EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University’s new university registrar, Nicole Rovig, has a fondness for states that begin with “M. “ She grew up in Montana, earned her master’s and doctoral degrees, and was a university registrar in Missouri, and as of July 1, is firmly ensconced in her new post at another MSU.
Rovig earned her undergraduate degree in business administration from Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C., her master’s of business administration from Columbia College in Columbia, Mo., and her doctorate in higher education administration from Saint Louis University, St. Louis.
Toward the end of her four-year term of service as a U.S. Army intelligence analyst at Ft. Bragg, Rovig started working at Campbell University, where she coordinated and conducted student registrations, and provided student academic counseling and guidance services. At the University of Missouri she served as a special needs adviser, and was an instructor at Missouri State University.
“While I was working at Campbell University I realized how much I loved higher education, and working with the students, and decided to pursue higher education as a career,” Rovig said. “It is rewarding to be able to help the students on their academic journey, and to be a resource for students, faculty and staff.”
From 2002 to 2006 she was an assistant registrar at Missouri State, spent a year as acting registrar, and in 2007, was named registrar, overseeing the operations of the office serving more than 19,000 students. She had a leading role in implementing the student module of the SunGard Higher Education Banner Enterprise Resource Planning system for the campus; Banner is a database program that holds administrative information ranging from student grades and schedules to e-mail accounts and budget information.
Rovig said she looks forward to working with the MSU community.
“I am impressed with MSU’s mission, and how it is infused into its academic programs. The Office of the Registrar is clearly well-established and has a great reputation,” she said. “It is an honor for me to step into the role of registrar at the university.
“I look forward to collaborating with other units on campus, including admissions and financial aid, and with faculty, staff and students on curriculum and other issues,” she said. “I want people to know that our office is a resource, and we want to help them make their jobs easier and more enjoyable. We will be looking at our degree navigation system and the Student Information System, and input on these, and other future projects is welcome.”
Rovig and her husband, Chris, have a four-year-old son, Kayden, who, so far, has found new parks and toy stores to help make the move to Michigan more enjoyable.
Rovig succeeds Dugald McMillan, who served as acting university registrar since 2006. A long-time employee of MSU, McMillan retired in June.