The Indiana Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (IACRAO) hosted their annual summer workshop in late July. It was a refreshing return to engagement among the members of the IACRAO community, though the ongoing impact of the pandemic dictated a virtual modality. The IACRAO executive committee opted to cancel all 2020 events due to the pandemic. However, in 2021, the committee wanted to find ways to bring the community together despite ongoing pandemic challenges. As a result, the committee decided to host a virtual summer workshop and a virtual annual meeting this year.
Through the “Growing Together” summer workshop, IACRAO community members participated in an afternoon of training and dialogue around diversity, equity, and inclusion. The committee leaned on expert speakers to guide the participants through a transformative event to tackle these broad and important topics.
The keynote presentation was given by Mr. Ernest Disney-Britton, the Vice President of Community Impact and Investment at the Arts Council of Indianapolis. Mr. Disney-Britton walked the audience through an arts-driven presentation discussing the challenges that diversity presents and the strategies for overcoming those challenges. Mr. Disney-Britton’s shared experience provided context for the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, as well as the fundamental presence of these topics in our daily lives.
Overall, the workshop was successful in bringing new information and perspectives to the forefront. Members of the IACRAO community had positive feedback, including indicating that the event was: informative, engaging, relevant, thought-provoking, and passionate. The event was hosted by Allegra Fowler, the Senior Director of Transfer and Articulation at Purdue University Global.
“This summer workshop tackled one of the most pressing topics of our time. Our speakers did an outstanding job positioning the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion by sharing their different perspectives on the topic. We are hopeful that this event will leave our whole community stronger, more informed, and ready to pursue change for the better.”
April Hay, the President of IACRAO, helped support the development and facilitation of the event.
“This was a fantastic workshop for everyone in our organization. Even though it was virtual, it really gave everyone an opportunity to reflect and engage throughout the day.”
Take a look at AACRAO's State & Regional page to learn more about the work we do with State & Regional associations. Interested in attending other higher-ed professional conferences? Visit AACRAO's meetings page to learn about all of our upcoming opportunities.