Registrar

UCA Background

The University of Central Asia (UCA) was founded in 2000 as a private, not for profit, secular university through an International Treaty signed by the Presidents of the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan, and His Highness the Aga Khan; ratified by their respective parliaments, and registered with the United Nations. The Presidents are the Patrons of the University and His Highness is the Chancellor. UCA's mission is to promote the social and economic development of Central Asia, particularly its mountain communities, by offering an internationally recognised standard of higher education, and enabling the peoples of the region to preserve their rich cultural heritage as assets for the future.
 
UCA consists of three schools including the Undergraduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Development (Institute of Public Policy and Administration, Mountain Societies Research Institute, Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit), and the School of Professional and Continuing Education. UCA also includes the Central Asian Faculty Development Programme, and the Aga Khan Humanities Project. UCA's undergraduate programmes are located at its residential campuses in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan, and Khorog, Tajikistan. The Tekeli campus in Kazakhstan is expected to start classes in 2021/2022. UCA brings with it the broader commitment and partnership of the Aga Khan Development Network. For more information: www.ucentralasia.org.
 
Summary of Position

UCA is urgently seeking a strategic and collegial Registrar who can successfully build relationships within and outside the University and lead academic support services and systems for the University Campuses.  The Registrar will need to balance years of experience and first-hand knowledge of best practices with an entrepreneurial sensibility.  The Registrar will lead a small team requiring him or her to not only think strategically, but also be intimately involved with implementation.  The Registrar will be a strategist, a leader, a mentor, and an expert in operations.
 
The Registrar manages student recruitment, admissions, records and data reporting, timetabling and scheduling, academic progression, honours and graduation, student information systems, and convocation ceremony processes. The Registrar ensures that UCA is meeting accreditation standards and regulatory requirements nationally, in its 3-partner countries, and internationally so that the degrees earned by our students are accepted internationally.
 
The Registrar contributes to the University's overall mission, vision and objectives by directing the transparency, regularization and quality assurance of the University's student recruitment and admissions processes, academic programmes, grading, assessment and progression practices, programmatic and degree requirements so as to ensure University requirements.
 
The Registrar directs the provision of secretariat services for the University Academic Council in order to ensure that UCA complies with University, multinational and internationally legislated accreditation and record keeping requirements. The Registrar contributes to the University's overall mission by formulating, developing, implementing, and monitoring the compliance of academic policies and processes. The Registrar leads and directs the University-wide alumni affairs activities in order to sanction alumni involvement at the University and to ensure that the University maintains a good and continuing relationship with its alumni.
 
Key Responsibilities Include:

Student Recruitment and Admission

• Oversee the formulation and implementation of UCA's enrolment strategy.
• Work with a small team of student recruitment professionals who are regularly in the field building relationships with strong high schools, high school administrators, teachers, parents and students to encourage the best and brightest students from the urban and rural regions of Central Asia apply to UCA
• Implement a transparent, effective and efficient methodology for student applications, entrance exams, shortlisting, portfolios preparation for the University Selection Committee, admission, and matriculation for the University's undergraduate and eventually graduate programmes
• Maintain, in partnership with the Administration department, an accurate and up-to-date guidelines manual for obtaining Kyrgyz and Tajik visas for international students.
• Develop and deliver new and returning student onboarding programme as relates to the Registrar's Office

Academic Records

• As the official custodian of academic records, the Registrar provides methods ensuring the quality, integrity and veracity of the academic records to:
• Prepare the University Course Catalog
• Set up courses and degree requirements within the University Student Information System (PeopleSoft)
• Monitor student progression through their degree programmes including the management of withdrawals
• Produce official enrolment lists at the University, programme and class level
• Maintain the Dean's List
• Provide current and former students with an official verifiable transcript of the courses taken and confirmation of enrolment letters

 
Academic Administrative Services

• Oversee the implementation and use of People Soft Campus Solutions
• Design systems for faculty to propose new courses, make changes to majors/minors/courses
• Design and manage systems that support scheduling of classrooms, meeting rooms and discussion spaces as well as the scheduling of courses, mid-terms, and final exams.
• Work with the department of Finance to administer scholarship evaluation, delivery of scholarships, bursaries, and other financial aid
• Produce University diploma and degree parchments, planning, preparation and conduct of convocation exercises

 
Policy Development

• Establish specific operational academic policies, procedures and guidelines that reflect the policies established by the Board of Trustees and senior academic leadership
• Provide quality control of on-going academic decision making in support of students achieving their degrees and diplomas
• Ensure the attainment of quality assurance standards and degree requirements mandated by the Board of Trustees, national government ministries and international accreditation bodies and other pertinent professional bodies are met
• Regulate, monitor, and audit the compliance of academic programmes within UCA's multinational and multidisciplinary Faculties, Schools and Institutes by enforcing the University's academic policies support of students meeting degree requirements

 
External Relations

• Prepare and submit required documents and reports to the Ministries of Education of the Founding States. This includes but not limited to annual rules for UCA admission, annual plans for UCA admission, annual Orders of Admission.
• Work with the Ministries of Education of the Founding States to process equivalencies of foreign high school credentials for international students.

 
Minimum Qualifications and Relevant Experience

• A Master's Degree in a relevant discipline from an internationally recognized university
• Minimum of ten years of senior-level work experience in a university registry, including at least 2 years as a university registrar.
• Proven record of successful leadership in a people-oriented environment, preferably in a multi-campus / multinational setting.
• Excellent experience managing student recruitment and admissions
• Extensive experience in university academic policy planning, development and administration
• International Experience ideally also including in Central Asia
• Significant experience with student information systems, preferably PeopleSoft Campus Solutions
• Extensive record keeping experiences as well as experience in recognizing fraudulent records, including degrees, transcripts and admissions documents and materials
• Knowledge of relevant / current university student practices
• Student and academic counselling skills.
• Proven record of analyzing statistical data on admissions, registration, examinations and graduation for administrative use in formulating policies, statistical reporting and data mining.
• Demonstrated commitment to quality and experience with people of diverse educational, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. 
• Excellent communication skills and a demonstrated ability to work well with others in a team environment.
• Adaptability and flexibility, with the ability to handle both ambiguous and specific assignments.
• Fiscal responsibility.

Language

• Advanced English is required
• Russian is an important asset
• Working knowledge of Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Kazakh would be an asset

 
The position will be based in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic and would require regional travel.