Watercolor World Map

Retired and Former AACRAO Members

Connect to the world of higher education

With AACRAO membership you'll be connected to more than 11,000 members from institutions around the world. Facilitate your professional development by attending discounted meetings, gaining complimentary subscriptions to our College & University journal and more.

Why should you join? Development never ends, retired or not. Keep current on trends in the field by collaborating with our members and lending your voice to discussions about practices in the field. 

Annual Membership Price: $151

Requirements: YOU BE A RETIRED MEMBER OR A MEMBER WHO LOST EMPLOYMENT AND IS NO LONGER ELIGIBLE FOR INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP.  

Develop Professionally

Retired Members - Professional Development


Professional Competencies

Keep up to date on skills areas like technical knowledge and professional development and contributions to the field. We have the tools for you.

Online Learning

From free webinars to self-paced on-demand learning, AACRAO's online learning covers a variety of subjects—technology, strategic enrollment management, admissions, FERPA, transfer, credential evaluation, and international education—and allow you to engage with the presenters and instructors.

Take the next step in your career

Maybe you want to reenter the workforce or change the trajectory of your career--AACRAO's Career Navigator is a wealth of job postings and resources for you. 

Gain Recognition

Retired Members - Gain Recognition


Get Published

AACRAO's professional journals College & University and SEM Quarterly are always accepting articles and have a wide circulation base.

Research Opportunities

Leverage the expertise of our over 11,000 members and contribute to one of the premier sources of practice related research within the global higher education community. 

Join a committee

Do work you're passionate about, with support and mentoring from fellow members. From Caucuses to specialized topics, it's all one community. 


AACRAO_Connect_logo_final_transparentbkg

AACRAO's bi-weekly professional development e-newsletter

Supporting diverse student populations on campus

Feb 23, 2021, 10:59 AM
legacy id :
Summary : Best practices for serving the needs of LGBTQ and military students.
Url :

Different populations of students face unique challenges as they enter higher education. Student services professionals, therefore, need resources and ideas to best support them. At the 2021 (106th) AACRAO Annual Meeting, several presenters will offer sessions that focus on supporting student success.

Military and veteran students

Edward Trombley and Valerie Kisseloff, of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide, will share their experience working with a large population of military and veteran students. Their session will cover the admissions application process, evaluation of credit, continuing service, matching students to appropriate degree programs, and graduation ceremonies, as well as information on military partnerships and programs and how to apply policy and procedures within institutions. 

“Everyone wants to serve this population of students, but many do not see large enough numbers to understand the best support services,” said Trombley, the university’s registrar. “Our session will address questions where there might not be a precedent so it is difficult to get a consensus on how to move forward.”

At Embry-Riddle, a key factor in serving military students is a close relationship between the office of the registrar and the admissions office. Such cooperation directly impacts students, said Kisseloff, director of admissions. “From the student perspective, we are always looking for ways to make the process more streamlined,” she said. 

“Understanding the military population itself and how institutions can, from the beginning, ask the right questions from these students and collect the best documentation, will be a key takeaway of our session, “Kisseloff said. “We can’t serve them well if we don’t know enough about them.”

LGBTQ students

Sherri Beideck, assistant registrar at Georgia Highlands College will address the needs of today’s LGBTQ’s students at this year’s meeting. “Higher education should be a positive environment for a student’s identity development,” she said. “Instead, LGBTQ students face a greater risk of harassment, bullying, discrimination and violence.”

She added that LGBTQ students are the highest risk population of college students for suicidal thoughts. These students are also at higher risk of not completing at their first institution with as high as two-thirds of transgender students saying they changed schools because they did not feel safe, she said. 

 “It is our responsibility to make sure these students come into a welcoming and safe environment as they move through their higher education experience,” she said. 

Beideck’s session will address the 2017 campaign by Betsy DeVos, former secretary of education under the Trump administration, to roll back Title IX protections regarding sexual assault on campuses. “With LGBTQ individuals of all genders and sexual orientations facing higher rates of sexual violence than even heterosexual women, this places an even greater burden on the sub-population,” she said. 

 Those changes took effect in August 2020 but are expected to be reversed by the Biden administration. “We’ll discuss what these changes mean; recruiting and retaining LGBTQ students; educating faculty, staff, safety officers and students; creating safe spaces across campuses for these students; providing visible allies and support; and incorporating representation into curriculum. 

 “I hope that attendees will take away information regarding ways that we, as student services professionals, can all work together to make our institutions a safe and welcoming space for all students.”

To learn more about best practices in supporting student success in higher education, register now for the 2021 (106th) AACRAO Annual Meeting.

Categories :
  • Admissions and Recruitment
  • Retention
Tags :
  • AM2021 Students First
diverse crowd of little illustrated figures walking in every direction
Related people

Build Connections

Retired Members - Build Connections


Attend a event

Our meetings, workshops, and international institutes are designed instruct, educate and foster collaboration between professionals and institutions. Connect with old friends and register for one today.

Learn More

Member Only Benefits

AACCRAO_Transcript-purple

AACRAO's weekly e-newsletter delivering policy and industry news

Member Login Required

Questions? Contact us at membership@aacrao.org or (202) 355-1040