Assistant Registrar

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About Rice

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities. 

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

Position Summary 

The Office of the Registrar (OTR) at Rice University supports the educational mission of the university by working with the Rice community to maintain the accuracy and integrity of its educational records, provide quality service, and support innovative systems that enhance academic support.

The Assistant Registrar (Classroom Resources and Course Offerings) is a position within the Office of the Registrar (OTR). Under limited supervision, the Assistant Registrar (Classroom Resources and Course Offerings) administers various mission-critical operations related to the university’s classroom infrastructure and use, as well as the Course Schedule. This includes, but is not limited to:

Classroom Assignments and Resource Management

• Academic and Event Classroom Assignment: Year-round (and throughout all terms/semesters), manages the assignment of all academic courses and related events (e.g., midterms, review sessions) to the university's 100+ general-purpose classrooms in Ad Astra.
• Classroom Improvements: Maintains knowledge of classroom inventory and conditions; identifies and recommends improvements to classrooms; regularly collaborates with Facilities (F&CP) and IT (OIT) to maintain and improve classroom conditions; identifies needs, recommends improvements, and serves as a key member of the Classroom Quality Management Team (CQMT).
• Event Request Management: Manages and assigns ad-hoc event requests from across the university, coordinating for the most effective use of campus space.

Course and Final Exam Scheduling

• Course Schedule Management: Oversees the production process of the Course Schedule, from initial departmental submissions to final publication, ensuring adherence to the university’s course scheduling policies and deadlines.
• Departmental Consultation: Serves as a primary scheduling resource and consultant for academic department administrators, providing expert guidance on scheduling best practices, system usage, and conflict resolution.
• Final Exam Scheduling: Develops, produces, and communicates the official final exam schedule each semester, managing all related logistics and exception requests.

Analysis, Strategy, and Policy

• Utilization Analysis: Conducts and presents comprehensive analysis of classroom utilization data to identify trends, peak usage times, and opportunities for optimization.
• Strategic Reporting: Develops data-driven reports and dashboards for university leadership to inform strategic decisions regarding new classroom construction, renovation priorities, and long-term academic scheduling policies.
• Policy and Benchmarking: Researches and benchmarks against peer institutions to recommend and develop updates to the university's classroom and course scheduling policies.
• Continuity and Risk Planning: Develops and maintains academic continuity plans for emergency classroom relocations, ensuring minimal disruption to instruction and mitigating institutional risk.

Systems and Training

• Technology Management: Acts as the primary functional lead for academic scheduling systems (Ad Astra, CourseLeaf CLSS); responsible for configuring, testing, and implementing system upgrades and new features.
• Data Integrity: Performs regular audits of scheduling and course data within Banner, Ad Astra, and CourseLeaf CLSS to ensure accuracy and consistency across platforms.
• Training and Documentation: Develops and maintains a comprehensive library of training materials, user guides, and FAQs; conducts regular training workshops for department schedulers.

Additionally, working as a member of a team, the Assistant Registrar (Classroom Resources and Course Offerings) administers and assists with other OTR operations as needed, including (but not limited to) business process analysis and improvement, training, office communication, data review/data integrity audits, special projects, etc.

Workplace Requirements

• Ability to work within a fast-paced office environment with changing priorities, critical deadlines, and the need for multitasking.
• Ability to work both autonomously and as a member of a team, with minimal supervision.
• Ability to quickly learn and use new systems, processes, procedures, and complex office functions.
• Office environment; standard working hours, full-time 40 hours per week. Occasional additional hours outside of normal working hours due to regular and seasonal activity.
• On-campus position: This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in person. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis, may be substituted.
• Three or more (3+) years of related experience
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis, may be substituted.

Skills Required:

• Demonstrated experience in an office or administrative environment, preferably experience in records (and data) management, accounting, or another closely related field.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills; excellent customer service skills.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with a high degree of accuracy and an uncompromising attention to detail.
• Experience with PC computers, including intermediate- to advanced-level proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite of software applications; intermediate understanding of database concepts.
• Knowledge of higher education academic curriculum: the relationship between degrees, majors, and where applicable, major concentrations, minors, and certificates.
• Experience and understanding of applicable laws, regulations, and policies, including how they are applied within their assigned functional area.
• A high level of business acumen and maturity, including the ability to maintain confidence with sensitive student records information.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to prioritize work assignments.

Preferences

• Advanced Degree
• Five or more (5+) years of related experience.
• Experience in higher education, particularly experience in a college or university Registrar’s Office.
• Experience and history in participating in professional organizations (e.g., TACRAO, SACRAO, AACRAO) and contributions to the registrar profession.

Skills Preferred:

• Technical skill and experience with specialized software tools commonly used in Registrar’s Offices, such as Ellucian Banner, Degree Works, Leepfrog CourseLeaf products (CAT, CIM, CLSS), etc.
• Skill and experience interfacing software tools (SQL Developer, Access, etc.) with Oracle tables and views, formulating queries, form design and reporting, etc.

Essential Functions

• Manages and maintains the data and corresponding communications within an assigned (Office of the Registrar) functional area, using specialized software and programs.
• Manages complete current and historical records, both electronic and paper, ensuring the ability to quickly retrieve information, generate reports, and provide additional statistical insights as needed.
• Manages and performs the comprehensive review, maintenance, submission, and changes to records and data within an assigned functional area; ensures timely updates and accuracy across all official documentation (university and office policies, business process documentation, the university’s General Announcements, etc.).
• Ensures meticulous adherence to data entry timelines and introduces innovative methods for meeting deadlines or facilitating the seamless transfer of data to enhance overall efficiency.
• Coordinates the ongoing development, adherence, and maintenance of standards, policies, and procedures; documents business processes, office policies, and procedures; and routinely audits documentation.
• Performs high-detail analyses and routine data integrity audits; consistently reviews and analyzes data and ensures consistent data accuracy.
• Ensures the conformity of record release procedures to the applicable policies and legal requirements governing the confidentiality of student records, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and all other applicable laws and regulations.
• Provides regular guidance, instruction, and direction in response to inquiries and requests for information from the university community.
• Maintains current professional knowledge in the (registrar) profession, including in the area of student records management and student records technology; researches and suggests options for new technologies to improve efficiency and functionality.
• Performs all other duties as required.

Additional Functions

• Has shared responsibility for the content on the Office of the Registrar web pages; contributes toward the development and editing of website informational text to communicate policies and procedures to the university community and beyond.
• Has shared responsibility to make ongoing updates and improvements to Office of the Registrar business process documentation (specifically the OTRwiki, monthly task schedules, and the OTR annual production calendar).
• Serves as a customer service representative for the Office of the Registrar, serves as a backup to other professional staff, and assists in other office functional tasks, as needed.

Rice University Office of the Registrar website: https://registrar.rice.edu
 

Rice University HR | Benefits website: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits-overview

Rice Mission and Values: https://www.rice.edu/mission-values

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact Rice University’s Disability Resource Center at 713-348-5841 or [email protected] for support.

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.