Leading Professional Development for Registrars

Julie Ferguson, registrar at The University of Scranton, served as chair of the committee of the American Association of Collegiate Registrar’s and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) responsible for updating the organization’s Professional Development Guide for Registrars: A Self-Assessment. The self-assessment guide, which has been published by AACRAO for the past 40 years and last updated in 2012 prior to the 2018 edition, is routinely used by registrars across the world to identify areas where improvement is needed, set goals for the future, and as a reference for principles of good practice.

AACRAO serves 11,000 higher education professionals who represent 2,600 institutions in more than 40 countries. Its mission is to provide professional development, guidelines and voluntary standards that can be used by higher education officials.

Ferguson also serves on the editorial board of College and University, an educational policy and research journal published four times a year by AACRAO. Over the course of her career, she has served as a member in registrar-related national associations, including the American Association of Medical Colleges Committee on Student Records (AAMC COSR) and AACRAO, where she was a contributing editor on four of their publications.

Ferguson joined the University in 2016 as registrar. Prior to her position at Scranton, she served as the director of the Registrar’s Office, assistant dean for student affairs and director of clinical electives over the course of 15 years at Rutgers University – Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

Ferguson earned her bachelor’s degree in public administration from the State University of New York - Geneseo, and her master’s degree in public administration from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany.