students from enrollment through graduation. The office oversees academic records, registration, degree evaluation and conferral, commencement, transfer credit, course scheduling, enrollment reporting, FERPA compliance, and student information systems.

Supporting approximately 14,000 FTE students and 3,500 graduates annually, the Registrar’s Office collaborates across campus to strengthen data governance, improve processes, and advance student success. The next University Registrar will have the opportunity to provide strategic leadership, strengthen campus partnerships, and further integrate the Registrar function across the university.

About the Role

Reporting to the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, the University Registrar provides strategic leadership for the Registrar’s Office, overseeing academic records, registration, degree evaluation and conferral, transfer credit, course scheduling, enrollment reporting, FERPA compliance, and student information systems. As a member of the Enrollment Management leadership team, the Registrar partners across the university to advance student success, strategic enrollment initiatives, data governance, and institutional priorities. This leader also develops and manages the Registrar’s Office team while driving effective policies, processes, and technology.

Responsibilities

How you will be spending your time:

• Leadership and Supervision (50%):
  • Provide leadership and oversight to all Registrar’s Office functions
  • Foster and maintain an environment that promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging
  • Supervise, train, manage, evaluate, and develop staff within the office
  • Serve on university committees and represent Western on state-wide committees and organizations in support of inter-institutional policies, agreements, and data management and reporting
  • Manage the budget of the Registrar’s Office, which includes both funding from the state and from revenue generating sources
  • Serve as the institutional steward for student academic data and collaborate with Institutional Effectiveness, Information Technology, Enrollment Management, and Academic Affairs to establish data governance standards, ensure data quality, and support institutional planning, compliance reporting, accreditation, and decision-making
  • Lead continuous process improvement initiatives that enhance operational efficiency, service delivery, data accuracy, compliance, and the student experience
• Policy Setting and Records Oversight (25%):
  • Oversee the review and validation of student academic records to ensure their accuracy, integrity, and compliance with university policies and regulatory requirements
  • Establish and maintain effective relationships with faculty and academic partners across campus, collaborating on issues relating to curriculum, university policies, and other areas of Registrar responsibility
  • Ensure the accurate awarding of academic credit in accordance with university policy
  • Work closely with partners on campus to ensure appropriate security of data and protection of sensitive and personally identifiable information
  • Administer all functions relating to confidential student data, including FERPA training and FERPA compliance. Issue official transcripts and certifications, ensuring compliance with FERPA
  • Advise and consult on academic policies, curriculum data management, and other academic matters on a regular basis, including with colleges and departments, the Provost’s Office, the Graduate School, the Faculty Senate, Academic Coordinating Commission, and the Academic Advising and Student Success Center
  • Oversee the collection, validation, analysis, and reporting of student and academic data to support institutional planning, compliance, accreditation, and external reporting requirements
• Systems Coordination (10%):
  • Oversee the effective use of systems for student information, document imaging, academic planning and degree progress, course scheduling, university catalog, and other systems
  • Devise proactive initiatives, using data and systems, to assist in the overall effort to address challenges in retention and graduation rates, including the achievement gap
  • Lead the strategic evaluation, implementation, optimization, and governance of student information systems, degree audit technologies, curriculum management applications, scheduling systems, transcript services, and related technologies that support academic operations and student success
• Scheduling and Calendar (10%):
  • Oversee course scheduling and exam scheduling
  • In coordination with the Faculty Senate and the Academic Coordinating Commission, maintain and publish the university catalog
  • Coordinate the publishing of the academic calendar and related calendars
• Other Duties as Assigned (5%)

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• Progressive management experience in operational management, preferably in a higher education registrar’s office
• Demonstrated experience with supervising staff
• Experience analyzing and interpreting data to support decision making for leadership

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or terminal degree
• Prior experience serving as a University Registrar in a public, master’s granting institution
• Demonstrated strong focus on the student experience and student success
• Strong record of successful team building and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Demonstrated professional record of collaboration and partnering with faculty and leadership

Pay

Hiring range is $115,776–133,144 per year, depending on qualifications and experience. Through longevity, the position will top out at $150,510 per year.