By Autumn Walden, Editor, AACRAO Connect, Content Strategy Manager, AACRAO
At the 111th AACRAO Annual Meeting, we continue our tradition of AACRAO Awards, recognizing those who have shaped our profession. Since 1959, AACRAO has honored individuals whose dedication and leadership have made a lasting impact on higher education. Honorary Membership, one of our most distinguished recognitions, is given to retiring members who have demonstrated exceptional service to the association and the field. Recipients enjoy lifelong benefits, including free meeting registration and waived dues—a testament to their enduring importance to our community.
This year, we are proud to award Honorary Membership to five recipients:
Brenda Selman, Assistant Vice Provost and University Registrar, University of Missouri-Columbia
“AACRAO is a place where I’ve met people from all types of institutions and backgrounds. Universally, they are open and willing to share their experiences. More than once, I’ve reached out to a colleague, in some cases we’ve never met before, and asked for advice or assistance. Our only common thread is AACRAO. I’ve never been turned down when I asked for information or advice. I’ve always received everything I was seeking and more. From some of these initial brief encounters, I’ve developed lasting relationships.” Read the full interview with Brenda Selman.
Don Hossler, Provost Professor Emeritus in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Indiana University Bloomington
“When I learned that AACRAO was planning an annual conference on enrollment management, I sensed that this would be a much better vehicle to advance the ideas around enrollment management that were just emerging at that time. It was a real pleasure for me to be involved with several great professionals in helping to shape the early SEM conferences. When I became the vice chancellor for enrollment services at Indiana University Bloomington, AACRAO became my primary professional association affiliation.” Read the full interview with Don Hossler.
Jim Bouse, Director of Enrollment Management Technology and Associate Registrar for Technology at the University of Oregon
“I most enjoy getting to know new friends and colleagues who embody the spirit of collegiality. Our institutions often compete with each other for student enrollment and in sports, but we are all interested in helping each other provide the best possible experience for our students and provide invaluable assistance to each other … Know that everyone involved with AACRAO wants to help you and see you succeed. Finding ways to help others can be gratifying and lets colleagues know that you are the type of person who cares about leaving the world a better place than the one you found.” Read the full interview with Jim Bouse.
Lara Medley, Assistant Vice Chancellor and University Registrar for the University of Colorado Denver
“I am most proud of helping people move up within the profession. Knowing that there are people who are registrars today who I may have had a small part in helping … My hope is that we continue as an organization to create new bodies of work surrounding national topics that serve as guidance for our members and others outside of our profession. We have many opportunities to be on the leading edge. I hope that we continue to push forward as respected leaders in higher education.” Read the full interview with Lara Medley.
Robert Hornberger, AACRAO Consulting
“I started my career in Admissions. I called it my “first love” in the work world. But as career paths do, mine took some unexpected turns. I had grown professionally and was serving in a data and systems role in Enrollment Management. That was a bit of surprise by itself. But not nearly as much as my next step. Our registrar left the institution, and I was asked to serve as interim registrar. That turned into ten years of serving as the university registrar. I had never aspired to be a registrar, or really knew much of what one did. But the role and experience was one I loved and it served as an extremely positive impact on shaping the rest of my career.” Read the full interview with Robert Hornberger.
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