After a nationwide search, Interim Registrar for Academic Policy and Operations Eric Parsons has been named Dartmouth’s registrar for the arts and sciences, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Elizabeth Smith announced today. Parsons will begin his new role on July 1.
Parsons came to Dartmouth in 2016 from Southern Vermont College, where he served as registrar and director of institutional research. From 2016 to 2020, he served as one of Dartmouth’s senior associate registrars; he has been acting as interim registrar, along with Interim Registrar for Student Systems and Research Andy Ager, since former Registrar Meredith Braz’s retirement last year.
“I am deeply honored by the opportunity to serve students, faculty members, and the wider Dartmouth community in the role of registrar of the College,” says Parsons. “I am so grateful to be a part of such a wonderful community and to work alongside such amazing colleagues.”
The Office of the Registrar is responsible for maintaining undergraduate student records as well as providing services in the areas of academic policy, enrollment, and course information. (Dartmouth’s graduate, medical, business, and engineering schools have their own registrars.)
As interim registrar for academic policy and operations, Parsons has overseen, among other things, course registration, publication of the ORC/Catalog (organization, regulations, and course catalog), curricular management, DCARS (Dartmouth’s course approval routing system), arts and sciences faculty committee election, course assessment, degree audit and planning, transcript production, transfer credit evaluation and posting, academic calendar development, degree completion certification, grade collection, and student academic record maintenance.
He has also worked on and with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Committee on Instruction to recommend academic policy changes to address physical education degree requirements, to review transfer credit evaluation, and to adjust the academic calendar to limit disruption due to COVID-19. This year he also oversaw changes to academic policy and communications for DartWorks (Dartmouth’s degree audit and major declaration systems) to make the system Americans with Disability Act (ADA) compliant as well as mobile friendly.
“Many of us work occasionally or closely with the registrar’s office. Allow me to take this moment to thank both Eric and Andy for their leadership of the registrar’s office this year,” said Smith in a letter to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and staff.
Parsons and Ager “have done tremendous work this year, upgrading systems and improving accessibility while suggesting policies and best practices and nimbly adapting to changing COVID needs,” she wrote.
“Please join me in congratulating Eric and in thanking Eric, Andy, and the entire staff of the registrar’s office. We have been able to do our work in the (virtual) classroom in large part due to their dedication.”