FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: AACRAO Communications
communications@aacrao.org
AACRAO Partners with Lumina Foundation to Conduct Equity-Focused SEM Planning
Lumina Foundation has awarded the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) a $1.45M grant to assist community college systems in building their enrollments. This grant has specific focus areas of closing
equity gaps and serving the needs of post-traditional (adult) learners, so that all potential students can benefit from the high-quality work-ready credentials provided by these colleges.
AACRAO, through its consulting arm, will assist select state community college systems to develop long-range (five or more year) SEM plans for their individual colleges and system offices. These plans have three overarching goals:
Improve the capacity for these institutions to attract and enroll post-traditional (adult) learners.
Create a greater representation of historically under-represented persons in the enrollment of the college, when gaps in access to the institution or specific programs exist.
Close equity gaps in persistence and completion for under-represented groups where they exist.
AACRAO’s consultants, seasoned enrollment leaders with decades of experience in enrollment management, will provide a combination of resource seminars and individual assistance to the colleges selected for the project. The plans will be developed over the 2021-2022 academic year; follow-up on successful implementation and early results will take place in 2022-2023.
“This is an exciting opportunity to help America’s community colleges leverage their strengths and build strong enrollments by focusing on the tremendous potential of post-traditional and students of color,” said Tom Green, Associate Executive Director at AACRAO and project leader. “We are so grateful to Lumina Foundation for their continuing support of our work and we share their vision of full participation in higher and technical education for all Americans.”
Lumina Foundation
Support from Lumina Foundation has been instrumental in this project. Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. We envision a system that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation’s need for talent through a broad range of credentials.
AACRAO is a non-profit, voluntary, professional association of more than 11,000 higher education professionals representing approximately 2,600 institutions in more than 40 countries. Its commitment to the professional development of its members includes
best practice guidance on admissions strategies to meet institutional diversity objectives, delivery of academic programs in innovative ways to meet the needs of a changing student body, and exemplary approaches to student retention and completion.