Meet LaShunda Walker, Registrar at the Law School
The registrar’s profession began in medieval times and historically includes records management, registration, and institutional data. According to the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), at the first institution of higher education in the United States (Harvard College, est. 1636), the registrar’s academic record-keeping function was initially a part-time duty assigned to a faculty member. This status changed rapidly, however, as student enrollment in colleges grew. By 1880, 10% of the institutions of higher learning had full-time registrars, 42% by 1900, 76% by 1910, and over 90% by 1920. Today, most colleges, if not all, have a registrar.
The registrar at a college or university is the steward of student records who works with students at every phase of the academic journey from applicant to alumni. The registrar is responsible for a variety of tasks including processing registration requests and scheduling classes; maintaining academic records, including grades, transcripts, and disciplinary actions; enforcing academic policies and deadlines; evaluating transfer credits; clearing students for graduation and calculating honors; and providing reports to help with decision making and course planning, among other things.
Mercer Law School’s registrar LaShunda Walker will attest that these responsibilities are included in her job description, including the part about “among other things.”
“Some of my primary duties include setting up class registration, coordinating the commencement ceremony in the spring, conferring degrees, certifying character and fitness applications for students applying to the bar, and ensuring compliance with educational law such as FERPA,” she said. “Additionally, I serve as the school certifying official for Veteran Affairs in which I verify the enrollment of military students so they may receive educational benefits.”
Prior to joining Mercer Law School as registrar in 2022, Walker worked in the registrar’s office on Mercer University’s main Macon campus for 17 years. She started as an assistant registrar responsible for transfer credit articulations and publishing the catalogs of the university. She was promoted to associate registrar in July 2018 and had the added responsibility of vetting curriculum changes and leading special projects. Before that, she served four years as communications director for Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a concentration in public relations, and an M.Ed. in higher education leadership. Walker is married to Ramone and has two sons, Kristopher and Kam’Ron.
Though Walker works with students from the time they are admitted, most of her time is spent working with them after they have been accepted. She estimates she spends about 20% of her time working with students directly either by email or in person when they stop by the office with questions about such things as their class schedule or meeting their degree requirements. She also works closely with other offices on campus including admissions, IT, marketing, and student affairs.
With credit to and appreciation for her team, Walker says she couldn’t do it alone. “Assistant Registrar Steve Lindsey and Marsha Griffin, registrar specialist, are the glue that helps keep the registrar’s office running smoothly,” she said. “They assist with entering the class schedules into the system, processing transcript requests, distributing class rosters to faculty, updating and distributing students’ degree audits, monitoring course enrollments, and fulfilling requests from faculty, staff, and students.”
The busiest time of the year for the registrar’s office is at the end of each semester. At that time, Walker and her staff are inputting students’ final grades, running reports for class ranks, dean’s lists, and entering CALI awards on the students’ records. Commencement is the next busiest time.
The registrar’s office is in charge of commencement, which is no small task. Reporting directly to Walker, a team of a dozen or so staff and faculty gather information about numbers and names, award and honors, student activities, administration, board members, the commencement speaker, and so much more. Walker is in-charge of every detail from major tasks such as ordering caps, gowns, and hoods to setting up the commencement stage, reserving seats for special guests, and coordinating ushers to smaller things like providing water bottles for the platform party. Each task is as important as the next and takes months of planning to make things run smoothly.
“What I find most satisfying about my job is twofold,” she said. “First is seeing our students’ progression through law school, culminating when they walk across the stage at commencement. It is very gratifying to witness them receive their diploma. Second, I enjoy tackling the challenges we face in our office as well as finding solutions to better serve our students, faculty, and staff, whether it is streamlining certain processes or improving our communications.”
Walker says the best thing about Mercer Law School is the strong sense of community. “With all the essential departments, faculty and students located in one building, there is an opportunity to connect with everyone and engage in meaningful interactions.”
