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A message from the Registrar

This has been another year of innovation and change in the Office of the Registrar at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Business

process re-engineering was particularly important due to budget cuts and a hiring freeze. Managing under these conditions required creativity and flexibility, as some parts of the operation were stressed to the limit.

On other fronts, strategic planning in the recruitment and admissions of new students resulted in a five per cent increase in first choice applicants from Ontario high school students and an even more significant increase in applicants from outside Ontario and from transfer students. A strong applicant pool allows the university to be more selective in the admission process, which has a long term benefit for everyone on campus.

�e Office of the Registrar’s in-house development and use of state-of-the-art technologies continued to provide superior administrative func-tions and service to students and faculty. �ese also attracted interest from across the university and from around North America. We remain leaders at the University of Toronto in providing service to faculty and staff in the business of enrolment management and registration. In No-vember, we were honoured at the Canadian Information Productivity Awards ceremony as one of 90 finalists selected from across Canada.

�is year our financial and academic advising teams, with the support of communications and IT, have been able to dedicate more time to first-year student transition initiatives. At the forefront of these efforts is a triage system that strives to ensure that students are served quickly and efficiently in all dealings with the Office of the Registrar.

Efforts this year have been in enhancing services to faculty and staff, with room booking, marks reporting, and ROSI data access. Another focus has been to educate chairs, directors and faculty on the existence and use of these services.

All units within the Office of the Registrar continue to support stu-dents, faculty and staff in ways not imagined only a few years ago. And, while mindful of budgetary restraint, the “good service” foundation of our operations remain strong, keeping the student-centred approach as its core.

Diane CrockerRegistrar and Director of Enrolment Management

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Recruiting the bestA broadened recruiting effort with more clearly de-fined target markets, refined admissions criteria and new communications strategies, expanded the size and academic strength of the prospective student pool.

Between Sept. and Dec. 2007, 2�2 high schools were visited (up from 208 the previous year).

Recruiters met with 14,02� students/parents (up from 11,000 the previous year).

The viewbook and other supporting materials were redesigned and freshened, and a separate,

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The U of T Mississauga viewbook (above) was redesigned to be more eye-catching and to reflect the university’s new branding program.

detailed program reference guide was added to acknowledgement packages.

The Prospective Students website was redesigned and reorganized to directly serve the diverse pool of applicants; video clips were incorporated.

Admissions standards were tightened.

Minimum grade cut offs were established in prerequisite subjects.

Students who had repeated three or more Grade 12 courses were not admitted.

Follow-up visits by recruiters in the spring, pre-offer receptions, and online chats were employed and garnered significant interest.

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While students can conduct many routine admin-istrative tasks by using a variety of online tools, there is still significant demand for in-person and over-the-phone service in the Office of the Regis-trar.

Nearly 84,000 inquiries were made this year, an increas-ing proportion of which came from prospective students and their parents.

The TCard Office handled an increase in student traffic thanks to the intro-duction of the U-Pass and meal plans.

Transcript pick-up was also moved to the TCard office for better customer service and reduced waiting time as an interim fix for front

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The results speak for themselves:There was a five per cent increase in first choice applications from Ontario high school students.

The number of applicants from outside Ontario and from transfer students rose significantly.

257 students, the largest number ever, received entrance awards totaling $�8�,500.

Overall enrolment targets were met, or exceeded, with one exception: the newly-introduced Concur-rent Teacher Education Program (CTEP). Efforts continue with OISE and the new CTEP co-ordi-nator to fulfill this program’s mandate.

Summer Session enrolment increased by 86 students over target.

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line staff shortages.

ROSI training sessions for students were expanded: 942 students attended these vital training sessions regarding this key on-line service for students.

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Full Time Direct Entries Fall 2007Total Domestic:UTM OAC (All Years) 1,765

Non-OAC, No TC (All Years) 303

Non-OAC, TC (All Years) 242

Total Intake Excl. Specials 2,310

Total International:UTM OAC (All Years) 105

Non-OAC, No TC (All Years) 98

Non-OAC, TC (All Years) 22

Total Intake Excl. Specials 225

Total Enrolment:UTM OAC (All Years) 1,870

Non-OAC, No TC (All Years) 401

Non-OAC, TC (All Years) 264

Total Intake Excl. Specials 2,535

Demand for frontline services remains strong

UTM - Office of the RegistrarFrontline Statistics July 2007 - June 2008

Students Served in person & on the phone

9958

10968

10409

6388

4755

3122

6951

4595

5338

7372

9427

4567

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2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

Jul-07 Aug-07 Sep-07 Oct-07 Nov-07 Dec-07 Jan-08 Feb-08 Mar-08 Apr-08 May-08 Jun-08

Technological advances and updates continued for all services in the Office of the Registrar, helping to streamline and improve background administrative functions as well as upfront services used by students and faculty.

Among the many new and updated products were:A mass e-mailer program

Convocation ticketing system

Administrative module for the new LWD process

Online exam conflict and religious accommoda-tion forms

Exam reproduction request form

A new web-based CGPA calculator that allows students to view their current status and project future success.

A simplified, user-friendly query tool that allows administrators to utilize data stored in ROSI without the need of directly accessing the com-plex ROSI architecture.

A pilot project with the Management depart-ment that provides instructors with a class list that includes photos of students registered in the course.

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Please take a SEAT During the August 2007 examination period, the IT and Exam teams completed a pilot project to more quickly, accurately and secure-ly conduct exam attendance while complying with provincial government privacy regula-tions.

The resulting tool, known as SEAT — Student Exam Attendance Tracker — is the first system of its kind in Canada.

SEAT uses software that was developed in house and portable computing tablets. It replaces a pa-per-based sign-in process that was cumbersome and vulnerable to human error.

Using a small hand-held tablet computer (left) and software developed by the IT team in the Office of the Registrar, exam attendance is taken quickly, accurately, securely and in compliance with government privacy regulations.

SEAT allows exam invigilators to quickly scan a student’s ID card to verify its validity and the identity of the cardholder. The attendance data is synchronized daily with a main database server. SEAT was fully — and successfully — imple-mented during the December 2007 exam period.

The SEAT project received a Stepping Up Rec-ognition Award which recognizes the important contributions of the administrative staff at U of T.

A new module was added to the Online Room Booking System application which allows logged-in users to view a one week schedule of one or more rooms. It includes room photos and floor plans identifying the room’s location. It also produces schedules for posting outside of each classroom.

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The Prospective Students website was completely redesigned in 2007-08. Entry points are now based on a

student’s profile (Canadian, International or Graduate Student), with customized information for each. Video

clips of current students were also added to bring more vibrancy to the site’s content.

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Making it all work for students, faculty & staff

The provision of advice to students on academic mat-ters remains one of the cornerstones of the services provided by the Office of the Registrar.

The levels of academic advising requests by current students varied throughout the year, from a “low” of 600 a month to more than 1,000 in each of four separate months.

Academic advisors also reach out to at-risk stu-dents in a proactive approach to ensure that they succeed in their studies.

The popular group advising sessions regarding CGPA calculation, program selection and Summer Session options at-tracted 40 – 60 students per workshop. Six workshops of each type were scheduled.

Summer group advising sessions for new students were held daily throughout June and July. A total of 72 sessions were held over six weeks; more than 1,800 new stu-dents attended.

The academic advisors continue to assist

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Academic advising targets student successthe Transfer Credit Office by taking appointments with transfer students to explain their assessments.

The advisors reviewed all academic records of those students requesting graduation to ensure that they were eligible to graduate. More than 1,800 records were assessed for the November and June convocations.

U of T Mississauga had a retention rate (number of first-year students who enter second year) of 88 per cent, among the highest in Ontario.

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The Student Awards and Financial Aid Office continued to refine administrative functions to provide superior service to a growing number of students.

The addition of a financial aid advi-sor allowed for greater flexibility and availability in the counselling of students on financial matters.

The number of OSAP recipients increased by eight per cent to �,449.

In September 2007 and January 2008, OSAP distribution was relo-cated to the second floor of the for-mer library space to accommodate volume – �,449 recipients – an eight per cent increase over 2006-07. Enhancements to

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Financial advising needs grow with enrolment

online systems also assisted with quicker pick-up and distribution.

UTM - Office of the RegistrarFinancial Aid Counselling Statistics 2007-08

Appointments & Walk Ins

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100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Jul-07 Aug-07 Sep-07 Oct-07 Nov-07 Dec-07 Jan-08 Feb-08 Mar-08

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UTM - Office of the RegistrarAcademic Counselling Statistics 2007-08

Appointments & Walk Ins

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400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Jul-07 Aug-07 Sep-07 Oct-07 Nov-07 Dec-07 Jan-08 Feb-08 Mar-08

Apr-08 May-08

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AcademicCalendar

2008-09UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA

RegistrationGuide

Fall-Winter 2008-09

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA

RegistrationGuide

Summer 2008

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA

Getting the word outE-communications and the Internet have revolu-tionized how the university communicates with its students, both current and future. �e Office of the Registrar is at the forefront of using new e-tools to make contact with students.

�is year these activities were enhanced with a monthly online chat for applicants from outside Canada; a dedicated chat for CTEP applicants; and in May, a chat for all admitted Ontario high school students.

Current students continued to receive the month-ly e-newsletter “Hotlink” and separate, stand-alone e-mail messages as warranted.

In order to ensure that students attending the Fall Session were not de-registered because they hadn’t made an initial fee payment or deferral, a targeted campaign of e-mail communication was initiated. Starting in early August, all students who had not yet secured their registration were sent e-mail reminders. In all, five reminders were sent to a steadily shrinking number of students. By the date that registration was to be cancelled, only a few hundred students were de-registered — the low-est ever — opening up space in classes for those students who were on waiting lists.

Personal contact utilizing an older method of commu-nication, the telephone, also had a positive impact on new student recruitment. Targeted calling campaigns were used to reach applicants and admitted students alike.

CTEP applicants who had not submitted profiles were advised that the deadline had been extended.

Between February and April, Ontario high school students who had been admitted early were contacted. �ose contacted were students who had received top scholarships as well as those who listed U of T Mississauga as their first, second or third choice.

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Printed versions of the

Academic Calendar and

supporting registration

guides remain in demand

and are heavily used by

students, faculty and

guidance counsellors

alike. This year’s

versions received a

design make-over,

adopting the campus’

branding program.

In late March and early April, all applicants from UAE, Kuwait and Jordan were phoned to encour-age them to attend U of T Mississauga applicant receptions in those countries.

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DID YOU HEAR THE EXCITING

NEWS?

Strategic promotional campaigns were developed for Fall Campus Day, March Break Open House, the

Summer Session, post-offer receptions in the Middle East and Western Canada; and for the late, breaking

news of the introduction of the new Bachelor of Business Administration program (above).

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U of T Mississauga recruiters took to the road with a jazzy new set of 7-ft. tall banners

(above) to use at high school visits. The three banners,

each with different imagery, incorporated the university’s new branding elements and

slogan: Be Recognized.

Managing the resources of the Of-fice of the Registrar required cre-ative solutions to meet challenges in the area of funding, maintaining an engaged, full-time staff comple-ment and providing high levels of service to students.

Budget cuts of about six per cent and a hiring freeze impacted negatively on the office’s ability to fully serve students, primarily in the area of over-the-phone consul-tation. To help correct shortfalls in budget and staffing, the office implemented:

overall cuts in spending through renewed/renegotiated equipment rental contracts;

elimination of an advertising component of a campaign tar-geted at increasing enrolment in the summer session;

increased revenue genera-tion, including a boost to the amount of paid advertising in the registration guides, an increase in the number of out-side exams and marketing of in-house IT programs; and

shifting responsibility for certain frontline functions to other units.

With a team of 34 staff members, each with unique family and com-muting requirements, and a need to meet service levels to students during core hours (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), a flex-time pilot project was implemented to allow staff a degree of flexibility in work hours.

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Early indications show that the project will be successful in allow-ing staff to meet professional and personal responsibilities.

Staff training is a critical component in the development of a professional office team. Members of the Office of the Registrar took a variety of human resource courses, including those on time management, strate-gic communications and software training. In-house training was also provided on new IT and adminis-trative systems. Two staff members entered the Master of Education Certificate in Higher Education – Leadership program.

Many students at the university take part in work-study programs across the university. Twenty U of TMississauga work-study students have assignments in the Office of the Registrar in a variety of areas, including research, financial aid, general clerical, information tech-nology and event organization.

General Operations

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stepONE students do betterStudents who have taken part in the stepONE pilot project perform better than those who don’t, preliminary results indicate.

Seventy-five per cent of graduates of stepONE, a certificate program that provides a series of training sessions to first-year students in such areas as essay writing, time management, job searches and financial aid, averaged a C+ or better at the end of their first year. Ninety-five per cent of stepONE students completed at least 4.0 credits during their first year of study.

More than 1,900 new students took part in each of the first two years of the program. Students are required to complete eight sessions in order to receive a certificate; 261 students received the certificate at the end of year one and 357 in year two. Analysis of the success of these students will continue throughout their years of university study.

Take Your First Step TowardSuccess

www.utm.utoronto.ca/stepone

Office of the Registrar

Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre

Hazel McCallion AcademicLearning Centre

Diversity, Equity & Leadership

Career Centre

www.utm.utoronto.ca/stepone

Registered Students - U of T Mississauga

Summer 2006 Fall 2006 Summer 2007 Fall 2007

Part time Female 1,713 534 1,722 553

Male 1,082 448 1,185 459

Combined 2,795 982 2,957 1,012

Full time Female 649 5,371 722 5,339

Male 436 3,656 473 3,818

Combined 1,085 9,027 1,195 9,157

Totals 3,880 10,009 4,152 10,169

Crunching the numbers, one student at a timeFor the first time in the university’s history, the ad-ministration of graduation guest tickets was undertaken at U of T Mississauga. Nearly 1,700 students graduated at November and June convoca-tions.

In addition, the record assess-ments team processed:

25,400 individual final grades (in 421 courses) in December 2007.

39,143 individual final grades (in 729 courses) in May 2008.

approximately 3,800petitions, a 30 per cent increase over the previous year.

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U of T Mississauga - Graduation StatisticsBy Degree - 2007-08

Degree Awarded Nov. 2007 June 2008 TotalBachelor of Arts 46 67 113

Bachelor of Science 17 21 38

Honours Bachelor of Arts 136 588 724

Honours Bachelor of Science 98 469 567

Bachelor of Business Administration - 5 5

Bachelor of Commerce 61 187 248

Totals 358 1,337 1,695

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Service to the professionStaff in the Office of the Registrar were called upon by peers to share ideas and innovation. The follow-ing conferences were attended with presentations as indicated:

July 2007 – American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, Minneapo-lis: Debra Iafrate & Cesar Mejia presented on “The Paperless Office – Putting Students Online Instead of In Line;” Do Anh Vu and Cesar Mejia presented on “Marks Reporting.”

October 2007 – Ontario School Counsellors’ Association Conference, Guelph University, Joe Wong

November 2007 – Academic Advisors Confer-ence, Brock University, St. Catherine’s. Doug

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Petition requests increased to 4,2�1, most of which concerned late withdrawal from a course without academic penalty or deferred examinations.

The Committee on Standing continues to adjudicate about three per cent of all requests – cases that have unusual or unprecedented circumstances — and ap-peals to refused petition decisions of the Petitions Office.

Nearly 55,000 individual examination scripts were prepared.

There was an increase in the number of special deferred examinations held in August, November and February. Adjust-ments to the schedule are expected to reduce the number of students who do not show up for these exams (currently about 25 to �0 per cent).

Business continues to grow in the profit-generating Outside Exam Centre — 85 exams were written in the past year.

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Leeies took the entire team of advisors to this one-day conference.

November 2007 – Canadian Association of Fi-nancial Aid Administrators/Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, Ottawa. Lorretta Neebar.

Ontario Association of Student Financial Aid Ad-ministrators, Fall 2007, Toronto, and May 2008, Sudbury, Lorretta Neebar

February 2008 – Ontario University Registrars’ Association (OURA), Niagara Falls. Lorretta Neebar & Joe Wong presented on OSAP tracking, deferrals and grant applications.

OURA February 2008 – Diane Crocker – awards presenter at conference.

May 2008 – TechKnowFile – Sofia Kirschner, Doug Leeies, Cesar Mejia, Sandy Speller, Joe Wong and Diane Crocker, “Express Services for Staff and Student Success.”

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Academic Standards and Examinations

Petitions to Committee on Standing and Academic Appeals Board

July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008

Petition TypeTotal

PetitionsCases to

COSCases to

AAB

Late withdrawal 1,889 72 30

Deferred exam 1,857 25 11

Late enrolment 93 1 0

Extension of time 124 3 0

Total lift of suspension/Early return from suspension 213 12 5

One-year suspension lift 176 9 3

Three-year suspension lift 18 1 0

Early return from three-year suspension 13 2 2

Refused further registration lift 6 0 0

Second degree 5 0 0

Exception to degree/distribution requirements 13 0 0

Other 37 4 4

TOTAL 4,231117

(2.77%)50

(1.18%)

Office of the RegistrarRom 2122, South Building, ��59 Mississauga Rd. N., Mississauga, Ont., L5L 1C6

905-828-5�99 • www.utm.utoronto.ca/reg