Barry S. Kane Associate Vice President and University Registrar

Barry brings to Columbia over four decades of experience in higher education administration. A seasoned professional who has made significant contributions to the academic landscape over the course of his career, he has served as the Associate Vice President and University Registrar at Columbia since January of 2011. Barry currently oversees the registration and enrollment landscape within the various and diverse Schools of the University, reporting directly to the Executive Vice President for Finance and Information Technology. Prior to his position at Columbia, he held comparable positions at institutions such as Wellesley College, Harvard University, Yale University, and Colgate University. His professional portfolios have included responsibilities ranging from academic policy development to the implementation of student information systems. Barry’s leadership roles have always involved close collaboration with members of the Teaching Faculty, students, and senior academic administrators. He deeply appreciates the substantial trust that has been given to him and his team to ensure the provision of a full range of academic services in support of the University’s primary educational mission. He knows how fortunate and lucky he is to be at Columbia, and he tries to reflect this in his work every day.

From his office on the sixth floor of the Studebaker Building Barry Kane, Associate Vice President and University Registrar, has had a bird’s eye view of the actual construction of the Manhattanville Campus and has continually reminded him of the growth and dynamism that has always been Columbia. He is responsible for implementation of academic policy, course registration and enrollment, degree audit and commencement preparation, maintenance of the official transcript and transcript production, classroom assignments, University ID Cards, NCAA reporting and certification, federal and state reporting, and many other special projects such as the current effort to replace and modernize the Student Information System. He oversees three offices in three different locations, Morningside, Manhattanville, and the Medical Campus

Barry took a brief break from his busy day to offer a better look inside the life of Columbia University’s Registrar.

1. What is the most important role of the Registrar?

More than anything else, the Registrar is the guardian of the academic record and is responsible for its accuracy and integrity. There is no room for error in what we do. Our work must be perfect. In that respect, we are different from many other administrative operations. Students depend on us for high-quality academic services and for ensuring that their academic experience at Columbia is a successful one. Even small missteps can often create significant issues for both faculty and students, our primary constituencies.

2. What is your biggest accomplishment during your time as Registrar?

The accomplishment that I believe constitutes my personal legacy at Columbia is the development of a highly effective and diverse team of professionals who internalize the mission of the university and the Registrar’s Office. These team members provide amazing support to members of the teaching Faculty in individualized and consequential ways. We have grown from a very small team to a larger group of about 30, and we represent all of the professional competencies that must be a part of the modern Registry. 

3. Describe your office’s busiest time of the year—tell us what goes on.

The six weeks leading up to course registration each November and April are among our busiest periods. There is a tremendous amount of preparatory work that needs to happen behind the scenes, in both the Registrar’s office and in the various academic departments, to allow students to register for courses. This includes defining all courses in the Course Management platform, establishing registration appointment times for students, and setting of course rules and restrictions.

4. Tell us a celebrity, historical figure, or super hero that would make a good registrar, and why?

I think former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist would make a good registrar. As the head of the Court, he was instrumental in making it run smoothly, but he always shared the glory, usually assigning the writing of major decisions to other Justices.

The best registrars are people who enjoy working behind the scenes in a support role and who tend to shy away from the spotlight. That’s because most of what we do is pretty transparent and not always thought about by faculty and students. In fact, if folks need to think about what we do, it typically means that something is not working quite right.

5. What is your favorite spot on campus? 

I love standing in front of the Kent Hall entrance in the courtyard where Rodin’s Thinker is situated and looking east toward the Law School. My favorite sculpture is the Bellerophon Taming Pegasus by Jacques Lipchitz. I think its sheer magnitude evokes the majesty of the university. I am a very visual person, and I am always struck by the juxtaposition of the very angular lines of the surrounding buildings and the fluid movement of the sculpture.