Colleagues,

Given the customer-care orientation of student administration and the need
for students to have a focal point to take all their registry-based
enquiries, I get the impression that over the years a number of
universities have introduced a corporate-wide student reception/campus desk
(call it what you will). I imagine this to be a plush drop-in centre for
customers where they can have one-to-one attention from an all-knowing
administrator who can answer any query on any aspect of regulation,
registry procedure and faculty policy (even where every faculty has a
different policy and the administrator may have to deal with students from
all faculties) whilst sipping coffee and having a manicure (well, they are
paying customers).  Although I marvel, I wish to create just such a
facility here in my exams section (or at least I wish to enhance the
interface with the punters, rubbing chalk under their nails).
Accordingly, I'd be grateful for any comments colleagues may wish to offer
on pros and cons from their experience of developing a corporate one-stop
shop student administration.

Also, I should be grateful for any information you can offer about staff
development and training mechanisms by which you have ensured that all
administrators who work in such a facility:

§    offer consistent advice and levels of service to all students from all
faculties;
§    log receipt and monitor progress of the gamut of forms registries
inevitably generate;
§    route those forms to appropriate academics/bodies for decision with
the minimum of inefficiency (and avoiding problems around forms being
mislaid) and close the loop by notifying students of outcomes etc; and
§    maintain manual records of forms etc once decisions are taken (unless
of course the forms get binned once the computer record is up to date).

My expectation is that there are staff procedures manuals over and above
the regulations which are produced in support of such facilities.  If you
have a copy spare, would you perhaps let me have a copy (Paul Folan,
Academic Office, UWCN, PO Box 179, Newport, South Wales, NP18 1YG)?

I would happily hear, too, about the number of administrators who work on
your student reception/campus desk and the number of students at your
institution, together with details of opening hours in term time and
vacation.

No doubt this is seeming incredibly vague.  Perhaps in your comments you
might identify what types of student administration are dealt with at the
corporate-wide student reception/campus desk and what are dealt with in
departmental/faculty offices.  For example, where is administration of
examination candidature or awards congregation attendance etc dealt with?
Do you rely on postal communications or do you have direct student
interface (or, inevitably, both)?

Thanks, as ever,

Paul