University Registrar
Lee Richards
University Registrar
Education
- B.A., Bowling Green State University
- M.Div., Phoenix Seminary
About
As University Registrar, Lee oversees degree audits, course registration, academic records, and graduation clearance. His primary focus is removing administrative friction from the path to graduation by ensuring degree requirement tracking, transfer credit evaluation, and academic policies work for students rather than against them.
Lee has worked in higher education since 2004 across registrar operations, academic services, admissions, financial aid, institutional research, and IT, along with occasional teaching as an adjunct instructor prior to joining OWU in 2023. He holds a B.A. in Classical Civilization from Bowling Green State University and an M.Div. from Phoenix Seminary, and completed doctoral coursework and comprehensive examinations in Higher Education Administration at the University of Toledo.
Lee's approach to administration centers on replacing bureaucratic bottlenecks with clear, equitable systems. As he puts it: "When done well, higher education administration can transfuse our institutions with vitality and creativity by dismantling barriers between students and success."
Outside of OWU, Lee enjoys strong coffee, spicy food, and adventuring with his wife, Becca, and their sons, Nate and Noah. The entire family loves playing complicated games and their cats, Pumpkin, Mushroom, and Chai, join the fun by walking across the board at moments of high drama. He is an avid reader of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, with a particular fondness for stories that explore theological and philosophical questions.