Berg named UW-Madison registrar

Joanne Berg, interim registrar at UW–Madison since January 2002, has been selected to lead the office on a permanent basis, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Paul Barrows has announced.

Berg was selected from among three other finalists after a national search was conducted by a committee of faculty, students, academic staff and classified staff.

“Joanne has already done a tremendous job of helping the staff deal with technology and change while also instilling a strong sense of confidence and teamwork,” Barrows says. “Under her leadership, I believe the office will continue to thrive and grow.”

Before moving to the Office of Registrar in the university’s Peterson Building, Berg spent six years as associate dean of admissions and student services in the Graduate School at UW–Madison, handling issues related to admissions, alumni relations, recruitment and records. She first came to UW–Madison in 1987 from the University of Puget Sound School of Law (now Seattle University School of Law) in Tacoma, Wash., where she served as admissions director.

During the last year, the Office of Registrar has undertaken a variety of projects designed to improve services to students, including a software upgrade to the Integrated Student Information System (ISIS) and the replacement of touch-tone registration with Web-based enrollment. The office also held a series of “listening sessions” to gather input from the campus community.

In the future, Berg says, the office will work on developing electronic grading opportunities for faculty, actively participate in the development of the My UW–Madison Web portal for faculty, staff and students, and work to foster closer ties with the academic community, especially faculty and advising staff.

“Throughout the past year, I’ve witnessed an incredible energy among the staff to work to meet and exceed campus expectations for our office,” Berg says. “We’ve tried to tailor our goals to the needs expressed by students, faculty and staff.”

Berg’s appointment is effective January 15. Her salary is $123,000.

The Office of Registrar oversees the creation and maintenance of permanent student academic records. In addition, it handles the production of course schedules, student registration, grades, transcripts and fees.