AACRAO_Connect_logo_final

Connect with concepts, colleagues & community

Questions, comments or suggestions?

Contact the EditorReceive Connect

AACRAO's biweekly professional development e-newsletter Connect offers timely information, actionable tips, and expert guidance relevant to your career; stories about interesting colleagues doing inspiring things; and news about association services, activities and resources.

Like a virtual, on-demand AACRAO conference-between-conferences, Connect keeps professional conversations alive and helps you stay engaged with the association that advocates for and believes in your career. 

letter from the editor, april 2025

Letter from the Editor: April 15, 2025

Apr 14, 2025

Reach out. Form alliances. Ask for help. Lend a hand. We’ll need each other to keep moving forward—skillfully—through the uncertainty ahead.

Session view from the right side

Live from #AACRAO2025: Creating a Knowledge Base of Compliance

Apr 14, 2025

Erin Mason, University Registrar at the University of Utah, and Sam Carrell, University Registrar at the University of Maine, offered practical steps for building a proactive, informed, and collaborative compliance culture on campus.

Session view from back corner

Live from #AACRAO2025: What You Can Do When Resources Run Dry

Apr 14, 2025

Nicholas Jobe, College Registrar at Flagler College, offered software hacks, time management strategies, and ways to make the case for more support.

Session view from the audience

Live from #AACRAO2025: Implementing Human-Centered Design for Staff and Learners

Apr 14, 2025

Stanford University enrollment and learning experience design leaders Johanna Metzgar, Shilo Trionfi, Pritasha Solomon, and Kate Brennan presented five key actions that improved staff effectiveness and reduced burnout across student services.

Close-up on presenters speaking

Live from #AACRAO2025: Embracing Your Role as a Learner Advocate

Apr 14, 2025

Vanessa Jackson and Meredith Chilausky of the Campbell University School of Law, and David Williams of North Carolina Central University, provided practical strategies for identifying and addressing common policy roadblocks.

View of session speakers from left

Live from #AACRAO2025: Tackling an Institutionwide Data Overhaul

Apr 14, 2025

Rebecca Hunter, Thiana Ferry, and Ingrid Nuttall, enrollment leaders at Northeastern University, discussed how they streamlined data and institutional processes, all in service of a smoother, less confusing learner journey.

Session view from front of the room

Live from #AACRAO2025: Leading System Transitions with Your Most Valuable Assets

Apr 14, 2025

Michael Moore, Senior Associate Registrar at Wake Forest University,​ shared actionable strategies for leading successful SIS transitions that leverage the registrar’s unique perspective to guide the process.

Session view from the left side

Live from #AACRAO2025: Registrars on the Front Lines of Admission

Apr 14, 2025

Andrew Marx, Registrar and Director of Academic Advising, Tufts University, explored how to clarify boundaries, reduce repeat office visits, and strengthen hand-offs through early engagement, policy alignment, and smarter support strategies.

Session view from audience at AM25

Live from #AACRAO2025: The Admissions Start-Up Mindset for Recruiting

Apr 14, 2025

Nicholas Rejebian, Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives at the University of Cincinnati, invited attendees to describe their first thoughts when they think of a start-up company, encouraging attendees to think of new possibilities.

Join the Collective Gathering

Discuss Ways to Engage with Parents and Improve Recruitment

Apr 14, 2025

Please join us for the April AACRAO Collective Gathering, facilitated by Patrick Frazier, Associate Director of Admissions Marketing & Events at Western Carolina University, to discuss ways to engage with parents to effectively impact student recruitment.

Colorful arrows moving in different directions

A Technology and Transfer Revolution: Your Summit, Your Journey, Your Impact

Apr 14, 2025

This event’s transformation has been a long time in the making, and our summit co-lead, Loida González Utley, Director of Recruitment and Enrollment Services at A&M-Central Texas, writes about the excitement to finally bring it to life.

Globe graphic with bubbles of activity and charts.

Enrich International Education by Submitting Open Doors Data

Apr 14, 2025

Our Director of International, Julia Funaki, describes the impact of your contributions on the full accounting of international student and study abroad trends.

letter from the editor, april 2025

Letter from the Editor: April 1, 2025

Apr 1, 2025

We are 1,740+ strong in attendance and coming to you live from the 110th AACRAO Annual Meeting in Seattle.

Lex Gillette

Live from #AACRAO2025: Showing Us Vision Beyond Sight

Apr 1, 2025

Our 110th AACRAO Annual Meeting opened with a powerful, emotional, and profoundly inspiring keynote by Paralympic Team USA champion Lex Gillette—leaving a packed audience of over 1,700 higher education professionals on their feet in a standing ovation.

FERPA Fireside Chat Speakers, Dale King, Melanie Gottlieb, LeRoy Rooker

Live from #AACRAO2025: Ask the FERPA Professors on the Future of Privacy

Apr 1, 2025

From the legality of classroom photos posted on social media to ICE, the session made clear that the community’s appetite for FERPA clarity is as strong as ever.

Monday Plenary Panel on Compliance

Live from #AACRAO2025: Collaborating on Compliance and Title IV

Apr 1, 2025

The plenary session featured four expert panelists representing financial aid, registrars, and academic compliance, each offering valuable insights on navigating federal regulations.

ballroom full of first-time attendees

Live from #AACRAO2025: Experience AACRAO with Us

Apr 1, 2025

More than 8,200 square feet of space filled quickly as first-timers of the Annual Meeting streamed in to experience one of our most energetic and welcoming events.

group at session table

Live from #AACRAO2025: Prison Education - Little Access and Little Agency

Apr 1, 2025

PEPs remain one of the most evidence-backed strategies for reducing recidivism and promoting long-term societal benefit.

session on the changing apostille

Live from #AACRAO2025: Documenting the Changing Apostille

Apr 1, 2025

Thomas C. Black, an Honorary Member of AACRAO, presented “OMG, Apostilles Have Changed! Thankfully for the Better”, and is a well-known expert on innovation in higher education.

session room with person raising their hand

Live from #AACRAO2025: It's a Different World

Apr 1, 2025

This session explored the distinctive aspects of working at an HBCU and how faculty, staff, and administrators can find joy and purpose in their roles.