The Not So Usual Suspects

Editors Note: A version of this article appeared in an April 20 op issue of Inside Higher Ed: www.insidehighered.com/ advice/2009/04/is/hurley A number of higher education institutions are aggressively recruiting professionals from outside academia. The challenge for managers is to provide the new staff members basic knowledge of what registrars and enrollment managers really do. Although very talented, many of the professionals from outside academia have little knowledge about the nature, culture and structure of higher education. Registrar and enrollment management positions have steadily been increasing in complexity. As expectations have risen, a number of our institutions in higher education have looked to the outside world's talent pool to assertively draft qualified staff. Many of these professionals possess substantial corporate careers, excellent aptitude for the at hand, and are generally wonderful additions to our colleges and universities. The test we often face as managers is to impart to these new staff members foundational knowledge of our vocation. One of the first career counseling issues we face with new staff is to help them comprehend our work as a vocation. Many people who work in higher education still utilize the word instead of job. They correctly view their responsibilities as having a much more profound impact on the world then a regular job would. This is a new line of logic for scores of professionals. Often, being drawn to avocation is already in their heart. In fact, I have discovered this is the primary reason why so many talented professionals leave the business world and join us in higher education. However, the expression of that vocation is still important for them to visualize and verbalize. Such an expression leads to a far more dedicated and fulfilled staff member. People new to the profession require specialized training to comprehend exactly who and what the registrar originally was at a university. The short answer is they were faculty members. The registrar's profession is an ancient one that dates back to the medieval university. Medieval registrars were regarded as an academic officer from the faculty ranks who proclaimed messages, maintained records and executed the mandates of the university authorities. The raison d'etre for the registrar is a critical comprehension for new staff. As collegiate enrollments grew in the nineteenth century, a swift change came to the registrar profession. By 1880, ten percent of the institutions of higher learning had full-time registrars, 42 percent by 1900, 76 percent by 19 10, and over 90 percent by 1920. If staff grasp how the profession originated, they have a much better opportunity to cultivate services and grown their career. Training for such staff often has more to do with the function and philosophy of a college or university on the whole, rather than the specific operational mechanics of a duty. Most professional staffare equipped to quickly deal with the operational challenges in an efficient manner. Often, it is the nature, culture and structure of higher education that perplexes them. From early in a professional's career, there is an important floor of expectations to erect. The culture of higher education is very different from the corporate world. I came from a corporate background to work at a university. That first year was quite a learning experience. When I was working in the corporate world, money was the sole decision-making instrument. Professionals coming from the corporate world have lived within an apparatus where the only question to ask was, Does this increase revenue? Treating fellow employees or subordinates with disrespect was simply not a concern in the corporate world. In higher education, most folks have little tolerance for treating people with disrespect. Whereas in private industry it is perfectly alright to dress a person down in public on multiple occasions, higher education has a different set of standards. …