"Field Notes" is an occasional Connect column covering practical and philosophical issues facing admissions and registrar professionals. The columns are authored by various AACRAO members. If you have an idea for a column and would like to contribute, please send an email to the editor at connect@aacrao.org.
By Amy E. Harth, MH, Academic Catalog Coordinator, DeVry University
Student success is at the heart of everything we do in higher education. And yet sometimes it is difficult to understand why our colleagues are dedicating so much energy to certain projects. Communication is key. And what we are communicating is of utmost importance. So even if we are talking to our colleagues, we must ensure we’re speaking the same language and approaching each other from a basis of shared values.
One concern that is central to the registrar's office is documentation. Prospective students must submit a variety of documents as part of the application and registration processes. These documents help demonstrate the student’s eligibility for admission or continued registration. Assisting students in completing these requirements provides a smooth enrollment process, which aids in a successful collegiate experience. We can communicate and work with our colleagues in Admissions to ensure that they and students understand why this documentation is necessary. Furthermore, we can offer several avenues for submitting documentation, as appropriate – electronically; by mail or fax; and in person.
Reaching a shared understanding of a common goal helps everyone feel like part of the team. Thus, when starting a project it can be particularly helpful to gather representatives from different departments to bring forth their perspectives and concerns, as well as to infuse the voice of the student as seen from multiple points of view. After all, student success as viewed from, say, the student finance department may be quite different from student success as viewed from academic departments.
Approaching student success as a holistic, integrated goal for an institution of higher learning illuminates how student concerns in one area can affect their performance in others. For instance, students struggling to understand their financial assistance options may delay registration and thus receive calls or emails prompting them to register. In addition, their concerns may impact their course performance. With student success in mind, innovating to ensure that student advising incorporates both academic and financial components is in the best interest of both students and the institution.
Higher education institutions are complex, and students' concerns are equally complex. That’s exactly why all departments must come to the table prepared to discuss and rally behind the common goal of student success. Communicating up front can foster student achievement in areas beyond academics and student finance… areas that may be underlying detractors from reaching graduation such as stress, budgeting and time management. Addressing all such concerns with a package of solutions rather than addressing single problems with single solutions is a tremendous benefit of deeper inter-departmental communication.
Questions to Ask Yourself and Your Colleagues for Future Projects
· How does this project help students? Which students?
· What aspect of student success does this project prioritize?
· Are there any other aspects of student success that are considered trade-offs in this process?
· Where should this project fit in the priority of projects and why?
Once you've asked these questions, it can be easier to articulate the importance of projects you are leading. Understanding these elements can also make it easier to work as a supporting member of a project team. The goal of inter-departmental communication is to better align details of the project with the vision of the project. The more thoroughly we understand our own goals and values, the better we can communicate to others a shared vision for student success.