Page 3 - Eureka-2013

Ruth Lifeso, Staff profile

the Science Registrar

photo: Chris Strangemore OFaculty of Science, a series of university regulations, curriculum lab or tutorial approved and logged in.
ver the 50 year history of the
If they were taking a course in another
changes, and a host of other issues. It
Faculty they had to make their way to
made a lot of sense to be situated in
deans have graced the Office of the
that Faculty’s registration area which
Herzberg as it housed several science
Dean. Gentlemen such as H.H.J. Nesbitt,
Joseph Wolfson, George Skippen, Jim
courses were approved, they then visited
office. Students could find us easier as
Neelin, Les Copley, David Gardner, Peter departments, as well as the dean’s was often across campus. Once all
Watson, Jean-Guy Godin, George Iwama well,” says Lifeso. the science registrar’s table for final
and John Armitage have preceded the Lisa Ralph, currently the university’s confirmation that all was in order. The
current dean. One staff member who associate registrar, began her career last stop was the gymnasium to pay
worked alongside many of these deans working under Lifeso and says of those their student fees. “The process may
was Ruth Lifeso, the science registrar early years. “We were like a small family have been labour intensive,” says Lifeso,
from 1971 to 2000. in the science registrar’s office and “but it was a great way of meeting
Lifeso was a high school teacher in Ruth was our rock. She was an amazing students right at the start of the school
Ottawa in 1971 when she spotted an teacher and had a great sense of year and letting them know we were
ad saying Carleton was looking for humour. Customer service was first and there to help them.”
a science registrar. “The job sounded foremost and students really benefitted In the late 1990s, as the university
interesting,” says Lifeso today. “I had a from that.” continued to grow in size, Lifeso was
science degree in Mathematics with a As the years passed, Lifeso witnessed seconded to work on a university-wide
minor in geology and I liked working the steady increase in enrolment and initiative to standardize across all
with students.” the expansion of program offerings at faculties the student academic audit — a
When Lifeso was hired, the Carleton. “There was a sense that we key component to tracking and ensuring
Registrar’s Office was a centralized were moving from a small university to a student’s successful completion of
entity located in the Administration a much larger institution. This brought their degree program —and to build it
Building (now Robertson Hall). As the more layers of administration and more into Banner, the university’s database
science registrar, she was in charge responsibilities.” system. Lifeso worked on this project,
of overseeing the academic progress One event that Lifeso’s office geared which is now an integral part of every
of all science students once they were up for every year was fall registration. student’s record, for two years leading
admitted to Carleton. This entailed Today, the registration system is online up to her retirement in 2000.
advising students about program and each student is assigned a specific When she retired, the faculty
requirements and monitoring their time early in the summer to register. recognized her contributions to the
academic progress to ensure they were Students can be anywhere with internet university by establishing the Ruth
on track to graduate. access to register. But for most of Lifeso Scholarship Fund which is
A few years after she started, the Lifeso’s tenure as registrar, the process awarded to an outstanding student
Registrar’s Office was decentralized was a very manual one. in the Faculty of Science who has
and Lifeso and her staff moved into the Up until the late 1980s, science demonstrated both academic excellence
Herzberg physics building just down students would arrive in the Tory and leadership in extra-curricular
the hall from the dean’s office. Lifeso building foyer the first week in activities. “It was the end of an era,” says
thought the move was a good one. “I September with their registration forms Ralph, “when Ruth left. She really was
was spending a lot of my time travelling in hand. They then proceeded to a series a mentor to so many. And I know she
to meetings with different departmental of tables – one for each department – continues to mentor and coach many of
chairs and the dean about programs, getting every course and accompanying the students and staff she met here.”

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