For the Record, An AACRAO Podcast

For more than 50 years, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has been categorizing institutions in a functional but basic way–by the highest degree the institution awards and the amount of research generated by the institution. Even as American higher education changed significantly from the early 1970s, the classifications remained the same. Until recently! In this episode we talk about the classifications, how ...

The AACRAO Annual Meeting is a phenomenal event for networking, learning, and catching up with friends and colleagues. This year’s meeting, held in Seattle, Washington, brought together more than 1,700 higher education professionals for breakout sessions, plenaries, timely topics, and great fun. 

Key Takeaways:

• The AACRAO Annual Meeting continues to provide outstanding opportunities for personal and professional growth to the AAC...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a hot topic everywhere these days. What is it, what are its promises, and what are its current limitations in terms of applicability to the work we do in a registrar’s office. You’ll hear from the Chief AI Officer at George Mason University about the promises and challenges of AI, and from a privacy and information law attorney about some of the considerations we should be making as we pursue any new...

Pursuing an education is a political act. Working in a registrar’s office means providing service. In the currently divisive political climate, with an ever diversifying student (and faculty and staff) population, how can we provide the kind of servant leadership our communities need?

Key Takeaways:

• Being a servant leader is about treating people with respect, putting others’ needs ahead of your own, listening, being empathetic, ...

One of the enduring challenges institutions face is how to assess the learning that an individual acquires when they are not enrolled at an institution, and whether and what to award as credit toward a degree in recognition for that learning. In this episode we revisit the concept of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), and its outcome, Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), with two higher education professionals who saw the need for a bett...

Every registrar’s office has a series of functions they perform as part of their regular business. Sometimes these functions are well thought out and run smoothly every time. Other times there are things we do that are cobbled together and have steps that accrue over time and no one is really sure why we’re doing what we’re doing. If you’ve ever wanted to crack some of those processes open because you think there’s gotta be a bette...

Working with vendors is a fact of life for registrars and admissions officers. But a lot of us might feel reluctant to engage with vendors at a conference. If that’s you, this episode is a must listen! Vendors are there to support the organization (either AACRAO or your state and regional) as they provide important services to our industry, and they’re there to be seen, get their company name out, and build relationships with peopl...

In a wide-ranging discussion about grades and grading, Dr. Joshua Eyler discusses how grades are harming our learners and what we can do to help minimize that harm. We talk about the history of grades and how the current interval letter grade system came to prominence, the stress that grades cause students and the way that stress is exacerbating the mental health crisis. And we discuss alternative grading models under the umbrella ...

The work of the registrar is cyclical and complex. Dependencies abound between and among systems and offices. How do you keep track of all of the tasks required to make everything run smoothly in your office and on your campus? Use a production calendar. In this episode we’ll talk about what a production calendar is, how to use one, its relationship to the academic calendar, along with tips and tricks for getting the most out of th...

Have you ever wondered if the things you’re focused on at work are the right things? Do your teams understand how the work they do fits into the office’s larger goals, or the institution’s? Engaging in strategic planning can help with both of those questions, but it’s always seemed a little daunting. In this episode we talk to Dani Ambrose and Dr. Kelley Jenkins from the University of Mississippi about a simplified approach to stra...

Change is a constant occurrence in a registrar’s world, but it does seem that the amount and rate of change has increased. Responding to change and managing through it are skills that we all employ, but could all improve. In this episode, we talk to members of the registrar’s office from Middle Tennessee State University about recent changes their office has faced, how those changes unfolded, and how they managed their way through ...

Degree audits are somewhat of a technological marvel. In the first episode of season 7, we explore what a degree audit is, what it does, and ways that institutions can (and should) be using the data degree audits provide in order to make their students’ lives (and their own) easier. Along the way we talk about curriculum development, the Catalog and the role it plays as the foundation of the audit, and the way catalog year governs ...

US higher education continues to experience challenges, and sometimes those challenges lead to institutions closing. In this episode we revisit the topic of institutional closure from the lens of the receiving institution. Guests Jackie DeMolee and Hannah Rounds talk about the University of Iowa’s role as the closed institutions’ records repository within the state of Iowa. We learn about the two categories of institutional closure...

This is an episode of love and gratitude from University Registrar and For the Record Co-Host Sarah Reed, with love to the listeners. Sarah Reed is stepping away from co-hosting  For the Record and is sharing her reflections about how she stumbled into podcasting, the journey of podcasting, her thoughts about and processing this change of stepping away from something she has deeply enjoyed, and other reflections she learned through...

Inspired by a session at the Convergence conference co-sponsored by AACRAO and UPCEA, this episode delves into questions of trust in the digital credentials higher education is moving quickly toward–and is in fact already awarding in droves. The Trusted Learner Network (TLN) is the focus of the conversation and ways that the TLN is designed to tackle core challenges of quality, accessibility and value in the world of digital creden...

This episode explores the life path and journey of a registrar- beyond the individual career changes- to learn more about what has inspired these changes, and upon a lived life thus far.  We take time today to reflect, pause, process, and learn.  Scott has spent 47 years working in higher education, including positions in development, admissions, financial aid, records, and registration, and institutional research at three institut...

Another episode recorded at the Convergence conference co-hosted by UPCEA and AACRAO focusing on credential innovation. Microcredentials have popped up in many places, but what about at a research-intensive institution? This episode explores the ways that Rutgers University went about discerning the best path forward with microcredentials. Chris Retzko, Director of Academic Assessment and Accreditation shares his experiences workin...

Recording live from the inaugural Convergence conference in Washington, DC, co-hosted by UPCEA and AACRAO! Convergence brings together higher education professionals to discuss credential innovation. #Credovation! In this episode, Bob Hansen, CEO of UPCEA, shares the impetus for the Convergence conference, reflects on the state of credentials in higher education, and looks to the future of collaborations with AACRAO. And gives his ...

Academic Scheduling is an incredibly complicated part of the registrar’s responsibilities. There are multiple moving parts with competing interests often vying for a limited set of physical resources. Managing this process well is critical to successfully supporting your students through their academic journeys. Jessica Lansing and Ashley DeSantis, both from SUNY at Albany, share their process of working across the campus to improv...