The Goals and Objectives of the Registrar’s Department

The Registrar’s Department with the Registrar at the head and as the Chief Administrative Officer has a dual function in the University system, namely, assisting the Vice-Chancellor in the day-to-day administration of the University and Secretaryship of the statutory bodies of the University and their various committees as well as many ad-hoc committees. Since the effectiveness of the university administration, the statutory bodies and their various committees will, to a large extent, determine the degree of achievement of the goals and objectives of the University, the functions of the Registrar’s Department, therefore, become crucial in this process. As a service centre, servicing specifically not only the statutory bodies and their committees – Council, Senate, Convocation, Congregation – but also the entire University community, and the public generally, the main goal of the Registrar’s Department is to render efficient and effective service. Every staff in the department should, therefore, strive to be better than the best in the input-out process.

In carrying out the day-to-day assignment of the Registrar’s Department, staff of the department should not give the community and the public cause to brand them as masters but should regard themselves as servants of knowledge who must of necessity render their services with the greatest humility.
The tempo of work in the University, generally, and the Registry in particular, is such that staff are always under pressure, pressure to get matters ready for implementation, pressure to process admission forms and examination results, pressure to take administrative decision on various issues, et cetera. Services in the Registry must therefore be quick, and carried out with utmost dispatch, at all times.

The University community is a highly critical and meticulous community. Staff of the Registrar’s Department must therefore leave no one in doubt as to the reliability of the decisions they record, the data they present, the information they give and the results they produce.
As an academic community, the University strives to maintain high standards and excellence. The support services rendered by the Registrar’s Department, the position papers prepared by it, its recordings of the proceedings of the various committees and the volume of correspondence emanating from it, must aim at being of the highest quality and, indeed, of being “better than the best”.

In large organizations such as Universities, there is a tendency for the various units/departments to forget that, though they perform different functions, these functions are complementary in achieving the organization’s goals and objectives. The Registrar’s Department, more than any single unit in the University system, deals, on day-to-day basis, with a large number of other units in the university, while performing its functions. It is therefore important that the services rendered by the Registrar’s Department are coordinated, always bearing in mind the effect of any singular function on the overall achievement of the goals of the university. It should be clear to all and sundry that no one function should be made to impede other functions. The need for co-operation, consultations, free flow of information and ideas and common sharing of resources should be realized by all.

In summary, a major contribution that the Registrar’s Department can make towards the achievement of the goals and objectives of the university is by rendering, reliable and co-ordinated services with the greatest humility.

Basis Knowledge, Skills and Attitude

The University is a peculiar organization. It is essentially an academic community, an institution where ideas are generated and where high standards are set and maintained. Staff of the Registrar’s Department who are expected to contribute in no small measure in producing men and women who are professionally and academically equipped for socio-economic development of the nation must of necessity, be intelligent men and women themselves. They must be professionally and academically qualified for their jobs in order to cope with the academic nature of university administration. They should know all details about their work and work-place, the organization itself, the rules and regulations of the university on academic matters such as rules governing examinations, admissions, discipline and conditions of service. They should, so to say, act as data banks where information is stored and retrieved.

Registrar:        A.I. Okonta
Qualifications:    FSLC, WASC, GCE (A/), B.Sc. (Nigeria),
Cert. in Computer Appreciation
e-mail address:    registrar@unn.edu.ng

Functions of the Registrar

As already mentioned, the Registrar is Secretary to the statutory bodies in the University, including Council, Senate and their Committees and others. Senate has the final say on academic matters in the University and also articulates the academic rules and regulations.

The Registrar discharges his responsibilities to Senate through the Registry. The Registry therefore plays a prominent role in the academic life of the University. A student has to understand this role to ensure a very successful academic career in the University, from admission to graduation.

The functions of the University Registry are carried out in the following offices:

• Central Registry
• Admissions Office
• Examinations Office
• Records Office
• Careers  and Publications Office
• Senate Affairs Office
• Council Affairs Office
• Endowment Fund Office
• Administration Unit
• Sandwich and Evening Programmes Unit (SEP Unit) and
• Registry (Enugu Campus)
• Faculty Offices