Rhode Island School of Design. Office of the Registrar records (14.0)

Historical note

Responsible for students' academic records, course registration, catalogues and course announcements, and maintaining degree program requirements, the Office of the Registrar dates to circa 1882. The first Registrars maintained enrollment and academic records and collected tuition payments for all students. Registrar Lena Danforth (1901-1939) served as Secretary of the Faculty beginning 1901 until the creation of the Faculty Council in 1934. The Executive Committee appointed Danforth a member of Faculty in 1923. The Recorder replaced the Registrar in 1939 working in the newly organized Business and Records Office, 1939-1940, and Records and Registration under the supervision of the Dean, 1940-1946. The Recorder served on the Faculty Council, 1942-1946.

RISD combined the positions of Recorder and the Veterans' Supervisor into the Office of the Registrar in 1947 in order to facilitate the management of veterans' enrollment and financial records. The Registrar served as Director of Placement, 1950-1957. The Registrar served under the chief academic officer from 1961 to 2010 when the office moved to the Division of Students and Enrollment. The Registrar reported to the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, 1988-2000, and the Associate Provost for Student Affairs, 2000-2008. Edward Dwyer served as Associate Provost for AA and Dean of Students, 2000-2002, with responsibility for the Registrar's Office. He retained that responsibility when he became AP for Student Affairs in 2002. The Registrar currently reports to the Associate Vice President for Enrollment.

Responsibilities for maintaining academic records for Evening School students ceased in 1977 with the creation of the Office of Continuing Education (9.0), which assumed responsibility the Junior (now Children's) classes in 1981.

Registrars, 1881-present

• Miss H.C. Hall, 1881-1886
• Gardner C. Anthony, 1886-1887
• Miss M.A. Nickerson, 1887-1888
• Mary A. Brown, 1888-1893
• Grace K. Childs, 1893-1901
• Lena M. Danforth, 1901-1939
• Miss Mary E. Pearl, 1939-1940
• Marion Wilson, 1940-1946
• William Gorrie, 1946-1947
• George C. Bradley, 1947-1973
• Barbara Claeson, 1973-1983
• Barbara E. Carlow, 1983-1986
• Joseph Wheeler, 1986-1988
• Susan Griswold-Treter, 1988-1992
• David R. Abbott, 1992-1996
• Steven Berenback, 1996-2016
• Alison Sherman, 2016-present