Dear Readers,
The word “ludicrous” comes from the Latin “ludicrus,” meaning “sportive” or “playful.” By the late 18th century, though, ludicrous had taken on the meaning we know now: something absurd, ridiculous, or deserving of mockery. That feels like history being a poor sport to the word itself. Life is serious enough. Perhaps the truly ludicrous idea is that everything important must always feel solemn. I was struck by this thought during a recent AI workshop, when a presenter suggested using AI to do the things you hate doing. It sounded practical enough, but it made me wonder whether we should simply escape every tedious, difficult, or dreaded task. Some duties cannot be turned away from. Some realities endure whether we enjoy them or not. We contend with difficult decisions, uncertainty, repetition, and work that simply has to be done. Maybe a bit of ludicrous action has a place even there. A small challenge, a different way of keeping score—or even technology that helps us invent those things—can make serious work more manageable without pretending it isn’t serious.
In this issue:
- FAQs About the AACRAO Peer Mentoring Fall 2026 Cohort
- How Do Faculty Evaluate Military Credit?
- How We Turned a Book Club Into a Functional Working Group
- Press Play on Your Fall Listening List of AACRAO Podcasts
- Meet Brian Gann, the Incoming SEM Conference Director
- New Data on Student Survey Design
- Tips for Creating Your Career Development Plan
- New FERPA Community in the AACRAO Exchange: Ready for Questions
- Ask the FERPA Professors
With appreciation,
Editor, AACRAO Connect, Content Strategy Manager, AACRAO
P.S. Please use the “Contact the Editor” function to provide feedback or submit an idea for the AACRAO Connect email newsletter. Your contributions are welcome.
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