By Julia Mericle
News Editor
With more than 20 years of experience in the field, John Brown became registrar at St. Bonaventure this September.
“I’ve worked at large and small institutions, public and private ones, all over the U.S.,” Brown said. “So I definitely bring a wealth of experience to the position and to the institution.”
Prior to starting at Bonaventure, Brown was registrar at Loras College in Debuque, Iowa, also a Catholic institution.
According to Brown, the responsibilities of registrar include organizing registration for classes, scheduling courses and managing graduation requirements and transcripts.
The registrar must also enforce federal law that guards the privacy of student records, Brown said.
“Ensuring the integrity and accuracy of student records is at the core of what we do,” Brown said.
According to Brown, his experience as a registrar has helped him understand the importance of getting a sense of an institution before making any changes.
He said he will ask questions to understand why processes are completed in certain manners and make changes if necessary.
“I think part of being a registrar and just being committed to my profession is that I always want to look for the best way of doing things,” Brown said. “So, I never want to get stagnant or complacent on how things are done in the office.”
The university must be aware of what registrars are doing at other schools in order to set goals for the future, Brown said.
Brown compared the work of the registrar to that of a student in the classroom, who must always be learning and growing. He said he wants the registrar’s office to transform with the university, through technology or changing methods, to provide beneficial services to students and faculty.
Brown said he hopes his presence will offer students a “seamless transition” without making any immediate changes.
Working at some institutions, Brown said he found himself involved in a lot of committee work, which removed him from most interaction with students and hopes the same does not happen at Bonaventure.
“I hope there is a balance here of being able to provide oversight for the office, but also have interaction with students,” Brown said. “Because that is what really keeps me motivated and inspired to do what I do.”
Brown said he is excited about his new position and to be part of the Bonaventure community.
“I’ve been in higher education a long, long time and I would have to say in my experience… this is probably the most welcoming community that I’ve ever experienced.”
mericlje13@bonaventure.edu
