by Lisa Erck, Associate University Registrar & Law Registrar at the University of the Pacific
In a Tuesday session at the AACRAO Annual Meeting, facilitators Jerri Cunningham from Baylor University and Colleen Timmons from Tulane University Law School led a roundtable discussion for law school registrars. This roundtable provided an opportunity for law school colleagues to share best practices and ideas for improvement to current processes. There were forty-one law registrars plus the two facilitators in attendance.
Major Topics Discussed:
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Scheduling of first year law classes for 1L students.
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Determining which students are assigned to which section for incoming 1L students.
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Character and fitness forms- use of Banner to identify and track student data.
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Tips for assignment of anonymous exam id numbers.
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Proctoring of exams – (hiring, exam structure, remote supervision, honor code/student reporting, use of technologies, etc.)
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Accommodations for students in wheelchairs or with limited mobility- access to classrooms, fire drills, exams, etc.
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Ranking – annual and cumulative/final –on transcripts, letters, and email notification; ranked by fraction or percentage.
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Required or additional courses for students who need academic support.
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Departmental/Procedure manuals for Registrar’s Office.
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Course scheduling – completed in Registrar Offices versus Academic Affairs.
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Suggestions were made on sharing exam instructions from each school to see how others do this. Several participants mentioned that Wesley Holland, from Loyola University has previously shared his exam instructions and they are fantastic. It was agreed upon that we should reach out to Wes to request sharing these with the group.
This roundtable provided practical strategies for managing the complexities operating a law school registrar’s office. Cunningham and Timmons were responsive to the audience and provided opportunities for everyone to share and ask questions. The group comfortably shared their struggles and their successful solutions with one another in this productive atmosphere.
The roundtable closed with a quick discussion about potential topics for the annual meeting in Los Angeles next year.
Sessions Ideas for Next Year:
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Records retention policies and practices
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Academic support programs and pre-matriculation courses or preparation
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Office retreat ideas
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Foreign students
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LLM grading processes and calculations
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SIS updates and impact to workflow
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ABA reporting
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First time registrars orientation as a new “law” registrar
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NNLSO coordination with other professional schools