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Steven Schaffling doesn’t know a single person in the student services office at the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs who has a bad thing to say about Kelly Campbell.

Campbell, who is Syracuse University’s new university registrar, joined the student services office as director of operations in 2018. She was known for being approachable and personable, said Schaffling, the assistant dean of student success for the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School.

“She would approach every concern or every problem with an open ear and would see it through to resolution with people,” Schaffling said. “When folks feel like they are working with somebody who is a partner in trying to solve a problem or figure out what went wrong, that helps build really strong working relationships.”

SU appointed Campbell as university registrar in January, after she worked for nearly three years as the director of operations in the advising office at the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School. As university registrar, Campbell will work to improve SU’s registration and scheduling processes and will help manage students’ information and academic records.

Campbell also plans to bolster the integrity and security of students’ academic records and make the university’s registration systems more accessible. 

Campbell, who has worked in higher education for over eight years, came to SU in 2014 as an associate registrar for systems and technology. She was drawn to the university’s wide variety of degree programs and its investment in research. Prior to starting at SU, she worked at the University of Buffalo as the assistant registrar for academic advising, degree conferral and records management.

As SU’s associate registrar, Campbell helped bring Degree Works to SU. The computer program displays students’ academic progress and allows advisers to filter students by academic year, sport and disciplinary status, among other categories.

Campbell’s part in implementing Degree Works and other software programs at SU led Schaffling to later appoint her director of operations, he said. Not only did Campbell have the technical advising knowledge for the position, but she could also communicate that knowledge with staff who didn’t understand it, Schaffling said.

“For me, as the assistant dean, I can’t necessarily be at every meeting,” he said. “But I could rely on Kelly to be able to serve that role.”

As director of operations, Campbell led a project to implement Signal Vine, a text messaging platform for students and advisors. Campbell becomes invested in the projects she works on, Schaffling said.

“I know that when Kelly’s managing whatever it is that she’s managing, that at any given time, I (can) ask her, ‘Where’s this, where are we on this?,’ (and) she knows exactly,” Schaffling said.

Campbell was drawn to the SU’s wide variety of degree programs and its investment in research. Caitlin Spillane | Contributing Photographer

Carlota Deseda-Coon, the director of advising for the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School, has known and worked with Campbell since she came to SU. The energy that Campbell brings to the office encourages innovation, she said.

“We have had many brainstorming sessions over many lunches on how to improve particular processes in advising,” Deseda-Coon said. “Two summers ago, we shared an office space while our suite was under construction, and there are definitely many laughs and great projects that came out of being together in close quarters.”

Campbell said she’s most excited to continue improving the university’s systems for students.

“While in the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell, I learned a great deal about the student experience and how students experience processes,” Campbell said. “I look forward to working with faculty, staff, students, the registrar’s office team and the provost’s office helping to create efficiencies.”

Schaffling and Deseda-Coon said Campbell understands registration from the university’s perspective as well as from the perspective of students, which will allow her to create better processes for everyone involved.

Campbell’s knowledge of systems, inclusive nature and eagerness to find ways to improve operations will bring the registrar’s office to new heights, Deseda-Coon said.

“The university will see a positive impact in student satisfaction, and an improved level of service to both students and university administrators,” Deseda-Coon said.

Although Campbell is no longer in the student services office, Schaffling said they will still be able to work hand in hand in many ways. Knowing that Campbell is in the registrar’s office will put everyone in student services at ease, he said.

“The fact that she’s over there, everybody knows that they still have this person that sees things through,” Schaffling said.

Published on February 15, 2021 at 10:23 pm

Contact Maggie: mehicks@syr.edu | @maggie_hickss