| Detailed Description: |
The Assistant Registrar (AR) for Graduate Records provides professional leadership and oversight for all graduate academic record functions at the University of San Diego. The AR oversees this function across all master’s degree programs, several dual degree programs, and doctoral programs offered through the University’s academic units, including the College of Arts and Sciences, Knauss School of Business, Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the School of Leadership and Education Sciences. The position also supports online master’s programs offered through the Office of Professional and Continuing Education (PCE).
The AR is responsible for administering and disseminating graduate student information; planning, reviewing, and approving workflow procedures for online business processes; verifying graduate enrollment and student status; and coordinating and participating in commencement preparations and related events. A key responsibility includes completing graduation audits for all petitioned graduate students, ordering and verifying diploma accuracy with vendors, securing official university signatures, and playing a critical role in conferring approximately 1,300 graduate degrees annually. In addition to managing graduate student records, the AR plays a key integrative role within the Registrar’s Office: collaborating with the undergraduate records area on shared projects, policy development, and operational initiatives that enhance consistency and efficiency across all academic levels. The AR contributes to office-wide process improvement, data integrity, and student service enhancements, supporting the University’s commitment to innovation and continuous improvement.This position also contributes to staff mentoring, training, and professional development efforts within the department, fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and leadership growth. The AR may lead or participate in data analysis and reporting initiatives that inform enrollment management, academic planning, and strategic decision-making for graduate education.
The AR shares in the responsibility of upholding USD’s accreditation, academic integrity, international reputation and protecting the University from financial impairment or liabilities. This responsibility involves participating in enrollment retention efforts reviewing and maintaining registration records, regular coordination and consultation with the Provost’s Office, Registrar, Graduate Admissions, Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, Information Technology Services, General Counsel, Deans, Student Financial Services, Financial Aid, The Torero Hub, Professional and Continuing Education, Copley Library staff and all graduate program directors, academic advisors and staff on university policies, procedures and business processes.Moreover, the AR is an active member and directly involved in major decision-making and/or policy-recommending on university committees such as Data Integrity, GradFest and Commencement, which all have a direct impact on graduate student life and many USD departments on campus.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Records Management & Administration
- Receive, evaluate and sign-off on graduate student petitions for leave of absence, course waivers/substitutions, transfer of credits, change/add programs or emphasis.
- Coordinate with Registrar’s Office staff and all graduate and doctoral programs in updating and maintaining degree audit records (DARS) and transcripts.
- Identify graduate students who meet academic probation and disqualification criteria and report their status to the respective school/college deans and program directors.
- Place or remove ‘holds’ on student records when enrollment or registration information is missing or incomplete.
- Establish, maintain & update graduation petition database year-round for three graduation terms (January, May and August).
- Conduct degree audits for all graduating graduate students and apprise academic advisors and program directors of their students’ graduation status.
- Receive, review and approve online submissions of dissertations, thesis and portfolios for upload to Copley Library’s Institutional Repository (IR) for final degree requirements.
- Submit and arrange delivery of diplomas and diploma covers to the Registrar’s Office.
Academic & Administrative Support & Management
- Assist Office of Graduate Admissions, Financial Aid and graduate program directors on matters affecting new and re-admitted students.
- Advise graduate programs of their students’ enrollment status and term limits to complete degree.
- Coordinate with IT/ERP Team on Banner issues affecting course registration, business processes and workflow of online graduate forms.
- Compile, verify, and provide master graduation lists to Show Imaging for commencement ceremony, ensuring the accuracy of student names, degree program, and other relevant information critical to commencement.
- Edit/proof and submit commencement program information to Academic Publications for Graduate Commencement ceremony.
- Serve as USD President’s assistant on stage during commencement ceremony in the handing of diplomas.
- Review, notify and coordinate with program staff and program directors regarding final degree requirements for graduation clearance.
- Complete final audit of student records and confer graduate degrees in Banner.
Student Services and Support
- Provide graduate students, faculty and staff guidance and instructions on university policies and procedures.
- Manage the Graduate Record’s Office Salesforce account, assigning cases to executive assistant, campus partners, and graduate departments, respectively.
- Direct and/or assist graduate students to available university resources.
- Update student information, academic advisor assignments, class registration, graduation information and other related matters in Banner system.
- Serve on the Graduation Commencement Sub-Committee
Departmental Leadership and Collaboration
- Collaborate with the undergraduate records and systems teams on cross-functional projects, ensuring alignment in policies, procedures, and technologies across all academic levels.
- Contribute to department-wide initiatives related to academic policy development, degree audit enhancements, course scheduling, and registration processes.
- Participate in Registrar’s Office leadership meetings to represent graduate student perspectives and ensure integrated service delivery.
- Mentor and support the professional development of records staff and student employees; may lead or assist in office-wide training and development initiatives.
- Serve as a resource for process mapping, documentation, and workflow improvement efforts within the Registrar’s Office.
- Analyze graduate student enrollment and degree completion data to identify trends and support planning for academic program growth.
- Represent the Registrar’s Office on committees or task forces related to data governance, student systems, and policy review.
Information Management
- Prepare and provide official degree/enrollment verification letters, notarized documents for apostilles requested by students for professional licenses, government or private employment and by foreign governments (international students).
- Review, edit information for new Graduate Catalog.
- Communicate to departments about their students’ eligibility to graduate after initial review of graduation petitions.
- Verify/update Graduate Records website for current information.
- Maintain Knowledge Base articles ensuring they are current, accurate, and align with university policies and procedures.
- Maintain regular communication with all graduate programs and manage flow of information in resolving issues or conflicts.
- Develop and distribute guidelines for submission of doctoral and master’s dissertations, portfolios and theses for uploading to Copley Library’s Institutional Repository (IR).
- In addition to maintaining/updating the graduation database, submitting diploma orders (Parchment and Paradigm), commencement program preparations and degree audits/clearance, the Assistant Registrar assists in updating Banner entries (program changes, registration issues, etc.).
Special Conditions of Employment:
Background check: Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.
Degree Verification Requirement: Persons offered employment in this position will be required to provide official education transcripts for degree verification purposes.
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Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in education, business administration, information systems, or a related field, required.
- Minimum of 2 years of progressively responsible experience in student record management, registrar’s office, or in a higher education setting or similar office-related field, required. 3 or more years of experience is preferred.
- Demonstrated experience working with student information systems (SIS) such as Banner, PeopleSoft, or Workday, required.
- Familiarity with FERPA regulations and data privacy standards, required.
- Demonstrated ability to lead, coordinate, or contribute to training, mentoring, and staff development initiatives, required.
- Demonstrated experience fostering collaboration across academic and administrative units within a university setting, required.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in higher education administration, organizational leadership, or related field, preferred.
- 3 or more years of related experience as described above is preferred.
- Experience with academic policies, degree audits, and curriculum management processes, preferred.
- Demonstrated leadership ability in a post-secondary academic environment, preferred.
- Experience supervising staff or student workers, preferred.
- Experience with data reporting and analysis (e.g., Cognos, Argos, Tableau), preferred.
- Knowledge of national best practices and trends in registrar functions, preferred
- Strong analytical and data interpretation skills; ability to translate data insights into actionable operational improvements, preferred.
Performance Expectations - Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- General knowledge and understanding of Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), also known as “Buckley Amendment” and Patriot Act.
- Ability to interpret and apply institutional and federal policies (i.e. FERPA, state education codes.)
- Strong understanding of academic record-keeping, registration, and graduation procedures.
- Proven attention to detail and commitment to data integrity.
- Excellent organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Strong interpersonal and communication abilities, including tact and diplomacy when working with students, faculty, and staff.
- Proficiency in database systems, reporting tools, and Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines accurately.
- Represent the University in the most positive manner with alumni, currently enrolled students, visitors, vendors and community members.
- Possess flexibility and versatility to contribute to evolving work situations.
- Ability to resolve conflicts and get along with diverse personalities and populations.
- Exercise decisiveness, accurate assessment and discretions in situations marked by uncertainty, ambiguity or pressure.
- Establish and maintain strong working relationships with colleagues, staff, administration, students and the general public.
- Will be required to work commencement weekends and occasionally other university events that occur outside of regular business hours throughout the year.
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