Overview:
Grinnell College seeks an experienced professional for the position of Registrar, ideally starting about July 1, 2008. The Registrar should be a dynamic academic leader who enjoys working with diverse students at a liberal arts college of high aspirations and attainment.

The Office of the Registrar:
The Registrar has responsibility for maintaining the integrity of academic and student information. This responsibility increasingly demands creative leadership in developing and implementing new technologies to enhance the efficiency, flexibility, and effectiveness of academic data management. The Registrar is also a key partner in institutional research efforts and data compilation.

The basic responsibilities of Grinnell's Registrar's office include registration and course enrollment, recording grades, transcript production and distribution, certifying student enrollment status and completion of degrees, scheduling classroom spaces and exams, overseeing the academic calendar, producing the college catalog, transfer evaluation, and degree auditing. The Registrar is responsible for office oversight, including budget authority as well as hiring, training, supervising and evaluating the Registrar's staff, currently totaling 4.

The Position:
The Registrar provides vision and leadership while managing the office. He or she reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and serves as a visible leader. The Registrar must promote good communication and collaboration with the faculty, deans, and other members of the academic community. The Registrar participates on college committees such as the Committee on Academic Standing, Curriculum Committee, Off-Campus Study Board, Teacher Education Committee, and Dean's Group. The Registrar is also the institutional compliance officer for FERPA (including both monitoring of compliance and educating on best practices), and participates in orientation programs and workshops for new students, transfer students, tutorial professors, and new faculty.

Qualifications:
Exceptional skills collaborating with multiple and diverse constituencies and significant management experience in a Registrar's or closely associated administrative office are essential. The candidate must have demonstrated success in implementing and improving administrative processes; directing and developing staff; fostering a service orientation; providing collaborative leadership with faculty, students, and other administrators to implement policy with judgment and flexibility; using information technology effectively; and enhancing access to academic data to support institutional planning and reporting. Knowledge of the legal framework governing student records and academic disciplinary proceedings is essential, and strong oral and written communication skills are expected. Experience using integrated database applications is required, as is a bachelor's degree; a master's or doctoral degree is preferred.

About Grinnell College:
Founded in 1846, Grinnell College is a highly selective residential liberal arts college that enrolls 1500 students who come from every state and 50 countries around the world. The College's curriculum is founded on a strong advising system and close student-faculty interaction, with few college-wide requirements beyond the completion of a major. Grinnell College is consistently evaluated as among the finest residential liberal arts colleges in the nation. Capitalizing on a student/faculty ratio of 9:1, the College's curricular and research programs incorporate active learning and collaborative work between students and faculty, a strong, growing commitment to undergraduate research, and an increasing focus on interdisciplinary study. Grinnell College has an attractive campus of 108 acres, with spectacular, well-maintained facilities such as the John Chrystal Center, which houses the offices of the Registrar, Admission, Financial Aid, and Institutional Research, the Noyce Science Center, including collabo rative spaces that have inspired similar designs nation-wide, the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts, acting as a creative hub between the campus and community, and the new Joe Rosenfield Center, a campus center bringing together offices for student affairs and student groups, dining, post office, classrooms, meeting rooms and informal interaction spaces. For further information about Grinnell College, see our Web site at www.grinnell.edu.

About Grinnell:
The town of Grinnell provides an appealing setting for living and learning. An active local foods movement, well-preserved architectural gems, an excellent regional medical center, well-supported day-care and pre-school programs, the Galaxy teen center, good schools, vibrant community arts organizations, downtown coffee shops and cinema, and distinctive shops and restaurants reflect a strong local commitment to a high quality of life. Abundant local parks, nearby prairie preserves and woodlands, idyllic country roads, and a six-mile bicycle path from town to the lake and trail system of Rock Creek State Park provide opportunities for enjoyable outdoor recreation. From Grinnell, it is less than an hour's drive to Des Moines and about an hour to Iowa City, a vibrant community with a renowned state university, well-developed arts scene, and outstanding teaching hospital. The urban amenities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Chicago are all accessible within a four- to five-hour drive.

Application and Nomination:
In letters of application, candidates should discuss their interest in working in an undergraduate, liberal-arts environment that emphasizes close student-faculty interaction. They also should discuss what they can contribute to efforts to cultivate a wide diversity of people and perspectives, a core value of Grinnell College. Letters of application, including a current vita and contact information of at least five references (who will not be contacted until candidates are notified) should be sent to: Jim Swartz, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, Chair, Registrar Search Committee, Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa, 50112 (Telephone: (641) 269-3100; Fax (641) 269-4284). Electronic applications may be submitted to RegistrarSearch@grinnell.edu. Review of applications will begin April 14, and the position will remain open until filled.

Grinnell College is an equal-opportunity/affirmative action employer committed to attracting and retaining highly qualified individuals who collectively reflect the diversity of the nation. No applicant shall be discriminated against on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, creed, or disability.