Ontario University Registrars’ Association

Don MacMillan, former registrar with the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, has been recognized with the OURA Award of Achievement by the Ontario University Registrars’ Association.

The award honours long-standing members who have made significant contributions by participating through active membership on the executive, standing committees and workshops, and actively enhancing and developing academic administration within the Ontario university system. 

As a member of OURA, MacMillan was involved in supporting the liaison community’s dialogue conference at U of T Scarborough. As chair of the Initial OISE Teacher Education Admission Committee, MacMillan advocated strongly to eliminate barriers for students not well represented in the teaching ranks. During his time at U of T, he co-founded the innovative UTSC Green Path program, bringing hundreds of excellent students from China to U of T Scarborough. MacMillan also advocated for the highest possible level of service to students using technology, staff development, and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy.

“Don is an exceptional colleague who advocates for and strives to enhance the student experience,” University Registrar Angelique Saweczko says. “Through his efforts in establishing recruitment partnerships and implementing system enhancements, Don's contributions to the university and student success are immeasurable.

“It is with great honor that we celebrate Don's recognition from OURA, and I feel privileged to have worked alongside him.”

MacMillan began his career at U of T as the campus registrar and director of enrolment for U of T Scarborough from 1998 to 2009, then served as the faculty registrar at OISE from 2009 to 2013, the director of student services in the school of graduate studies from 2013 to 2015, and as the faculty registrar, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering from 2015 to December 2022, when he retired.

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Merike Remmel receives OURA Award of Excellence

lanthierj — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 22:17:22 +0000

Merike Remmel receives OURA Award of Excellence 

Community

lanthierj Thu, 03/09/2023 - 17:17

Staff

St. George

Ontario University Registrars’ Association

OURA Award of Excellence

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Merike Remmel receiving her award from Serge Demers, chair of OURA (photo by Andrea McGee)

Merike Remmel, director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Toronto, has received the OURA Award of Excellence from the Ontario University Registrars’ Association.

The award recognizes employees in the fields of registration, admissions, recruitment and liaison, graduate studies, records and systems, and scholarships and awards within an institution. 

Remmel led the U of T community transition from paper-based to electronic offers of admission. She introduced service-level agreements to help maximize service for more than 80,000 first-entry applicants each year and was instrumental in developing an applicant waitlist. Remmel has also served as an ambassador for the university as a delegate, board member, advisor, or regular panelist for several organizations, including the Ontario University Application Center, the International Baccalaureate Organization, the University Relations Committee and Duolingo. 

“Merike has been an instrumental member of the U of T community for many years,” University Registrar Angelique Saweczko says. “As an institutional ambassador, she has led significant changes to undergraduate admissions. It is wonderful to see her commitment and dedication to supporting our students being acknowledged by OURA. Congratulations, Merike."

Alumna Remmel began as a liaison officer for undergraduate programs in 1988, becoming manager of admission services in 1994, then manager registrarial services in 1998. She became assistant university registrar and then director of undergraduate admissions in 2006 and in 2018 was recognized with U of T's Jill Matus Award for Excellence in Student Services.

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U of T Mississauga registrar team receives OURA Innovation Award

lanthierj — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 22:01:22 +0000

U of T Mississauga registrar team receives OURA Innovation Award 

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lanthierj Thu, 03/09/2023 - 17:01

Staff

Mississauga

Ontario University Registrars’ Association

OURA Innovation Award

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Lynne Hsueh, Olha Fihol and Lorretta Neebar, members of the UTM AskRegistrar team, with the Chair of OURA Serge Demers (photo by Andrea McGee)

The Ontario University Registrars’ Association (OURA) has recognized the outstanding work of the University of Toronto Mississaugua Registrar Team with the OURA Innovation Award for the UTM AskRegistrar Project. 

The team includes: Lorretta Neebar, Vladimir Soloviev, César Mejia, Michelle Kraus, Sandra Ngan, Lynne Hsueh, Bridgette Arrindell, Olha Fihol, Nia McCash, Lovedeep Grewal, Erli Fan, Guilherme Dos Reis Henriques and Johnny Chung.

This award recognizes achievements in improving quality and reducing costs of academic administration in a range of areas, including admissions, systems, and registration (among others).

“Congratulations to the UTM ‘AskRegistrar’ team. It’s an honour to have so many of our U of T colleagues recognized by OURA,” says University Registrar Angelique Saweczko. “This recognition is a testament to the amazing work and exceptional staff at the University of Toronto.”

AskRegistrar was implemented during the pandemic to streamline workflow, modernize service, and improve the student experience. The system, using the ServiceNow platform, supports more than 15,600 students on campus. Live statistical reports provide accurate information about student requests and needs, and the system assigns tickets to categories and staff to connect students to the staff member best equipped to respond.

Since its launch in 2020, more than 115,400 tickets have been assigned through the system; 44,892 of them in the last year. Response time has been reduced from 3-14 days to 1-3 business days. Cost savings to the university are estimated at $775K per year, at least, in terms of additional staff that would be required to meet student needs as quickly. 

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