By Katie Brown, University Registrar at Aspen University
"Field Notes" is a regular Connect column covering practical and philosophical issues facing admissions and registrar professionals. Various AACRAO members author the columns. If you have an idea for a column and would like to contribute, please send an email to the editor.
Sometimes, working in the Registrar’s Office can feel like you are a part of the policy police. While you work to ensure equitable application of policies and ensure university compliance, you might find yourself at odds with the wishes of other departments. However, you still need to maintain good working relationships with those departments that you’re denying. Ensuring that you have positive associations with other departments is key to keeping things running smoothly. Additionally, building stakeholder buy-in with your colleagues will help when it comes time for your projects and requests. You can use the following tips and best practices to help build relationships with your coworkers:
Become known as a helper. Building a reputation as someone willing and able to help out is critical to getting others to want to help you in return. Offer to be a sounding board for ideas, help provide reporting, or proofread a colleague’s project proposal. Even when you have to tell people no, soften the blow by offering them other solutions or options they might not have explored. People will build positive connotations around coming to you for help and advice and won’t associate you with the “no.”
Be willing to listen and learn. Ask questions about everything, even things that seemingly don’t have anything to do with your department. What you’re doing is building a holistic view of your institution that will not only help you to become more well-rounded and a better problem solver, but it will also help you build relationships with your colleagues in other areas. You’ll become a repository of information for your institution, which means you’ll also become known as a go-to person for your colleagues.
Bank favors. If there are little things you can do for other departments, do them. Do them as often as you can, and don’t ask for anything in return unless you really need it. What you’re doing is saving those favors for a rainy day. There will come a time when you need to call in those favors; you don’t want everyone’s reaction being, “them again?!” Instead, you want them to remember how often you help out without complaint, and they’ll be more likely to reciprocate.
Offer to help while asking for help. When asking for assistance, also show that you’re willing to pitch in too. Don’t just dump a problem on someone else and expect them to be willing to handle it all for you. For example, maybe you need Academic Advising’s assistance with contacting students about an issue with an upcoming course. Offering to help by pulling student lists or drafting communications will make the project a much smaller ask than requesting the other department to do it all alone.
Act as a bridge. The Registrar’s Office is often at the crossroads of several departments. Perhaps your academic Deans and your tech department don’t frequently speak, or sometimes, seem like they speak different languages. Your connection with both departments will allow you to translate between them and mediate between the two. Smoother completion of these projects can only benefit you in the long run. Additionally, when you’re able to explain things to various departments using terminology that they understand, without talking down to them, they’ll continue to come to you for advice as needed and will likely be more willing to help you in return.
Remember, the days of the grouchy, curmudgeon of a Registrar are over. Institutions can’t function efficiently or effectively when everyone is separated and pulling in different directions. Your reputation as a helpful, friendly, approachable, and knowledgeable teammate will help you build connections across the institution. Those connections will make your organization and operations run more smoothly and benefit you when trying to get assistance with pushing your own projects and initiatives.
Looking for new ways to improve your Registrar's Office? Take AACRAO's Registrar's Self-Assessment. The Self-Assessment is a practical guide for evaluating process, compliance, customer service, current practice, and more.