Update from Stacey

I was at the annual American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) meeting last week, where I attended several educational sessions, met with multiple vendors, and got to sample some local New Orleans food. The conference offered me the opportunity to connect with colleagues and learn new things.

While it was not the official theme of the conference, AI was a part of many of the sessions, whether it was AI improvements from vendors, impacts on student development, or compliance issues. We also spent a lot of time discussing the implications of various federal changes, especially the impacts of H.R.1 (One Big Beautiful Bill) on financial aid. I had never been to New Orleans before, and I definitely need to take a trip there sometime where I can really experience the area more deeply.

AACRAO

At this year’s AACRAO annual meeting, the organization honored the memory of former AACRAO president and our wonderful colleague, Tina Falkner. A grant was re-named in her honor in recognition of her endless commitment to supporting the development of higher education professionals. The Tina Falkner Engagement Grant supports continued, in-person engagement at AACRAO meetings so members of committees, caucuses, and/or work groups with a demonstrated financial need can fulfill their professional obligation. Tina was also awarded an AACRAO Honorary Membership.

In honor of Tina’s passion for books and sharing her favorites with others, a Little Free Library will be built in every city of the AACRAO Annual Meeting in her honor. This particular recognition builds off of Tina’s own idea in 2018 to have a traveling Little Free Library at the Annual Meeting. It gives members a chance to share books with the AACRAO community they may have brought with them during their travels. Tina said, “Many of us read when we travel . . . Now when you finish your book on the plane, you can just pick one up here instead of going into an expensive bookstore and find a book to read on the way home.” 

A quote from one of Tina’s favorite books, The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett, speaks perfectly to the way Tina showed up in the world and reflects the impact she continues to have, in part, through these AACRAO recognitions: “Them as can do has to do for them as can't. And someone has to speak up for them as has no voices.”

Update from Stacey

The articles below do a great job of highlighting important things in ASR, although we can never cover everything. I love the ideas below from the engagement survey. Whether you have joined ASR recently or have been here for a while, check out the tips from colleagues. The tips convey that we intend to be a friendly place that is open to questions and help each other learn. I also want to call your attention to an upcoming change in reporting lines for the Destiny One Registration Team; see the Office of the Registrar update below for more details. This follows up on the ASR-IT alignment report, and I greatly appreciate the work of everyone involved.

The AACRAO conference was a meaningful and educational experience as always. See the update below for the many ways in which AACRAO is honoring the memory of Tina Falkner. On the educational front, the sessions were vast and valuable. One of my favorite sessions was about the upcoming FAFSA changes. It was an in-depth conversation about what might be simpler for families (retrieving data more directly from the IRS) and what likely won’t be (the number of questions on the form), as well as who might “win” or “lose” when it comes to the Student Aid Index.

Last but not least, I want to provide a brief update on the posting for our Director of Academic Enterprise Systems. The search committee for the first phase reviewed over 70 applicants in March and conducted initial interviews with 11 candidates. The committee forwarded four top candidates for consideration for the next phase. We are in the process of reviewing those four candidates and intend to bring 1-2 candidates in for the final interview. I hope to have more updates for you soon!

Update from Stacey

A lot can happen in two weeks! I had to re-read my update from last issue to avoid repeating myself. Last time, I was just returning from the AAU Registrars' meeting. This time, I'm on the cusp of traveling for AACRAO, where several of us will have the chance to share our knowledge in presentations, volunteer to support the organization, learn from colleagues, and I anticipate I'll spend a fair amount of time with vendors as well.

Since I last wrote, I've started more formal communications regarding our Stellic contract. I informed Stellic that we will not be continuing work with them, and we are currently working on the formal contract changes to reflect that. Now, we are doing an internal investigation to determine our next steps, plus socializing some of the options with advising leaders and system campus vice chancellors.

The search committee for the ASR-IT Director-level position is concluding first round interviews soon. The next step will involve recommending a few candidates for the final interviews. I look forward to the next steps in the process and ultimately selecting a great candidate.

Another theme of the past few weeks has been performance appraisals. I've personally read all of the appraisals in ASR-IT as well as done appraisals with my direct reports. I always appreciate seeing the great work we are doing across all of our units, so thank you!