W&L Names Jamie Kipfer University Registrar Kipfer succeeds Scott Dittman, who will step down as registrar on June 30 after serving in the role for 35 years.

Will Edgar
April 9, 2020

Jamie Kipfer has been appointed the 10th university registrar at Washington and Lee University.

Kipfer holds a bachelor’s degree in religion and Christian ministries and a master’s in divinity from Campbell University, a master’s in theology from Union Presbyterian Seminary, and a doctorate in executive leadership from the University of Charleston. She succeeds Scott Dittman, who will step down as registrar on June 30 after serving in the role for 35 years.

W&L Provost Marc Conner announced the appointment, which follows an extensive national search.

“The search committee was greatly impressed with Jamie’s experience across a range of areas, from the registrar’s office to academic affairs to information technology,” said Conner. “She brings a wealth of experience to the position, grasps the needs and demands on the office and has the ability to relate to and connect with the entire range of campus constituencies. The registrar position occupies a hub in academic and student affairs and crosses nearly every area of campus. Having someone who can connect with all those groups is crucial.”

Kipfer was associate registrar for operations at Campbell University, where she also served as director of distance education earlier in her career. Between stints at Campbell, she joined the University of Charleston in 2013, where she held the positions of director of online course design and director of instructional technology.

“I am thrilled to join the team at Washington and Lee,” said Kipfer. “W&L has a reputation for excellence. As an educator, I have always appreciated the values and mission of the institution. During the search process, I found that my goals and expertise aligned for a perfect fit with W&L’s path as it moves into a new era. The university is poised for the future, and I look forward to being part of that journey.”

As associate registrar at Campbell, Kipfer was responsible for managing staff workload and processes for student registration, course scheduling, transcripts, data integrity and student records. She also facilitated enrollment reporting for the National Student Clearinghouse, transfer equivalencies and student-athlete certification for NCAA Division I sports, as well as assisted with degree audit and graduation processes. In addition, she served as a liaison to technology services, making recommendations for systems and assisting in testing and implementation of information system updates and integrated programs.

Kipfer is a member of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and a board member for the Council of College and Military Educators. She is the past president of the Sigma Gamma Chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society at Campbell University and served on its Library Committee and Information Management Committee. During her time at the University of Charleston, she chaired the Technology Committee and was an active member of the Academic Affairs Committee and Retention Committee. A George Walker Fellow at the University of Charleston, she is a past winner of that institution’s annual Faculty Award to Outstanding Staff Person and the Traveling Shell Award.

As announced in September, Dittman will step away as registrar effective June 30 and continue working at W&L as special consultant to the provost during a six-month transition period. He will retire in December 2020.

Dittman’s retirement coincides with the university’s implementation of Workday, an enterprise resource-planning platform that will manage W&L’s Business Office, Finance, Human Resource and Student Information functions. The student information implementation phase is slated to begin this September and will be led by Kipfer.