Responsiveness, new technology priorities of registrar

Responsiveness, new technology priorities of registrar

BY DANA BENSON
Rice News Staff

As Rice’s new registrar, Jerry Montag brings with him
a diverse background that includes experience at private,
state and community colleges. Throughout his career, Montag
has put the interests of students first, and he will continue
to do so at Rice.

Montag started in his new position here
during the summer, giving him time to gear up for fall registration
and orientation. He expected the process to go smoothly
and “better than it ever has.” In fact, that’s
what he has in mind for all of the office’s functions,
which include handling registration, maintaining students’
records, certifying enrollment, enforcing academic policies
and procedures and overseeing the graduation of students.
The registrar’s office also plays a major role in orientation
and commencement.

“My chief goal is to make certain
that we operate the best registrar’s office possible,”
the Bronx, N.Y., native said. “Number one within that
goal is to provide quality service in a courteous and professional
manner.”

Montag intends to have regular contact
with students to make sure the office is meeting the needs
of those it serves. He plans to create a student advisory
committee with representatives from all of Rice’s residential
colleges and meet with the group regularly throughout the
academic year.

Other goals he has for the office are technology
oriented, particularly involving use of the Web. His goal
is for students to be able to register via the Web as well
as check their grades, make changes to their personal information
and more.

“I come from a place where students
had access to information maintained by the registrar’s
office at their fingertips via the Web,” Montag said.
“That new technology is on its way to Rice.”

The technology will be made possible by
the Exeter student information system, which has been in
place in the registrar’s office since last fall. Some
of its components are still being implemented and employees
are still learning the system, Montag noted.

Ann Wright, vice president for enrollment,
commented on the assets that Montag brings to the registrar’s
office. “The search committee was looking for someone
with experience, enthusiasm and the energy to come in and
work with the new system,” she said. “We know
that there were problems last year, and we are eager to
show that Exeter will not only work, but offer many new
features to students and faculty. We don’t expect miracles
in one year, but we’ve come a long way, and we know
that Jerry Montag and his staff will bring increased responsiveness
and accuracy to the office this year.”

Montag came to Rice from the University
of Arkansas at Little Rock, where he was director of admissions
and university registrar. He relishes the experience he
has gained at the diverse educational institutes at which
he has worked, but counts coming to Rice as a high point
of his career.

“Rice is an outstanding university,
very prestigious. It has a dynamic and scholarly group of
students, and I am proud to be part of the community,”
said Montag, who has an undergraduate degree from the City
University of New York’s Lehman College and a graduate
degree in student personnel administration and higher education
from Columbia University.

“I have a lot of new ideas and suggestions,
and if there is a better way of doing something, I want
to do it,” Montag continued. “I want to make life
simpler and easier for students.”