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The Rice Thresher
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by J. CAMERON COOPER THRESHER STAFF Jerry Montag, currently the registrar at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, will start work as the registrar at Rice on July 1. The search for a new registrar has been active since last fall, and the committee has been working in earnest since January, Vice President for Enrollment Ann Wright said. The search committee chose Montag as one of six finalists, a field later cut in half. "He was one of the three finalists we had seen in the last three weeks," Wright said. "He is a very enthusiastic, energetic person and was extremely positive in the interview. The committee was unanimous in choosing him to come to Rice." One of Montag's goals is interaction with students. "My short-range goal is to try to get to know as many students as possible on campus and to help them with the administrative processes of the office," Montag said. He has worked in the fields of admission and registration for over 25 years. Montag earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Lehman College and a master of arts in higher education administration from Columbia University. As registrar, Montag will be responsible for all records kept by the Registrar's Office and for carrying out initiatives such as online registration, a new degree audit system , class data for faculty, retention studies and streamlined classroom assignments. Many of these capabilities are based on the new Exeter student information system installed last August, which has had a number of problems. Exeter, intended to streamline the operation of registrar, cashier and financial aid systems, has proved difficult to implement, causing errors this year in registration and degree audits. Features that Exeter was to provide, such as online registration for the spring 2000 semester, have been postponed due to the system problems. Information Technology took over the Exeter installation in January and the Registrar's Office believes it will be fully operational by the beginning of next semester, Wright said. "There were so many bugs with the system that it took quite a while to make enough progress for it to show," Wright said. She said that most of the remaining problems should be ironed out over the summer. Montag's arrival will probably coincide with the end of the struggle with Exeter. "He's coming here at just the right time," Wright said. "With the new system here, we have a chance to bring a lot of technology to campus." Montag said he embraces the role technology plays in his field. "I would like to introduce new technology for the students if at all possible and develop one of the best registrar's offices in the country." Acting Registrar Barry Mc-Farland, who coped with Exeter's problems during his tenure, could not be reached for comment. "Barry has done a really good job during a transition period that had problems," Wright said. "The staff has pulled together and the students have been understanding. We hope to have a better product and better service next year," she said. Montag is excited about his new job. "I plan to be the best registrar that Rice University has ever had," he said. - back - |
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