Faculty of the Week: Sarah Herrick

While few on campus may recognize her face, Sarah Herrick’s name is familiar to anyone who has ever made a last-minute schedule change. Without her work, the daily bustle of the Academy would come to a halt.

As Director of Student Information and Registrar, Herrick explained that she is “a steward for student information and provides an office to manage the volume of the work that takes place.”

Herrick fills the role as the head of the Student Information Department, a position created and offered to her three years ago. In this capacity, she forms the schedule for each student, balancing the individual needs of the entire student body. “It’s finding a place for a thousand students in six classes in a limited number of classrooms, with a limited number of faculty—and you’ve got to make it all work. That’s both challenging and rewarding,” Herrick said. “I really enjoy that.”

Herrick had developed her organization skills after getting a degree in Sociology at Providence College. Working for concert-hosting company Live Nation, she scheduled music events at colleges nearby. “What I really enjoyed about that [job] was working with the students and the administration at colleges,” she says. It was then that she decided to go to graduate school at Boston College.

While getting her second degree, Herrick applied for a position at the Academy, just planning for it to be “a nice solid job” while she was in graduate school. However, the job turned into much more. “I’ve found that Exeter has been a great fit for both my personal and professional interests and also for my degree in higher education,” she said.

For most of her time at Exeter, Herrick worked in the College Counseling Office (CCO). While there, she liaised between the Academy and colleges, organizing interviews and college fairs. At the same time, she connected with students on a more personal level. “I love the face-to-face contact,” she said. “Through the work that we did with students, [CCO] became a place they enjoyed going and where they felt safe and comfortable.”

Working at Exeter has been an important learning experience for Herrick. “[Growing up, I] lived mostly in the South and the Midwest, where boarding school or prep school is not such a common thing,” she explained. “When I was reading about Exeter, I had one idea or perception of what this place would be like. Having been here for 15 years, I’m glad that what I perceived initially was not the case. It’s just a wonderful community of students and colleagues.”

Her current position has also brought her in touch with many instructors. “Work[ing] so closely with the department chairs on the curriculum, course registration and scheduling [has] allowed me to see a whole other side of the school that I wasn’t really a part of when I was in College Counseling,” she said.

Her colleagues praised her for her competence and compassion. “I admire her ability to see the personal needs in each request when dealing with so many numbers,” History Instructor Leah Merrill said. “She has a hard job, one that gets increasingly difficult… She handles it with grace and goodwill.”

Assistant Registrar Maria Korogodsky noted Herrick’s dedication and knowledge of the Academy. “She knows how this school works,” Korogodsky said. “She knows a lot of departments and their rules, and ... she understands the community very well and wants it to run as smoothly as possible.”

Herrick noted that her work was a team effort, stressing her appreciation for the administration. “[The] underbelly of this job is a great group of colleagues,” said Herrick. “I have a lot of respect for the work that everyone does to keep this place functioning.”

Many students appreciate Herrick’s efforts to make the process of changing classes or rearranging schedules easy. “Based on my interaction with her, she is quite helpful and willing to help students with any problems they might have,” says lower Lila Busser.

Korogodsky also emphasized Herrick’s compassion towards students looking for guidance. “I think she tries to connect with the students,” Korogodsky said. “If you were to come in and speak to her about a scheduling issue, and she doesn’t really know you, she’ll just ask you random questions like ‘How’s your term going?’ She is really caring.”

Herrick continues to approach her crucial work with patience and empathy, bettering the community and ensuring that it runs as smoothly as possible.