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.
Dr. Woolsey has been working for Soka University of America since 2011 as the Dean of Enrollment Services. His educational background includes a B.A. in History with a Minor in Political Science, an M.Ed. in Secondary Teaching, and an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership all from the University of La Verne. His research interest focuses on student access, retention, and financial literacy education and policy. Before working at Soka, he held positions as the Director of Admission and Financial Aid at the University of La Verne College of Law and was the Associate Director of Undergraduate Admission, and Assistant Registrar for Transfer Academic Services and Articulation at the University of La Verne. As Dean of Enrollment Services, Dr. Woolsey is responsible for overseeing the Office of Financial Aid, Office of International Student Services, Office of Admission, Office of Graduate Admission, and Office of Admission Operations.
Delgar has been a longtime resident of Bloomington, Indiana and attended Indiana University Bloomington and received a Bachelor’s degree in Informatics. She lived two years in Mongolia and came back to Bloomington to pursue a Master’s in Higher Education and Student Affairs and pursue a career in support of students. She has worked professionally in higher education for the past ten years at IU Bloomington and mainly been with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions leading the application reader team. Outside of work, she enjoys reading and spending time with her five adorable cats.
As Acting Director, Rafael oversees the Department’s international activities and education diplomacy efforts, as well as the Department’s role in supporting the interagency Joint Statement on International Education. His areas of responsibility include managing the Department’s participation in various multilateral forums and overseeing bilateral engagement with a broad range of countries. Rafael also leads the Department’s work on academic and professional mobility. He serves as the U.S. representative to the European Network of Information Centers (ENIC), which promotes the recognition of education qualifications across borders.
Prior to joining the Department in 1998 as a Presidential Management Fellow, Rafael was a public school teacher in Sacramento, California and worked in international trade promotion for the State of California. Rafael holds undergraduate degrees from Sacramento City College and California State University Sacramento, and a graduate degree in education from Chapman University. He also completed studies in international affairs at the University of Belgrano in Buenos Aires, Argentina as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar.
Gabby Martinez brings nearly two decades of invaluable experience to her role as University Registrar at Western Governors University (WGU) since 2020, having been part of the Registrar's office in various leadership roles since 2006. Her journey in education began as a work-study student at Salt Lake Community College, where she quickly climbed the ranks within the Student Records office, showcasing her unwavering dedication and exceptional proficiency.With a Master of Science in Management and Leadership from WGU, complemented by a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Utah, Gabby's academic background enriches her professional endeavors. As Registrar, she provides visionary leadership for the Office of the Registrar, fostering seamless collaboration across the university to address critical areas such as academic standards, policy and procedures, curriculum, registration, digital credential issuance, academic records management, system optimization, and thorough adherence to compliance standards.
Kymberly Lavigne-Hinkley is the Director, Learning & Employment Records Ecosystem at Western Governor’s University. She has over 15 years of experience in the public and non-profit sectors focusing on workforce and economic development initiatives for adults, career coaches, and employers. She is particularly interested in the potential for learning and employment record initiatives to drive the adoption of skills-based practices and to create more alignment between workforce, higher education, and social services systems.
Previously, Kym led the National Career Coaching portfolio at the Markle Foundation; including the Rework America Alliance Coaching Workgroup, the delivery of Markle’s career coaching programs to state and local partners, and the design of a virtual career coach training program focused on developing human-centered, equity-driven, and skills-based career coaches.