Preparing for the Visit from a Consultant

As president, provost or vice president of a college, you oversee administrative offices with a wide variety of responsibilities, from admitting the students to your college to dispersing financial aid to scheduling classes and certifying the graduates. Sometimes, however, things just are not going right in an office, and you or another administrator do not have the time or expertise to figure out why it is happening. That is when it is time to bring to campus someone who can do that for you: a consultant who has the experience and expertise to analyze the structure, the personnel, the processes and procedures of the office and understand what the problems are with that office. The consultant also can communicate the problems to you and the possible steps to correct them, making the office functional and successful.

Once you have selected a consulting group and contracted for a consultant to visit your campus, there are a number of steps you must take to help ensure that the consulting visit is successful. These steps are often taken in consultation with the consultant as the visit is being arranged, but you must be ready to discuss why you need help and what you need and expect the outcomes of the visit will be.

To be ready for the consulting visit, these are the things you need to prepare using a registrar’s office as an example:

A DESCRIPTION OF THE CAMPUS SETTING

Be prepared to describe your institution to the consultant: the enrollment, the community, majors and minors, the faculty and staff. What makes the institution special? What are the administrative offices that interact with and that affect the registrar’s office?

THE CHARGE TO THE CONSULTANT

In one sentence, what do you expect from the consultant? As an example, you need them “to recommend improvements to the Registrar’s operation so that it is responsive to the University and is truly student-centered.” The consultant needs to know what you expect the outcome to be.

SET THE GOALS OF THE VISIT

What are the goals you have set for the visit? Goals are usually set in discussion with the consultant, but they often fall in three areas. Again, as examples:

• Assess current operation of the registrar’s office to determine areas of improvement
• Assess current personnel as to ability to meet present and future needs
• Assess current technology capability and potential

There can be other goals as well, often involving other offices, but the most important ones involve the office being assessed.

PROBLEM AREAS AS IDENTIFIED BY THE INSTITUTION

No doubt you have already identified certain problems that need close attention by the consultant. These problems often come from complaints from faculty members, students, other offices with which the registrar’s office works, or even yourself! Personnel problems at any level in the office are common. Examples:

• Inability to maximize capabilities of highly advanced technology
• Human resource development and salary structure in Registrar’s Office

FUNCTIONAL AREAS TO BE STUDIED

What functions in the registrar’s office are of special concern to you that need particular consideration by the consultant? Use of technology or lack thereof? Responsiveness to student or faculty concerns or problems? Timeliness of reports, both internal and external such as National Student Clearinghouse? Staff support? These areas should be discussed prior to the visit and included with the goals of the visit.

AGENDA

It is imperative that the consultant inform you of the personnel with whom they will need to meet and for how long. Meeting with the entire staff of the registrar’s office, often individually and as a group, is imperative. Most likely, this list will also include directors of other offices as well as some faculty members and students. It is the institution’s responsibility to set the schedule for the consultant prior to arrival on campus and to be sure that these meetings are on appropriate calendars and space for the meetings is reserved. It is also necessary for the consultant to have an office or room reserved for their own work and rest between meetings.

THE FINAL REPORT

You and the consultant will agree on what the final report will include and in what format. Of course, the consultant will include recommendations in response to the charge and goals for the visit. There could also be a choice of a written report submitted to you or a final visit (on campus or virtual) with the consultant for a discussion of the findings.

Once the final report is submitted (and perhaps discussed), the rest is up to you. The actions recommended by the consultant could be relatively minor or they might include major personnel and procedural changes. The consultant can only recommend, not put those recommendations into action. Whatever those recommendations are, it is up to you as the dean or president to decide the next course(s) of action. The ultimate outcome, however, should be an office that functions up to your expectations and that of your students, faculty, and the rest of the institution.

The experienced group of consultants at focusEDU can help your institution meet the goals that you set for improvement in enrollment management, registrar services, financial aid, and student financial services. If you are at the point of needing help in the manner discussed above, contact us to discover what we can do for you.