‘Invaluable’ UCSF Registrar Keeps Time, Integrity in Surprising Side Job
Timing and accuracy are everything for Doug Carlson.
In fact, they’ve been the cornerstone of his professional life for the better part of 30 years. He applies both with precision every academic year as UCSF registrar and assistant vice chancellor-student information, serving the UCSF community with pride.
But it’s what Carlson times outside of UCSF that really makes him tick.
Keeping UCSF organized
Carlson has been with the University for two decades and part of the University of California system since September 1994. Before that, he graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in economics in 1990 and the UC Berkeley School of Law in 1994.
When I’m operating the clock and scoreboard at Cal, I view it right in line with my job here at UCSF.”
After stints on staff at UC Santa Cruz and Cal, he joined UCSF in 2004.
As registrar, Carlson and his staff keep the academic records of UCSF’s students, collecting grades, producing transcripts and diplomas, assessing fees and maintaining a catalog of courses so learners can enroll without issue. His office also runs the student and staff portals, which provide online views into the student information system, and the faculty portal, where faculty view learner information, report grades and see their course rosters.
To put it in simpler terms, he’s an organized guy.
“The job is technical because we’re designing and managing information systems and process flows to make our registration and records operations more efficient for students, staff and faculty,” Carlson said. “Our goal is for students and faculty to be concentrating on teaching, learning, research and health care and not administrative tasks. We want to be here to facilitate the great things that people at UCSF do.”
Carlson’s reputation for keeping things in order precedes him at UCSF and beyond.
“Doug is a unique talent in his role as a registrar,” said Nicquet Blake, PhD, vice provost of UCSF Student Academic Affairs (SAA) and dean of the UCSF Graduate Division (GD). “He is well respected by his peers across the UC system and within SAA/GD. His attention to detail and extensive knowledge of the system make him invaluable to UCSF.”
‘I was hooked’
With that, it should come as no surprise that Carlson’s skills translate into a completely different world, far from the Parnassus Heights office setting of his day-to-day responsibilities serving UCSF learners and faculty.
He’s also often found at Bay Area sports venues like Memorial Stadium, Haas Pavilion and Levi’s Stadium. That’s where Carlson is a master of time and statistics, of sorts.
At Cal, Carlson operates the scoreboard and play clock for football, plus the game clock and scoreboard for men’s and women’s basketball. He also spots yardage for the scoreboard operator at San Francisco 49ers games.
“When I was seven years old, my father took me to a San Francisco Giants game at Candlestick Park. I spent the entire game watching the scoreboard,” he said. “I still remember really closely watching the scoreboard. I’ve always liked technical things and these big kinds of displays.”
That experience made an impression on a young Carlson, now 56.
Soon, he was running the clock at high school football games in his native Santa Cruz. He later added clock and scoreboard responsibilities for girls’ basketball before heading off to college in Berkeley. Once he got his start running animations and texts on the scoreboard at Cal’s iconic Memorial Stadium in his sophomore year, there was no looking back.
“I was hooked,” Carlson said.
Soon enough, Carlson was on the clock and scoreboard crew for all of Cal’s major sports. He has served in a clock or scoreboard role every single season since 1987.
“When I’m operating the clock and scoreboard at Cal, I view it right in line with my job here at UCSF,” Carlson said. “The registrar must be a person of honesty and integrity. The integrity of UCSF degrees depends on our office, upholding academic policies and maintaining accurate and truthful records. It’s much the same sitting at the scorer’s table or in the press box at Cal football. We’re there to make sure we have a fair athletic event where nobody’s thinking about the clock or scoreboard.”
“The integrity of UCSF degrees depends on our office, upholding academic policies and maintaining accurate and truthful records. It’s much the same sitting at the scorer’s table.”
Doug Carlson, UCSF registrar
“The integrity of UCSF degrees depends on our office, upholding academic policies and maintaining accurate and truthful records. It’s much the same sitting at the scorer’s table.”
Doug Carlson, UCSF registrar
Not just Cal
It’s a bit different at Levi’s Stadium, where Carlson spots yardage from the press box at 49ers games. There, Carlson sits next to the scoreboard operator on a headset with a colleague up on the roof at the 50-yard line. After every play, they follow the NFL officials to predict where they’ll spot the ball for the next play so the stadium scoreboard can promptly display the down, yards to go and yard line.
Carlson added that job just two years ago after decades of trying.
“I tried, I think I can say without exaggeration, for about 35 years to get in with the 49ers or the NFL,” Carlson said. “While operating the clock for college football games at Levi’s Stadium, I met the 49ers’ vice president who oversaw gameday video board production. I kept in touch with him. One day, he called me and said, ‘We need someone who can spot for the scoreboard operator so we can get the information on the scoreboard as quickly as possible. Are you interested?’ My answer was, 'When can we meet?’”
Since then, he’s worked four 49ers playoff games. He also has worked numerous college bowl games, as well as Pac-12 football championship games in Santa Clara and Las Vegas. It was through that job that he was asked to run the game clock for the 2020 College Football Playoff national championship game between Louisiana State University and Clemson University in New Orleans.
When Chase Center hosted the NCAA West Regionals men’s basketball tournament in 2022, Carlson operated the game clock.
Doug makes quick and accurate decisions, often handling unexpected events experienced by our students with a very student-centric approach.”
Not to be outdone, Carlson has also lent his timing expertise to UCSF.
The Santa Cruz native runs the clock for both the UCSF Grad Slam and Postdoc Slam.
“We’re always trying to work out problems with the interests of students, faculty and the institution in mind,” Carlson said of the Office of the Registrar. “Ultimately, the playing rules of sports are trying to achieve a fair outcome as well. In the Office of the Registrar, we focus on fair administration of our deadlines, processes and procedures.”
Carlson has also run the clock for other schools in the Bay Area, including University of San Francisco, St. Mary’s College of California, San Jose State University, Santa Clara University and – without bias – many football and basketball games at Stanford University, including games when Cal was the visiting team.
“There are clear similarities between the skills needed to excel as a registrar and as a professional clock operator,” Blake added. “For example, in his role as registrar, Doug makes quick and accurate decisions, often handling unexpected events experienced by our students with a very student-centric approach. As an effective registrar, he communicates across multiple stakeholders in service of our students, another shared skill between the two professions. It’s a pleasure to work with Doug.”
There’s no slowing down for Carlson, either.
He’ll add game clock responsibilities at various Big Ten Conference football stadiums to his resume this fall. Of course, that’s when his schedule allows it.
“I had to make a big calendar,” he laughed.
