February 16, 2023
Weller, Frazier named to lead financial aid, registrar’s offices
Two longtime SIU Carbondale employees have been appointed to fill key administrative positions. Elyse M. Weller has been named director of the Financial Aid Office, where she served as interim director since January 2022. Rachel Frazier was chosen as director of the Office of the Registrar, where she also served as interim director since January 2022. Both appointments became effective Jan. 1.
Both offices are within Enrollment Management.
As the financial aid interim director, Weller supervised $256 million in financial aid awards with a 20-person staff. She launched an online Net Price Calculator to help students and families understand SIU’s affordability. She was responsible for planning, organizing and supervising the office's operations, along with administering and supervising staff and cross-training enrollment management staff, as needed. Weller was the associate director in the office starting in April 2021.
Weller has more than 16 years’ experience at the university. After starting at SIU in 2006 in curriculum and instruction as civil service/extra help, she started in the financial aid office in 2007 as a financial aid adviser. She was a financial aid coordinator, starting in 2008, and financial aid manager in 2011. From 2012 to 2021, Weller was coordinator of compliance, training and outreach in the office. She also served as an instructor from 2018 to 2020, developing curriculum and teaching Saluki Cents financial literacy curriculum to University 101 students.
Weller is a two-degree SIU Carbondale alumna, earning a master's degree in education, higher education and a bachelor's degree in marketing.
As registrar office interim director, Frazier’s responsibilities included management of all activities and personnel for seven divisions to ensure compliance in daily operations, maintenance and security of all student records. She served as the university’s designated official responsible for all aspects of confidential student records, including FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) compliance. As a member of enrollment management leadership, she collaborated with academic deans, SIU athletics, chief academic advisers and others across the campus in promoting enhanced use of technology to guarantee accuracy, integrity and the appropriate use and delivery of student‐specific information according to FERPA and all other relevant state and federal guidelines. She was also responsible for coordination and oversight for implementation of University Core Curriculum (UCC) requirements.
Frazier also served as the official university transfer coordinator and senior official for all course articulation and program pathways for the 48 community colleges Illinois, as well as other universities institutions across the country. She was also functional lead of the Degree Works degree audit implementation and ongoing management/maintenance of the platform, as well as the implementation and launch of the transfer portal for prospective transfer students.
Frazier has more than 13 years’ experience at SIU. After beginning in continuing education in 2009, from 2010 to 2015, she was a program adviser with transfer student services, where among her duties was building program articulation agreements with community colleges in the region. Starting in 2015, Frazier was assistant director for academic services in the registrar’s office.
Frazier is a two-degree SIU Carbondale alumna and is working toward a doctorate in educational administration with a concentration in higher education from SIU. She also has a master’s degree in workforce education and development and a bachelor’s degree in mortuary science and funeral service.