by Lara Medley, AACRAO Vice President for Records and Academic Services
I recently had the pleasure of teaching the Registrar 101 training course as part of
AACRAO On The Road in Salem, Massachusetts. With 22 participants from New York to Australia and Chicago to Florida, we had a great time talking about the profession of the registrar: the history, the basic procedures of our jobs, our responsibilities in compliance areas, and the overall daily pressures and pleasures of serving our clientele.
I have been teaching REG101 for several years now, and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the new colleagues and friends I have gained as a result. Do you know how every once in a blue moon a group of people come along that make an impact on your life in a special and sometimes unexplainable way? This particular group had a greater impact on me than most REG101 groups. They were great examples of what we hope for in our profession – kind, generous colleagues that truly enjoy sharing information and spending time together. Maybe we are all registration geeks, or records nerds, or maybe we just enjoy making up our own words like “registraring.” (Yes, it is now a verb.)
Now, we didn’t all go to the local pub after class or anything, but I thought that this group really connected in a way that other groups may not have. After the session was over, I shared everyone’s email address so that they could converse with one another. Even a month later, the participants are still communicating with each other occasionally and sharing information and videos from their own campuses.
What a true pleasure it is to be part of this community we call AACRAO! If you get a chance, dip your toe in the pond and become an active part of your professional community!