The Registrar’s office is one that even those of us who have been in higher ed for a long time sometimes struggle to understand. The profession has come a long way from the days of long lines of students waiting to register for classes and taken even more importance during the pandemic. Doug McKenna, the University Registrar at George Mason University, joins us this week for a dose of Registrar 101 in the most fun way possible.
If you enjoy this episode and want to hear more from Doug — including the theme song we talk about — check out his podcast For the Record, which he hosts for the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
Episode 76 is with Michelle Tarby, director of interactive content strategy at LeMoyne College. Michelle was chatting with us from a snowy Syracuse NY, stuck inside on her first snow day that she can remember. We talk about school closings and how to deal with it, and Lougan shares some science with us. We also talk about the Higher Ed Social Media conference that Michelle presented at, all about giving days on campus.
Episode 67 brings back Jon-Stephen Stansel the Social Media Coordinator at Texas State University, and we talk about Pokemon GO, exclusively. We chat about how campuses can use this new app, and how Jackie, Lougan, and Jon-Stephen are doing on their own journeys to be the very best.
Episode 56 is pretty tasty, with Ben Lamb, Assistant Director for Student Organizations and Involvement at Williams College. We quickly discover Ben’s crepe cafe, Oh Crepe! and Jackie’s love for these delicious desserts. While Jackie tries to wiggle her name onto the menu, we take the time to educate Lougan about New England. Ben discloses that there was a time at Williams College when there were simply too many clubs (is that even possible?) and how it was handled, as well as student run businesses that he oversees. We also talk about sports, and learn about Spikeball.
Episode 36 is with Anna Mahalak, Coordinator of Planning and Outreach at George Washington University. Anna is a part time graduate student in GWU’s Higher Education Masters Program, and through her new position, gets an interesting glimpse at marketing, fundraising, and student affairs simultaneously. We talk about having senior leaders on campus having a strong presence on social media, such as GWU’s vice provost and dean of student affairs, whose Twitter presence is known throughout the college community. As we know, social media has the potential to greatly impact a large fundraising campaign, and Lougan and Anna swap ideas from recent initiatives they’ve tried out. We spiral down the rabbit hole of social media on campus, discussing commencement, Snapchat, and finally, Periscope.
Links to cool stuff:
#ColonialChats with Peter Konwerski, Vice Provost & Dean of Student Affairs at GWU
Episode 35 welcomes Aaron Tomassini, a Graduate Student at Canisius College, back to the continental US from his summer long internship at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. We kick off with another ice breaker and learn about Lougan’s new cat Stewart, who used to be named Phoebe. Naturally, the conversation steers in the direction of moose, Denali, and the Northern Lights, as Aaron explains his unique opportunity in a state which is often confused for having only eskimos and ice fishing. Aaron’s summer internship with Conference Operations meant that he was faced with nearly 20 hours of daylight each day, and we chat about how each of us would be able to handle extended hours of light and darkness. Of course, we end the episode with an interesting history lesson from Lougan, about Icelandic history.
The Registrar’s office is one that even those of us who have been in higher ed for a long time sometimes struggle to understand. The profession has come a long way from the days of long lines of students waiting to register for classes and taken even more importance during the pandemic. Doug McKenna, the University Registrar at George Mason University, joins us this week for a dose of Registrar 101 in the most fun way possible.
