The New England Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (NEACRAO) has established a number of meaningful ways to connect with high school counselors and their students. For one, they offer the
Ockerman Award-winning
Reverse College Day prior to their annual meeting.
For another, NEACRAO’s George Coleman Scholarship awards three students entering college $2000 each toward attendance at a NEACRAO member institution. A key component of the scholarship application is a required statement from the high school counselor, which helps build on the connections established through Reverse College Day. In order to offer such a generous amount, NEACRAO corporate partners help fund the scholarship.
Over 800 highly-qualified students apply for the award, and the NEACRAO past president is incharge of the initial screening, including reading the “amazing” essays, according to 2018 NEACRAO Past President Bryan Boppert (Associate Director, Student Navigation Center, Salem State University), who, in his role as current Past President, culls the best 20 or so applicants from the bunch. The finalists are reviewed and winners are chosen by a committee of past presidents, chaired by the current past president. Students are notified around the beginning of May. If a winner decides to attend a non-NEACRAO school, the award goes to the next runner-up.
“It’s not easy to choose among students this smart and talented,” Boppert said. “These are very bright and well-rounded young adults from all over New England.”
“This is the kind of activity that completes our organization, because it’s all about the students in the end,” said 2017 NEACRAO Past President Ari Kaufman (Registrar Systems Operations Manager and Compliance Officer at Berklee College of Music). “It’s also an incentive for schools to be members of NEACRAO, and the institution to which the recipient goes gets a moment in the sun during our recognition ceremony.”
“We are excited to be able to help students at the entry point of achieving their dreams,” Boppert said. “We’re trying to give back to the students who are attending our institutions.”