Office of the Registrar
The Office of the Registrar promotes the educational goals of MIT by:
- conveying to the MIT community and beyond, accurate, timely information and providing services related to enrollment, registration, and graduation
- implementing and enforcing academic and administrative policies related to the above
- creating, updating, preserving, and issuing academic records for past and current students and alumni/ae
- developing and communicating official subject, schedule, and curricular program information
- managing and maintaining classroom space
In fulfilling its mission, the Office of the Registrar works with the Faculty, Institute/Faculty committees, departments, staff, and students to guide and assist in developing and modifying educational policies and procedures in accordance with Institute policy and local, state, and federal laws. The office will continue to gather, maintain, interpret, and share information through new technologies, broadened capacities, and enhanced communications in the areas that the Institute has entrusted to its charge.
Accomplishments
Considerable effort was spent this year in analyzing and implementing new faculty and administrative policies, and in supporting new educational initiatives and community events. We continued to exploit the robustness of MITSIS in meeting all of the challenges within this dynamic environment.
Technological Highlights
In partnership with SSIT, we:
- instituted the Curricular Information System, which allows departments to propose new subjects and to make changes to their existing subject listings online
- developed, tested, and implemented the Student Life Fee
- analyzed, designed, and developed a new registration form and web-based reports for faculty advisors and departments
- analyzed and developed new processes for the implementation of the Sophomore Exploratory Subject
- analyzed and developed a new notation on the transcript for students participating in the Cambridge-MIT Institute and departmental undergraduate exchange programs
- assisted Academic Services with the analysis, design, and development of the Freshman Advanced Placement Credit Processing System
Policy Work
This year, Registrar's Office staff:
- worked with COC to better define and implement minimum requirements for students to receive a second SB degree
- worked with the International Students Office in response to SEVIS implementation
- worked with the dean for undergraduate education and the Senior Counsel's Office in preparation of the amicus brief in the University of Michigan Supreme Court cases
- worked with the dean for undergraduate research to streamline summer UROP
- worked with the Singapore-MIT Alliance in their review of potential degree issues
- developed scheduling parameters for the new Stata Center classrooms
Operational Highlights
Office staff:
- eliminated the printing of the Class Schedule booklet and enhanced the online information related to registration and class schedule
- eliminated the printing of the Final Exam Schedule
- worked with Preprofessional Advising to develop a more efficient AMCAS transcript request process
- worked with the Graduate Students Office on the development of registration guidelines for Exchange Scholars
- worked with COC to approve 89 new undergraduate subjects (including 2 new Institute Lab subjects), two new degree programs (CMS and Course 10-B), substantial curricular changes to two degrees (Course 3 and Course 16) programs, and a new concentration, Environmental Science, in Course 12
Classroom Management Highlights
This year, we:
- led the design effort for three new classrooms in building 4 as replacements for 8-105, 8-302 and 8-306
- provided new floor, paint, fixed seating, and new LCD video projector for lecture hall 1-190
- provided new floor, paint, fixed seating for lecture hall 4-270, adding Level IV technology
- upgraded technology in lecture hall 3-133 including new Crestron control system and LCD video projector
- upgraded technology to E53-220 including new LCD video projector
- replaced video projector in 56-114
- provided new tables and chairs for classroom E25-117
- provided new sliding chalkboard system for lecture hall E25-111
- provided new tables and chairs to seminar rooms 4-146, 24-110, 24-112 and 24-114
- cost-shared with the Department of Mathematics for new seating in 2-255
- served on the Stata Center classroom design team
- served on the design team for the renovation of lecture hall 66-110
- served on the Teal 2 classroom design team
- served on the project team to develop the document: Active Learning Classroom-Generic Program
Registration
In academic year 2002–2003 student enrollment was 10,317, compared with 10,204 in 2001–2002. There were 4,178 undergraduates (4,220 the previous year) and 6,139 graduate students (5,984 the previous year). The international student population was 2,627, representing 8 percent of the undergraduate and 37 percent of the graduate populations. These students were citizens of 108 countries. (Students with permanent residence status are included with US citizens.)
In 2002–2003, there were 3,483 women students (1,727 undergraduate and 1,756 graduate) at the Institute, compared with 3,457 (1,765 undergraduate and 1,692 graduate) in 2001–2002. In September 2002, 425 first-year women entered MIT, representing 43 percent of the freshman class of 988 students.
In 2002-2003, there were, as self-reported by students, 2,861 minority students (1,971 undergraduate and 890 graduate) at the Institute, compared with 2,834 (1,987 undergraduate and 847 graduate) in 2001–2002. Minority students included 358 African Americans (non-Hispanic), 89 Native Americans, 618 Hispanic Americans, and 1,796 Asian Americans. The first-year class entering in September 2002 included 463 minority students, representing 47 percent of the class.
Degrees Awarded
Degrees awarded by the Institute in 2002–2003 included 1,281 bachelor's degrees, 1,529 master's degrees, 8 engineer's degrees, and 440 doctoral degrees—a total of 3,258 (compared with 3,218 in 2001–2002).
Personnel Changes
Betty Bradley, associate registrar, retired after 35 years of outstanding service to the Registrar's Office and to MIT. To accommodate her retirement two staff members were promoted and responsibilities were shifted among others. Peter Hayes and Dan Engelhardt were promoted to assistant registrars. Marti Ward became a full time staff member as an assistant registrar.
Dave Micus was hired to be associate registrar for classroom scheduling and academic information. Nancy Swallow, assistant registrar in the catalog section, left to pursue an advanced degree, and Lorraine Boyd was hired to replace her.
Margaret Newell, support staff in scheduling, left to pursue an advanced degree and Chris Di Guardia was hired to replace her.
More information on the Registrar's Office can be found on the web at http://web.mit.edu/registrar/.