Press Release
Jerry D. Smith Joins Clearinghouse As Regional Director
HERNDON, VA, August 20, 2004 - The National Student Clearinghouse, a non-profit association founded by
the higher education community that provides educational verification and
research services to post-secondary institutions and high schools, today
announced the appointment of Jerry D. Smith as its newest regional director,
effective August 16, 2004. More than 2,700 post-secondary institutions —
representing 91% of the nation's college enrollment — participate in the
Clearinghouse.
Dr. Smith will work with high school districts to implement the
Clearinghouse's new Successful Outcomes program, which enables high schools
to accurately measure their graduates' college success and improve their
college preparation efforts. In addition, he will serve as the regional
director for Alabama, promoting Clearinghouse services to registrars,
admissions officers and institutional researchers at colleges and
universities within the state. He will be responsible for increasing
participation in the Clearinghouse's free degree and enrollment verification
services (DegreeVerify and EnrollmentVerify, respectively), free Transcript
Ordering service, and its subscription-based educational research service,
EnrollmentSearch.
"Dr. Smith has an impressive track record in enrollment management,
admissions and recruiting, including high school outreach. We're confident
that the administrators at the high school and collegiate institutions he
will work with in Alabama will find him to be an invaluable resource,"
said Dr. Jeffery M. Tanner, vice president of Higher Education Development
at the National Student Clearinghouse, "We're pleased to add such an
experienced and well-respected educational professional to the Clearinghouse
team."
"As a long-time Clearinghouse user, I've had the opportunity to take
advantage of its many services at a number of institutions," said Dr.
Smith. "It's exciting to share my experiences with my peers and help
them fully leverage their Clearinghouse relationship. I also look forward to
introducing the many benefits of the Clearinghouse's unique Successful
Outcomes program to the high school community."
Dr. Smith has more than 30 years of experience in college registration,
recruitment, administration and enrollment management. Prior to joining the
Clearinghouse, Dr. Smith served as the assistant vice president for
enrollment management at Northern Kentucky University (NKU), a
14,000-student institution in Highland Heights, Kentucky. There, he played a
strategic role in helping NKU achieve record enrollment levels. Under his
direction, the institution implemented online admissions, redesigned its
orientation program, created a transfer student service office, and launched
several new scholarship initiatives. Dr. Smith also led the effort to
purchase and implement an integrated student enrollment management
information system. In addition, Dr. Smith has served as the associate vice
president for student enrollment services at the University of Texas in
Arlington and the dean of admissions and records at Jacksonville State
University in Alabama, where he was named Dean Emeritus after his
retirement.
Dr. Smith is an active member of the American Association of Collegiate
Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), the Southern Association of
Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (SACRAO), and the Alabama
Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (ALACRAO). He
was active in the Texas and Kentucky Associations of Collegiate Registrars
and Admissions Officers during his tenure in those states. In addition, Dr.
Smith served multiple terms on the SACRAO Executive Committee and was the
president of SACRAO during the 1998-1999 year.
About The National Student Clearinghouse
The National Student Clearinghouse is the largest enrollment and degree
verification service in the US. A non-profit organization established by the
higher education community in 1993, the Clearinghouse serves as a central
repository and single point of contact for the collection and timely
exchange of accurate, comprehensive enrollment, degree and certificate
records on behalf of participating institutions.
More than 2,700 colleges, representing 91% of the nation's enrollment,
participate in the Clearinghouse. Student loan providers, employers, student
credit issuers, student health insurance providers, the federal government
and others access the Clearinghouse's registry over 100 million times
annually to conduct electronic student record verifications.
For more information, visit www.studentclearinghouse.org.
National Student Clearinghouse Contact:
Kathleen Dugan
Marketing Director
703-742-4208
dugan@studentclearinghouse.org
