AACRAO kicks off the LEAD Initiative

With a warmly enthusiastic crowd of over 120 SEM professionals in attendance, AACRAO launched the LEAD Initiative at a Monday night reception at the 2018 SEM Conference. The reception was hosted by AACRAO Vice President for Access and Equity Tiffany Robinson, Assistant Vice Provost/University Registrar at the University of Kansas and AACRAO SEM Advisory Board Member Dr. Tomikia LaGrande, Vice Provost of SEM at Virginia Commonwealth University, along with a diverse set of enrollment leaders. (View kickoff reception hostess' profiles here.)

Designed to develop leadership competencies and enrollment management proficiencies among a diverse set of emerging leaders within the field, LEAD activities include:

• A diversity leadership development program for mid-level professionals that will launch Fall 2019.  The call for volunteers for this working group is now open.  "The program will provide a robust curriculum," noted LeGrande, Vice Provost for SEM at Virginia Commonwealth University, who encouraged attendees to "own and intentionally plan our career paths."
• The Competencies for Leadership in Enrollment Webinar Series, which will launch in February 2019. 
• A broad-based diversity scholarship for AACRAO’s Strategic Enrollment Management Endorsement Program (SEM-EP), launching in 2019. 
• The AACRAO Career Navigator, a foundational resource for planning career development.
• The establishment of a women's caucus at the 2019 AACRAO Annual Meeting.  

Monday's reception, Women LEAD, specifically recognized and encouraged AACRAO women in leadership roles. 

"Women are often at the forefront of the diversity conversations on campus," Gottlieb told attendees. "Women have often taken the lead inculcating inclusivity values in SEM."  Future LEAD events may be hosted by other groups and caucuses focused on similar diversity and inclusion values.

“As the premier association preparing professionals for careers in the field of enrollment, AACRAO feels a particular imperative to ensure that the pipeline for these roles is strong in skill sets and is reflective of the communities that our institutions serve,” said Deputy Director Melanie Gottlieb. “Realizing that professional development is a key component to professional growth, AACRAO is willing to allocate resources to this effort, and will be looking for additional funding sources to ensure that strong leadership development opportunities will be available to professionals from a variety of personal and professional backgrounds. Access to these skills cannot be limited to professionals from only resource-rich institutions and backgrounds.”

How you can contribute
AACRAO aims to raise $30,000 to provide scholarships to professional development activities for LEAD participants. To support the LEAD Initiative and contribute to diversity in leadership development, click here.