Dr. Jeff Strietzel serves as the inaugural Assistant Vice President of Provost Initiatives at Baylor University. His work involves synthesizing and communicating multidisciplinary research projects that rally human and financial resources to advance Baylor University’s strategic plan. Dr. Strietzel’s prior experience in higher education includes teaching and administrative roles at six U.S. institutions in the Midwest and South over the past dozen years, spanning student academic support, student activities, residential life, food service, assessment, graduate student recruitment, campus tours, enrollment services, and university advancement. He holds a B.A. degree in religious studies, an M.A. degree in college student development, and a Ph.D. in higher education leadership. He teaches courses in leadership, higher education, and organizational behavior. Dr. Strietzel’s research centers on the lived experiences and sensemaking of college and university leaders, especially as they experience and navigate adversity, such as job loss and career derailment. He has also studied scholar practitioner socialization and development, college student success, and innovative practices that support college affordability and campus engagement.
Dave has been with the U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) for 13 years, first as a program reviewer with the Chicago/Denver School Participation Division and then as a Title IV subject matter expert with the Policy Liaison and Implementation team. Dave is currently the Deputy Director for Policy Implementation and Oversight at FSA. Prior to his federal service, Dave worked in corporate and school settings such as Career Education Corporation and Northwestern University’s undergraduate financial aid office.
Colleen Baillie serves at the Director of Student Services and Enrollment Management for the Graduate School at Temple University, a position she has held since February of 2022. In this role, she serves as the primary international credential evaluator for all graduate applicants. Prior to joining the Graduate School, Colleen served as Director of Enrollment Management for Temple’s College of Engineering. Colleen has over 20 years of experience in higher education having served in enrollment management positions at a variety of institutions including Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania. Colleen received her BA in English from La Salle University, her MEd in Higher Education from Temple University, and her EdD in Higher Education from Drexel University.
Ujala Akram, the President/Founder of Blackstone School of Law & Business, stands out as one of the key figures in international higher education in Pakistan, leading one of the largest providers in the sector. She is also the Founding Partner of Blackstone Law & Associates, a comprehensive law firm, and serves as the President of the National Women Lawyers Society in Pakistan. Her career in academia includes a significant tenure as Assistant Dean at Santa Clara University, situated in the dynamic and innovative Silicon Valley in California. Akram has also held the position of director at Santa Clara University, led an academic department within the United States Department of Defense (DoD), and was a senior advisor to the graduate law programs at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law—Indianapolis (IU McKinney School of Law). Her involvement with IU McKinney School of Law extended to a USAID grant-funded project that brought the law school’s LL.M. program to Cairo University and Alexandria University in Egypt.
Akram's research and publications focus on pivotal issues such as women's rights, minority rights, social justice, and the international protection of human rights. Her work is driven by a profound commitment to social justice and a belief in the importance of making high-quality education accessible to people from all walks of life. Lifting as We Climb: The Impact of Women's Leadership on Access and Equity in Global Higher Education
Colleen Harms, MBA, is the Associate Registrar at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. With nearly two decades of experience in business and management, she oversees the operations of the Records & Enrollment and Service Operations units. Colleen has dedicated the past five years to the Registrar's Office and currently holds the role of Corporate Liaison Chair for the Upper Midwest Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers. Additionally, she serves on the Member Engagement Committee for AACRAO.
Sara Morelli, MBA, is a Senior Associate Registrar, Curriculum & Academic Systems at the University of Iowa. She is a member of the Upper Midwest Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (UMACRAO) and has served as Corporate Relations Chair.
In memoriam: Carolyn passed on May 13, 2024 at the age of 82.
Carolyn McDonald Parham, resident of Daphne, Alabama, passed peacefully surrounded by her loving family on May 13, 2024. She will be remembered for her mentoring, kindness, thoughtfulness, and caring nature. Those whom she dearly loved will miss her enthusiastic card sending. Recently celebrating her 82nd birthday, Carolyn was born on March 13, 1942. She grew up in Chickasaw, Alabama, and maintained life-long friendships from her school years and her career.She is preceded in death by her beloved son, Lawrence Jordan "Jordy" Parham II of Citronelle, Alabama; her parents, Alfred Sidney "Buddy" McDonald and Sybil Counselman McDonald of Chickasaw, Alabama; her brother, Alfred Hudson McDonald and sister-in-law, Cheryl Cottrell McDonald of Spanish Fort, Alabama.She is survived by her daughter, Tara Parham Bennett (Robert, III) of Eufaula, Alabama; her daughter-in-law, Jessica Donavan Parham of Citronelle, Alabama; one granddaughter, Madelyn Parham Parker (Colton) of Citronelle, Alabama; three grandsons, Lawrence Jordan Parham III (Marina) of Citronelle, Alabama, Robert Harris Bennett IV and Sidney Rhodes McDonald Bennett of Eufaula, Alabama; five great-grandchildren; two sisters, Jacqueline McDonald Corley (Russ) of Nashville, Tennessee and Debra McDonald Montesano (Ed) of Montgomery, Alabama; her long-time sweetheart Jim Williams of Spanish Fort; and nieces, nephews, cousins and many dear friends.Carolyn graduated with honors from Vigor High School in 1960. She was a member of The Green Knight Class of 1964 at Wesleyan College and then graduated from the University of Alabama. She also holds a master's degree from the University of South Alabama where she faithfully served as University Registrar for 34 years. During her tenure at South Alabama, she witnessed the student enrollment grow from a few thousand students to 15,000. One of her primary responsibilities as the university official student record-keeper was to help lead several major conversions such as: the move from the quarter to the semester system, from manual student records to electronic record systems, and from "field house" registration to an online registration system. She received accolades for her many contributions in facilitating the exponential growth from the university's infancy into the millennium. As a highly respected university administrator, she was active professionally at the national, regional, and state levels and served as president of the Alabama Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officer (ALACRAO) and the Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (SACRAO).
Samuel Matheny has worked in higher education for 25 years, at both state and private institutions, in three different states. His professional experience is focused on student services, in the areas of financial aid and registrar, at graduate and professional colleges and universities. He has two advanced degrees in Education and Financial Economics.
Capstone:
Literature review of “SEM in Action: Implementing and sustaining your plan” with a focus on examining the outcomes of multiple SEM Plans
Dr. Allan E. Goodman is the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of International Education. Previously, he was Executive Dean of the School of Foreign Service and Professor at Georgetown University. He is the author of books on international affairs published by Harvard, Princeton and Yale University presses. Dr. Goodman served as Presidential Briefing Coordinator for the Director of Central Intelligence in the Carter Administration. He has a Ph.D. in Government from Harvard, an M.P.A. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and a B.S. from Northwestern University.
Mirka Martel is Head of Research, Evaluation & Learning at the Institute of International Education. She manages research and evaluation projects specializing in international education, leadership, and development. Dr. Martel’s oversight of key resources, including the historic Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange and the Project Atlas research initiative on global student mobility, advances the field and provides strategic insight into the future of academic mobility flows in the United States and worldwide. Her recent publications include Prospects for International Students amid Rebounding Global Mobility (2022) and Senior International Officers on U.S. Higher Education Campuses (2023), co-authored with IIE’s CEO Allan Goodman. She holds a Master's in International Affairs from Columbia University and a Doctorate in International and Comparative Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Darby Plummer began her higher education career in 2008 at the University of Miami, dedicated to creating and managing retention and graduation efforts for undergraduate students. Currently, as Executive Director of Student Success and First Year Foundations, Ms. Plummer leads the ‘Cane Success Center and is responsible for a number of campus-wide retention initiatives. Her leadership has been instrumental in helping achieve the highest retention and graduation rate in university history.
Plummer was selected to the Golden Key International Honor Society and has presented on best practices in student success at the College Board Forum, the National Conference on Students in Transition, and the AACRAO Annual Meeting.
Plummer received her master’s degree in leadership from the University of Miami Herbert Business School and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Influencing Student Persistence of Low Performing, First-Term Students through Academic Enrichment
Erin Webb, Ed.D., has served the University of California, Merced for sixteen years and is currently the University Registrar. Dr. Webb has been actively involved in university registrar work for the past 20 years and attends and presents regularly at national and regional conferences.
Her experience within the registrar’s office dates back to her days as an undergraduate at Azusa Pacific University working as a student assistant. After completing her undergraduate and master’s degrees, she joined Fullerton College as part of their admissions and records team. When the opportunity came to work at the University of California, Merced—a new research university that opened in 2005—she jumped at the chance to make a difference in the lives of students in her hometown, all while getting to work at a start-up institution. During her tenure at the University of California, Merced, Webb has served as the principal project manager on numerous successful implementations, including degree audit software, a general education revamp, cohort-based tuition, and the exclusive use of students’ lived names. Because of these successes, the Office of the Registrar is widely viewed as a model for how to effectively leverage technology and partnerships—particularly in resource constrained environments—and to do so while maintaining a commitment to customer service.
Webb earned a B.S. in accounting from Azusa Pacific University and went on to pursue an M.Ed. in college student affairs. Her passion for the community college student experience is never far from her heart, so as she began work on her doctoral degree, her research focused on the experiences of transfer students who attended the California public education system but never completed a bachelor’s degree. She earned her Ed.D. in educational leadership from California State University, Stanislaus in 2016.
Fostering a Culture of Care for a Student Ready Institution
Angelique Saweczko, M.Ed., H.B.A., is an experienced postsecondary leader with more than 25 years in higher education. Her expertise spans domestic and international recruitment, admissions, records, registration, academic scheduling, curriculum management, systems & reporting, scholarships, financial aid, student accounts, examinations, and convocation, enrollment management, governance, and strategic planning. She is currently the University Registrar at the University of Toronto and holds a Master of Education, Post-Secondary Studies and an Honours Bachelor of Arts.
The Enrollment Relationship Model
Monte Schaff serves as the Dean of Enrollment Management. His responsibilities include overall leadership for the enrollment services staff, including admissions, registrar, financial aid, transfer and career services, and retention. Prior to his current role, Schaff most recently served as institutional research analyst in the Office of Institutional Research. He began his career at UTTC in 2010 and has worked in a variety of departments including academic affairs, IT, educational outreach, as well as serving as an adjunct instructor. Schaff holds a master’s degree in educational technology from the University of British Columbia and a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of North Dakota.
Leveraging Data to Promote Student Success: A Case Study
Leah Woodke, Ph.D., has nearly 40 years of experience in education ranging from early childhood to higher education; with more than 20 of those years in work related to Tribal higher education. She has extensive experience as a program evaluator and has worked with organizations in the private, public, and tribal sectors. Dr. Woodke currently serves as the Institutional Research Director at United Tribes Technical College. Her responsibilities include supporting institutional planning and goal setting by collecting and analyzing data related to student success and momentum. She believes the key to improving student outcomes is to involve the right stakeholders, including students and faculty, in the data meaning-making process.
Sheridan McNeil, Oyate Ohowicada Win (Respects the People Woman), is the former Dean of Instruction at UTTC. Ms. McNeil graduated from Sitting Bull College with her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and is a strong advocate for Indigenous people’s rights on the local and national level. She has been employed at UTTC for almost seven years. Ms. McNeil is originally from the Cannon Ball community at Standing Rock.
Lisa Azure, Ph.D., is the Vice President of Academic Affairs at UTTC. She is in her 30th year of employment at UTTC, starting as a Kindergarten teacher at the campus elementary school, serving as Teacher Education Chair/faculty from 2000–2022 and Vice President of Academic Affairs from 2015 to the present. One of the dominant themes in Dr. Azure’s dissertation, Actualizing the Seventh Generation Prophecy in Teacher Education: A Case Study of Preparing Teachers at a Tribal College, was student success as defined by the case study participants, who were all students at a tribal college.
Jordan Jameson is the Assistant Registrar for Academic Progress, Office of the Registrar at University of Utah. He is also the co-chair of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus.
As a senior program officer for the World University Service of Canada (WUSC)'s Student Refugee Program, Warsame plays a pivotal role in facilitating the journey of refugee students from refugee camps to campuses across North America.
Prior to joining WUSC, he worked with the UN Migration Agency, where he processed refugee cases for the United States Refugee Admission Program. With nearly two decades of experience in the refugee resettlement sector, his career path has been dedicated to advocating for and empowering displaced individuals. Warsame’s passion for refugee rights and education fuels his commitment to this work, and he is honored to contribute to the empowerment and success of refugee students on their educational journey.
Warsame holds an MSc degree in Capacity Development and Extension from the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, and a graduate diploma in Refugee and Forced Migration Issues from York University in Toronto, Ontario. He is fluent in English, Arabic, Somali, and Russian languages.