Assistant Vice Provost and University Registrar Kristi Wold-McCormick takes pride in positioning the Office of the Registrar as an innovation leader.
As the assistant vice provost and university registrar at CU Boulder, I serve as the steward of student records and data, ensuring their accuracy, security and integrity. The Office of the Registrar is responsible for a wide range of core campus operations, including student class registration, transcripts and records, academic calendars, class and classroom scheduling, curriculum management, the University Catalog, graduation and degree progress, credentials innovation, tuition classification, systems development, student data reports and more.
The registrar team also ensures compliance with university, state and federal policies and regulations such as tuition classification, NCAAÌý academic eligibility and student data privacy (FERPA).
The role and duties of the registrar date back to the 15th century at the University of Oxford. The registrar, who historically came from the faculty ranks, was designated as the keeper of the records, protecting the integrity of degrees and maintaining the institution’s academic history.
Modern-day registrar’s offices sit at the confluence of student data, technology, compliance and curriculum. Registrars are uniquely positioned to lead, influence and support campus and student success initiatives with innovation and critical knowledge of student information.
My talented team and I work closely with students, faculty, staff and administrators to offer solutions on a wide variety of academic needs and priorities. Whether we are directly helping students with enrollment matters, clarifying academic policies and procedures to advisors, or supporting academic units with courses and program proposals, we ensure our campus partners have the necessary information and tools to effectively perform their roles and meet their goals.
In addition, I collaborate with university departments across the campus, including Enrollment Management, Academic Affairs, Office of Information Technology, Office of Data Analytics and others, to ensure a smooth flow of information and continuous improvement of services.
I am most proud that we have been able to position the CU Boulder Office of the Registrar as an innovation leader on campus and across the state and nation. Being at a flagship university with significant talent, I believe it is our responsibility to lead by example.
One example is our leadership role in the statewide electronic data exchange of transfer credit between colleges and universities. Rather than relying solely on paper or PDF transcripts, data is now being sent and consumed through secure XML files. This improves efficiencies for campuses, minimizes fraud and entry errors, and increases response time for students.ÌýÌý
Another example of our innovation leadership is the prominent role we play around alternative credentials. We have led our campus initiative on micro-credentials and digital badging, hosted an annual international on campus, and are very involved in national and global advocacy and activities in this space.
Higher education is rapidly evolving, with more emphasis being placed on skills-based learning and alternative credentials as complements to traditional degrees. While the registrar profession has always been critical in helping run the academic operations of a university, we are uniquely positioned to ensure we meet the needs of current and future learners through our work with credentials and systems innovation.
Kristi Wold-McCormick
Assistant Vice Provost & University Registrar
Office of the Registrar