Abstract
In mid‐March, most colleges and universities moved classes online for the rest of the semester, and when students will return to campus remains uncertain for many institutions. Members of The Successful Registrar’s Advisory Board participated in a conference call to discuss how they and their offices are managing the COVID‐19 pandemic and to share tips on what's working at their institutions.
Since most of Post University's students already studied online, moving the rest online was seamless, said Mitch Hecht, University Registrar. The majority of the 1,000 on‐campus students are athletes, and they were upset, he said.
The communication between students and the university has been excellent, Hecht said. The Provost's Council, which Hecht serves on, meets regularly to plan and troubleshoot. Decisions they made included giving students the option of taking their classes pass‐fail for several terms (Post's terms are shorter than the traditional semester).
At A.T. Still University, which enrolls graduate and professional students, many students were sad and experienced a sense of loss that they weren't where they wanted to be, said Deanna Hunsaker, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Services. For many of the medical‐related programs, students had to change their plans because clinical rotations weren't possible. Most accreditors waived rotations so students could stay on track. For example, some students were allowed to take a medical business elective in place of a rotation, Hunsaker said.
But some students will have to wait to complete requirements. For example, dental students need experience with specific procedures, and it's not possible for them to get that experience with the dental clinic closed.
At the University of Minnesota‐Rochester, policies were adopted to allow flexibility for students, said Registrar Diane Douglas. Students were given the option to take classes pass‐fail. Students had until the last day of the spring term to change their grading option, and the University of Minnesota System did not suspend any students for academic reasons following the spring term.
One of the biggest challenges was labs, Douglas said. And some health sciences students were involved in research projects. In some cases, students earned a reduced number of credits because it was not possible for them to complete the work for the course they were enrolled in.
At the Berklee College of Music, the move online went surprisingly well, said Ari Kaufman, Registrar Systems Operations Manager and Compliance Officer. Students have the option to take classes pass‐fail. He added.
Working from home brings rewards/challenges
Hecht said his staff members love working remotely, but he hates it. Some of them were having to homeschool their children on top of doing their jobs, and that was a challenge.
Kaufman also misses the interaction in the office.
At UMR, staff members are communicating regularly and meeting on Zoom. They all meet weekly for a staff meeting once a week. They are attending meetings more regularly and showing up on time better than ever, Douglas said.
They have also met for a virtual lunch and a virtual happy hour, Douglas said.
A.T. Still has offices in Missouri and Arizona, and California will be added soon. Hunsaker's office has staff members in both places, so they are used to meeting remotely. The hourly staff members did not have laptops, but the office had several days to prepare to work from home, and IT helped them arrange to move equipment home.
The institution had a VPN and remote desktop set up, and employees are able to use the same phone tree and emails as they do in the office, and can rotate who is on call just like they do in the office.
“Technology‐wise, it has been seamless,” Hunsaker said.
If staff members need to work different hours than they typically would in the office, say because of child care issues, they can request to do so. So far, only one staff member has done so, and is working 6 to 3 instead of 8 to 5, Hunsaker said. Staff members were also given an extra week off for the year because of the pandemic, she added.
The three main teams in the office meet online, and the office holds social hours, which have included playing Zoom Pictionary. Sometimes staff members’ kids are in the meetings. The team spends a few minutes at the beginning of the meeting talking with them. The children have also joined in office games.
The institution's fitness center on the Missouri campus has been offering virtual classes. A number of Arizona campus employees have attended and like it, so the virtual classes might continue after the pandemic, Hunsaker said.
Commencement
Live commencement was canceled or postponed at all the board members’ institutions. At A.T. Still, the choice was made to offer a virtual recorded event, Hunsaker said. Graduates sent in a picture of themselves to be included. Each graduate received a printed program. Most health professions programs typically require graduates to attend in person because they must take an oath. Most accreditors waived that this year, she added.
Berklee's event included a virtual concert and an interview with John Legend, who received an honorary doctorate. Caps and gowns were mailed to the graduates, and they could keep them, Kaufman said.
Planning ahead
As of the conference call, the board members’ institutions had not yet decided what classes would look like by fall. At Berklee, summer classes are discounted because of the remote format, Kaufman said. Officials expected lower enrollment than is typical in the summer, but registration numbers were the same as in the past as of early May.
UMR usually hosts about five in‐person sessions for summer registration. This summer, the sessions will be virtual, and they will be smaller, so more will be offered, Douglas said. A student mentor and a success coach will be available, and officials will put the information from the orientations in modules in Canvas. Incoming students must complete them before registering.
A. T. Still's programs run year‐round, and incoming students have asked to be in the cities where they will study by July 1 so they can quarantine for two weeks if necessary, Hunsaker said.
Budget impact
A. T. Still doesn't offer housing, so most students stayed in their homes in the area around their campus, Hunsaker said. That meant housing refunds weren't needed, but some students have had financial difficulties because of the pandemic. The institution received CARES Act funding and is using it to help students who need money to pay for housing.
The institution is not providing staff raises until at least January.
UMR refunded some of students’ housing and other fees paid in the spring, Douglas said. The institution offers apartments, and if students come back to campus before the pandemic ends, they will be assigned one to a room rather than two, she added.
Both A.T. Still and UMR have frozen tuition for 2021.
Support for community members
At Post, officials created a fund for faculty and staff members whose families are struggling financially, Hecht said. Many of them have partners who are out of work. The institution's president made a sizable donation to it, and others can contribute as they wish.
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THE SUCCESSFUL REGISTRAR BOARD OF ADVISORS
Deanna Hunsaker
Assistant Vice President— Enrollment Services
A. T. Still University
Pheng Xiong
University Registrar University of Hawai'i at Manoa
Amanda Steele‐Middleton
University Registrar University of Delaware
Diane J. Douglas
Registrar
University of Minnesota‐Rochester
Pinhas Friedenberg
Office of the Registrar
Yeshiva University
Mitch Hecht
University Registrar Post University
Lindsay Stadler
Director of Enrollment and Records Management
Claremont Graduate University
Ari Kaufman
Registrar Systems Operations Manager and Compliance Officer
Berklee College of Music