Saint Martin’s University appoints new registrar
March 20, 2012
LACEY,
WASHINGTON—Saint Martin’s University has welcomed Alex Arceneaux,
M.Ed., to the role of university registrar. Arceneaux, most
recently the interim registrar at the University of New Orleans
(UNO), brings a wealth of academic and business world experience
to his new position.
Before he was selected for the Saint Martin’s post, Arceneaux
served in the Office of the Registrar at UNO, his alma mater,
for more than five years. He began his career as a newspaper
editor, and then worked as a banker before returning to academe
to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at UNO.
Arceneaux describes the role of registrar as the custodian of
academic records, from monitoring what goes into the university
catalog to providing graduates with accurate transcripts.
Additionally, the registrar must use technology to effectively
guide students through the registration process and to assist
faculty and staff with grading and record management. “We are
responsible for the protection of student privacy so far as
their grades are concerned, as well as assuring the accuracy of
information, scheduling classrooms, documenting curriculum
changes to the catalog, and many other details relating to
maintaining academic records,” Arceneaux explains.
Traditionally the registrar is also the chief marshal of
commencement who ensures each senior qualifies to graduate, that
all the diplomas are printed correctly, and even that the
graduates line up in the right order. Arceneaux says he’s
looking forward to Saint Martin’s commencement ceremony coming
up May 12: “There’s always a method to the madness. There’s a
technique to making commencement work out smoothly.”
Arceneaux and his wife are south Louisiana natives but are
looking forward to raising their young son in Washington.
“Everyone here, not just on campus, but throughout the
community, has been truly welcoming.”
Saint Martin’s University is an independent four-year,
coeducational university located on a 380-acre wooded campus in
Lacey, Washington. Established in 1895 by the Catholic Order of
Saint Benedict, the University is one of 14 Benedictine colleges
and universities in the United States and Canada, and the only
one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s University
prepares students for successful lives through its 21 majors and
six graduate programs spanning the liberal arts, business,
education and engineering. Saint Martin’s welcomes 1,250
students from many ethnic and religious backgrounds to its main
campus, and 650 more to its extension campuses located at Joint
Base Lewis-McChord, Everett College, Centralia College and
Tacoma Community College. Visit the Saint Martin’s University
website at www.stmartin.edu.
For additional information:
Joseph Bessie, Ph.D.
Provost and vice-president for academic affairs
Saint Martin’s University
360-438-4310
jbessie@stmartin.edu
Sarah Holdener
Director of community relations and event management
Office of Marketing and Communications
Saint Martin’s University
360-412-6140
sholdener@stmartin.edu