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John R. Papinchak has served as the University Registrar at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) for over four decades. He first joined CMU’s Office of Admission in 1984, became an Associate Director of Admission in 1988 and the Director of Summer Studies in 1986 before becoming Carnegie Mellon's 10th University Registrar in 1994. As University Registrar, Papinchak oversees academic policy, student data governance and privacy, academic calendars, learning spaces, academic program offerings, and student enrollment. He manages a team that oversees course scheduling, student registration, and student transcripts and diplomas for Carnegie Mellon's worldwide various teaching locations, students, and alumni.

He was involved with the re-engineering of Enrollment Services in 1995 and with implementing several process improvements including the first Student Information Online, online registration, and electronic grade submission. In 2015 that work expanded with Carnegie Mellon's modernization of their locally sourced student information system as part of the Student Services Suite (S3) project with the implementation of S3 Administrative Console, student portal, parent My Plaid Student portal and our Student Data Warehouse. John currently sits on the Associate Deans Council, Associate Deans for Graduate Programs, Learning Spaces Strategy Committee, and serves on the University Committee on Discipline. In 2023, John continued his work with the University’s Registrar Innovation Team project to streamline and modernize the Office’s processes, forms management, data integrations and sharing.

John received his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering with an additional major in Biomedical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon in 1984. In 1990, he earned a Master of Science degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon's H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management. John is a former Staff Council Representative and Chair, previous co-sponsor of Carnegie Mellon's Faculty/Staff blood drives, and former member of the Carnegie Mellon Admissions Council (CMAC). He is a faculty advisor for Alpha Phi Omega's Kappa Chapter, and is a member of Carnegie Mellon's Order of The May and a Loyal Scot.

Outside of Carnegie Mellon, Papinchak is active in professional organizations like the ̽»¨Â¥ (̽»¨Â¥) and the Registrars of the American Association of Universities (AAU). He is also involved in his local community, serving on the South Park Township Planning Commission and previously on the South Park Township's Zoning Hearing Board. In addition, he served over 20 years in various roles including Scout cubmaster & scoutmaster, youth soccer and baseball coach, soccer referee and youth sports association & high school boosters president. John lives in South Park Township with his wife and is the proud father to his three sons and their spouses and is a doting grandfather to his two grandchildren.