For the Record, An AACRAO Podcast

Doug McKenna

A Registrar Podcast by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), hosted by Doug McKenna. 

  1. 6d ago

    Becoming a Higher Education Leader

    “University Registrar” isn’t usually included in the list of dream jobs for children. So how did we all wind up in these higher education leadership roles, and what have we learned along the way? In this episode, Andrew Marx, University Registrar at Clark University talks about his unconventional, yet not altogether uncommon path to the registrar’s office. Andy shares his reflections on becoming a higher education leader and gives advice to those moving through the process.      Key Takeaways: Take the time to reflect and decide what kind of a leader you want to be. Try to do this as you’re moving through your career growth as time for self-reflection is at a premium when you actually get “the job.”Being able to communicate your vision and sell the story of your office is an important skill. There’s a way to say “no” that doesn’t shut down future conversations, and emphasizing the reason you’re involved can go a long way to making sure you’re included in future decisions. The registrar’s role looks different at different institutions. And there is often tension between what the community expects of the registrar position or office and what the registrar brings to the table.  Host: Doug McKenna, Ph.D. University Registrar George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: Andrew Marx, Ph.D. University Registrar Clark University amarx@clarku.edu   References and Additional Information: Core Competencies: Leadership and Management

    40 min

  2. May 14

    90 Credit Degrees (“Applied Baccalaureates”)

    Season 9 kicks off with a discussion about 90 credit degrees and how the University of Maine System is moving forward with three Applied Baccalaureate degrees as a way of bringing learners with some college but no degree back to the university system. Chancellor Dan Malloy and Vice Chancellor Jeff St. John join to talk about their process for developing the Applied Baccalaureates, the surprisingly little pushback from faculty, the enthusiastic response from employers, and their hopes for continued growth and engagement with these innovative credentials in the future.     Key Takeaways: The 90-credit credential is an academic innovation designed to bring “some college no degree” learners back to school. The reduced credit threshold for awarding the degree may support easier access into the workforce in less time with less money spent by the learner.The University of Maine System will launch three “Applied Baccalaureates” in fall 2026, having worked with their accreditors, their trustees, and faculty at each of the system member institutions to identify and develop these programs. Accrediting bodies may provide guidance for institutions about what must be included as part of a 90-credit credential, and may have requirements for how to name the degree and how to differentiate them from the full baccalaureate degree.  Host: Doug McKenna, Ph.D. University Registrar, George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: Daniel Malloy, J.D. Chancellor, University of Maine System https://www.maine.edu/chancellors-office/dannel-p-malloy-chancellor/  Jeffrey St. John, Ph.D. Vice Chancellor, University of Maine System References and Additional Information: Core Competencies: Leadership and Management

    38 min

  3. Feb 26

    A Conversation Between Friends

    Welcome back to For the Record! After an unintentional hiatus (writing a dissertation), we’re back with one of my favorite people: Keisha Campbell. We talk about her fascinating career arc, her involvement with the AACRAO REG 201 preconference workshop, what life is like at an HBCU right now, and how she is staying grounded in the world today. It’s a wide-ranging and in parts funny, in parts serious conversation between friends. Plus, a discussion of karaoke.    Key Takeaway: The REG 201 pre-conference workshop would be a great opportunity to extend your network, reflect on where you are in your role, and work through some case studies about issues affecting registrars today. Host: Doug McKenna University Registrar, George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: Keisha Campbell University Registrar and Executive Director, Morgan State University keisha.campbell@morgan.edu References and Additional Information: Core Competencies: Leadership and Management

    45 min

  4. 11/04/2025

    Don’t Let Your Ego Be Your Enemy

    This episode was inspired by Ryan Holiday’s book, Ego is the Enemy, and its applications of Stoicism to modern ideas of leadership and management. With everything that’s going on in the United States as a backdrop, this episode reiterates the importance of focusing on service over receiving recognition, on cultivating humility, and leading with wisdom. These practices can help you avoid developing an inflated sense of self-importance that hinders effective leadership and decision-making. Making a return guest appearance in this episode is Dr. Doug McKenna (the host’s dad!).   Key Takeaways: Stoicism is an ancient philosophy of personal ethics that emphasizes wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance as a way of cultivating inner peace and strength, rather than being ruled by emotions or external circumstances.Stoicism encourages mindfulness, self-reflection, and exercises like negative visualization (imagining worst-case scenarios to build resilience), voluntary discomfort (practicing hardship to lessen fear of suffering), and journaling (as seen in Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations).Learn about your Happy 10 Seconds, the Three Things List, and your personal mission statement.   Host: Doug McKenna University Registrar, George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: LTC (Ret.) Doug McKenna, PhD Dean, Emeritus Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Quantico VA References and Additional Information: Core Competencies: Leadership and Management

    50 min

  5. 09/17/2025

    Holding Doors

    In this conversation with Dr. Cié Gee from the University of Texas at San Antonio we explore the idea of leadership through the roles of line leader and door holder–familiar responsibilities from elementary school. Dr. Gee argues that the door holder is a less glamorous but potentially more important role than the line leader, and we discuss ways door holding opportunities present themselves in the normal course of work.    Key Takeaways: Being the line leader can be fun, but being a door holder is a critical role for the success of any venture. Leadership doesn’t require a title, and it doesn’t require grand gestures to convey care and concern for the people one is leading. As Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”If you’re thinking about someone who held a door for you at some point in your career, reach out to them to let them know the effect they had on you.   Host: Doug McKenna University Registrar, George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: Dr. Cié Gee Associate Vice Provost for Career-Engaged Learning, University of Texas at San Antonio ginnifer.gee@utsa.edu  References and Additional Information: Core Competencies: Leadership and Management Cie Gee https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciegee/

    42 min

  6. 08/20/2025

    What’s a Registrar Anyway, Revisited

    In the very first official episode of this podcast, we explored the question of what even is a registrar. Now, with six more years of experience that included a global pandemic, it was time to once again take stock of our understanding of the role of the registrar. What do we do? And how do we explain what we do to people who work at our institutions or to people  all the way outside of higher education? Five brave souls responded to my request for input on the following three questions that guide this episode: 1) what do you think of when you hear the word, “registrar?” 2) How would you describe the registrar to someone outside of higher education? And 3) Why are registrars important?    Key Takeaways: The registrar and higher education go hand in hand. Registrars were the second administrative position created, following only the position of president. Our title dates back to 1446 at Oxford. Registrars play a variety of roles at our institutions, and there isn’t one right way to be a registrar. Because of the variety of institution type and missions, registrar responsibilities also vary widely.Registrars use a lot of metaphors to communicate how critical they are to their institutions; “plumbing,” “bridges,” “hubs,” “air traffic controllers,” “multi-tasking quarterback,” are all used. Being a registrar is easy. It’s just like riding a bike. If the bike is on fire. And you’re on fire. And everything around you is on fire.   Host: Doug McKenna University Registrar, George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: Dr. Reginald Garcon Associate Vice President/Registrar, University of Maryland - Eastern Shore rgarcon@umes.edu River Gordon Registrar, Minneapolis College of Art and Design rgordon182@mcad.edu Colleen Harms Associate Registrar, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities harms231@umn.edu Whitney Merinar Registrar, West Liberty State College whitney.merinar@westliberty.edu Katie Rendon Registrar, Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion krendon@huc.edu References and Additional Information: Records & Academic Services (AACRAO Professional Proficiencies) Quann, C. J., & And Others. (1979). Admissions, academic records, and registrar services. A handbook of policies and procedures. Jossey-Bass, Inc. The Registrar’s Guide: Evolving Best Practices in Records and Registration. (2006). https://community.aacrao.org/CPBase__item?id=a1H1L00000BjYRJUA3

    33 min

  7. 07/16/2025

    Hire the Best and Treat Them Well

    Two very important functions we engage in as registrars are hiring and onboarding. Perhaps surprisingly, we don’t spend a lot of time talking about either of those very important practices. In this episode we discuss ways to improve the interviewing and hiring process for everyone involved, along with practical ways to bring your new hire into your office and get them acculturated quickly.    Key Takeaways: A clear understanding of the role and a specific articulation of responsibilities in the position description will make recruiting the right person much easier. Calendaring out the interviewing process can reduce stress for participants and candidates alike. Clear timelines are very helpful.Asking “Will this person raise the average of the team?” or something similar may help you distill down a hiring decision. It’s better to have a failed search than to hire the wrong person. Clear communication with your new hire is vital to their onboarding. Scheduling out their first weeks in the office can go a long way to positioning them (and you!) to succeed.   Host: Doug McKenna University Registrar, George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: Michael Burke Dean of Student Services, Harvard University mikeburke@fas.harvard.edu   Rebecca Mathern Assoc. Vice Provost Academic Affairs & University Registrar, Oregon State University rebecca.mathern@oregonstate.edu References and Additional Information: Operations and Business Process Management (AACRAO Core Competency) STAR Technique and Behavioral Interview Questions (indeed.com) Onboarding Without Overwhelming (Harvard Business Review)

    52 min

  8. 06/17/2025

    Harnessing Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education

    Following up on the previous episode about AI’s potential applications to higher education, this episode focuses on the work that the Computational Approaches to Human Learning research lab at UC Berkeley is doing under the direction of Dr. Zach Pardos. We talk about ways AI can assist with transfer or credit mobility, ways AI might be able to streamline the creation of degree pathways for students, and ways AI is being leveraged for adaptive tutoring, all with an overarching goal of increasing the student’s social and economic mobility.   Key Takeaways: AI can be considered as anything that takes what a computer is good at and pushes the boundaries closer to doing things that only a human is good at.It is vital that we use AI in service of our humanistic pursuits, that it’s used in a way that retains the humanistic character of our education enterprise.  AI can help add desirable regularity to systems that are sometimes unnecessarily idiosyncratic.   Host: Doug McKenna University Registrar, George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: Dr. Zachary Pardos Associate Professor of Education, UC Berkeley https://bse.berkeley.edu/zachary-pardos  References and Additional Information: Welcome to OATutor - An Open Source Adaptive Tutoring System https://oatutor.io/  AI Transfer and Articulation Infrastructure Network (ATAIN) https://atain.org/  A University Map of Course Knowledge

    36 min
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A Registrar Podcast by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), hosted by Doug McKenna. 

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