The origins of the registrar's office are complex. According to common tradition, the registrar was, or evolved from, the office of the beadle (sometimes referred to as "bedel") in the medieval university. This tradition is incorrect; the story is more complex. The beadle sometimes performed functions similar to those performed by the…

A healthy registrar's office will continue to evolve as it considers student, faculty, and institutional needs; staff talents and expectations; technological opportunities; economic realities; space issues; work environments; and where the strategic plan is taking the institution in support of the mission. Several recognized leaders in the field…

Many organizations use formal appraisals to measure employee performance. Augustana College's Office of Admissions introduced an appraisal process in 2006. Subsequently, staff expressed a number of concerns, ranging from confusion about the process to its link to compensation. Action research proved essential for understanding the problems; it…

On-campus admissions events are the secret weapon that colleges and universities use to convince students to apply and enroll. On-campus events vary depending on the size, location, and type of institution; they include campus visitations, open houses, preview days, scholarship events, admitted student events, and summer yield events. These events…

One way of assuring professional behavior in doctors is to ensure that only those students who are likely to behave professionally are admitted to medical school. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of an instrument to evaluate the professional bearing of applicants at the time of the medical school interview. Specifically,…

It might seem axiomatic that the character of a university's academic experience would be reflected in the character of its admissions processes. Unfortunately, it is not--at least, not in the world of continuing and adult education. Universities that offer rich academic programs, high-quality student/faculty relationships, and top-quality…

Personal statements are a widely used and popular predictor in academic admissions; however, relatively little is known about their effectiveness as a predictor of student performance. This study involved a meta-analysis of the relationships of personal statements to measures of student performance (e.g., GPA) and other predictors. An initial…

This article presents a project intended to produce a model for predicting the risk of attrition of individual students enrolled at the University of South Florida. The project is premised upon the principle that college student attrition is as highly individual and personal as any other aspect of the college-going experience. Students make…

The array of admissions models and the underlying, and sometimes conflicting goals people have for college admissions, create the dynamics and the tensions that define the contemporary context for enrollment management. The senior enrollment officer must ask, for example, how does an institution try to assure transparency, equality of access,…

Yale College has devised a classification rule that categorizes applicants into admit, hold for Admissions Committee action, or reject groups. (HS)

Defines sex discrimination in higher education in the following areas: admissions and Title IX provisions, types of discrimination in admissions, additional factors that affect admissions policies, affirmative recruiting and preference admissions, and how to end discrimination in admissions. (PG)