Operation Reset: Why the AACRAO Annual Meeting Is the Recharge You Didn’t Know You Needed

By Tara Kent, Ph.D. CUNY Brooklyn College

This year will be my fourth AACRAO Annual Meeting, and every year I leave with fresh ideas, new tools, and connections that reset my perspective, boost my skills, and help me stay on top of trends and policies in higher education. From learning innovative strategies to discovering new technology, keeping up with federal and state updates, building your professional network, and growing both personally and professionally, there’s a reason I keep coming back. Here’s why this conference matters—and why getting that ticket is one of the best decisions you’ll make this year.

Operation Reset

Life as a registrar is a relentless cycle. First, you prep for registration: working with faculty to get a schedule ready so students can register on time. Then comes registration itself, when students sprint to secure classes before they fill up. Once classes start, some students realize they’re in the wrong spot and submit drop/add forms to land a “better” class or professor—the one they’re pretty sure will pass them. After registration closes, you accommodate latecomers, guide them through whatever process exists, and then tackle midterms—flagging at-risk students if needed. Soon after, students rush for a “W” on their transcript before the deadline because, in their minds, it looks way better than an F.

Then comes the “best” time: final grades. You remind faculty—sometimes gently, sometimes not—to enter grades before they sail off on a 10-day Mediterranean cruise. Once grades are in, you run degree audits, delivering congratulations or helping students plan next steps if requirements weren’t met. Meanwhile, ongoing work continues by communicating with students, faculty, and sometimes parents; building relationships across campus; contributing to retention initiatives; managing and mentoring staff; and tackling special projects as they appear. This cycle repeats each semester.

Eventually, you notice the spark that fueled you at the start of the year fading. You crave something new—learning, growth, a chance to recharge. You don’t want to leave your role, but you want to reignite that flame. One of the best ways to do that, short of joining a faculty member on a Mediterranean cruise, is to hit the professional development reset button. Step into a space filled with people who do what you do, and suddenly you see your world through a fresh lens. You learn new things, meet inspiring people, and return home recharged. You come back tired—but with your spark back. You’re ready to implement new ideas, energized to tackle your work with fresh energy and perspective. You’ve entered “Operation Reset,” a vital strategy for both professional and personal growth.

Technology and Beyond

Whether catching up with current vendors or wandering the exhibit hall checking out new players, this is one of the most valuable parts of attending. You can discover tools that save money, improve the student experience, build your student pipeline, or finally find that perfect transcript system or the company that can improve the look of your diplomas.

Maybe your institution is shopping for a new SIS. This is your chance to meet some of the best in the business, see how they can streamline processes, reduce headaches, and make life easier. Perhaps your school is still in the paper catalog era. There’s technology for a virtual catalog that archives past versions and finally eliminates that yearly chaos of Word documents mysteriously losing items or containing impossible-to-read red font comments.

Need a better way to schedule classes? There are systems that automate workflows, involve the right stakeholders, and cut down the time it takes to build a schedule. Updating curriculum or launching new programs? Tech for that too. And here’s one that always gets a laugh: tired of mispronouncing student names at graduation? There’s a company that lets students record their names, which are then announced perfectly by a charming AI voice as they walk across the stage—family approval guaranteed. The technology and tools you discover at the AACRAO Annual Meeting can leave your institution ahead of the curve, and that’s a perfect reason to tell your manager you need to be there.

Policy and Regulations

Higher education moves fast, and politicians in Washington are always cooking up new laws affecting admissions, financial aid, and records. Do you really know what’s happening at the federal or state level? At the meeting, sessions cover exactly this. You’ll return armed with knowledge that few others have, able to prevent compliance headaches, share critical updates, and maybe even save your institution from fines. You might not get an honorary policy degree (though that would be amazing), but you will be the hero of your office.

Sessions

The AACRAO Annual Meeting is packed with sessions on just about everything: self-care, leadership, FERPA, compliance, and the nuances of running a small college. Whatever skill you want to sharpen, there’s a session for it. Better yet, share the session list with your manager; it’s like building a case for professional development with backup slides included.

Networking and Colleague Reunion

Networking at AACRAO is unlike anything else. Colleagues come from all over, bringing insights, mentorship, and a little friendly competition. First-timers? Consider yourself a VIP: you’ll join the first-timers’ festivities and meet people who, after that first meeting, can become friends for life.

I’ve personally adopted many colleagues as part of my “AACRAO family,” so for me, this is basically a huge reunion every year. Imagine having peers you can call for real-world advice, whether it’s waitlisting students, responding to the National Honor Society for student directory info, or navigating any tricky registrar scenario. You gain insights from people who’ve faced it all before, which can save time, headaches, and maybe even a little gray hair. Honestly, this alone is reason enough to grab your ticket—it’s not too late to join the conference, make connections, and expand your professional family.

The AACRAO Annual Meeting is a full-on professional reset

Step away from the day-to-day grind, learn new strategies, explore technology that can transform your office, stay ahead on policy and compliance, and connect with colleagues who truly “get it.”

Whether it’s your first time or your twenty-fifth, you’ll leave energized, inspired, and armed with ideas to put into action immediately. You’ll gain friends, mentors, and maybe a few laughs along the way. And yes, you’ll come back ready to tackle registration, final grades, curriculum updates, and everything else with that spark you didn’t even realize had dimmed. So don’t wait. Reach out to your manager, write that justification letter, grab your ticket, and join us. Your Operation Reset is waiting—and your future self will thank you (or me).