If you look up Brian Ogle in Banner, you’ll see that he came to Mary Washington from Williamsburg and graduated in 2008. But Ogle is usually the one who’s knee-deep in Banner.
UMW Associate Registrar for Student Systems Brian Ogle
As associate registrar for student systems (he also answers to “Banner Guy”), he maintains the data, records the grades and documents the achievements of UMW students.
His duties were much different on his first job at Mary Washington. As an undergrad on the student paint crew, he made sure his brush touched each nook and cranny.
He’s still focused on detail, but these days his work happens on a computer. And no time’s more hectic than Commencement, with last-minute grade changes, student petitions, final audits, graduate lists and more.
“Needless to say, I’m glad that only happens once a year,” he said.
Summer provides a bit of a breather, but with today’s final exams will come grades and, with them, a tedious, hours-long process to close out the semester.
“Ideally,” he said, “it all occurs without Banner giving a fatal error!”
Q: What’s a typical day at work like for you?
A: It’s very much dependent on the academic season. In the summer, with fewer students and faculty on campus, we’re able to dig into projects we weren’t able to tackle during the fall and spring. In the fall, we’re in “senior check sheet mode,” focused on helping seniors finish their degree requirements and graduate. Spring is all about the final audit and all that leads up to clearing students for graduation. Along the way I’m working to keep Banner going, from endless updates to testing new functionality to troubleshooting software systems that utilize student data (for this I work closely with the Enterprise Applications Support team and am thankful for their expertise!).
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Every day as I walk to my office I recall my time here as a student. I’m surrounded by colleagues engaging in quality discussions, all revolving around the central mission to empower our students to become the next generation of change agents … what’s not to like?
Q: What do you like least?
A: The endless stream of Banner updates! Each update must be tested and loaded, just in time for the next round.
Q: What’s the most challenging?
A: Occasionally we have students who fall just short of completing their degree requirements and we have to inform them they cannot graduate. That’s tough to deliver, but we take the time to offer the best advice for them to finish in a timely manner, and in most cases they are ultimately successful.
Q: Do you have any mantras that you live by?
A: We are all in this together.
Because of Brian’s superior attention to details along with his leadership skills, he was selected to serve as the student painter supervisor during his final year. He also met his wife while working on paint crew. I am proud to say Brian worked for me.
I’m pretty sure I beat you in a ceiling rolling race, too, Milton!