SEM 2025 Roundup

Editor’s Note: I received a large volume of articles from the 35th Annual AACRAO Conference on SEM in Vegas—more than I could “neatly” fit into the end-of-year issues. Enjoy this curated roundup of expertise from our community.

How Are Registrars Connected to SEM? Presenters Sarah Reed, University Registrar at UC Berkeley; Nicole Mancone Fisher, Assistant Vice Provost and University Registrar at Texas Christian University; and Brian Coldren, Assistant Vice Provost and University Registrar at UT Knoxville, shared how their roles as registrars are connected to strategic enrollment planning. Each experience from “Beyond Records: The Registrar’s Role in Strategic Enrollment Planning” represented a different stage in SEM.

Understand Behavior to Communicate Effectively: Sol Jensen, Vice President of Northern Illinois University, and Erica Johnson, Senior Consultant and Principal at EAB, presented “Recruiting the Anxious Generation,” drawing from Jonathan Haidt’s book “The Anxious Generation” and large-scale EAB research. They identified and discussed five key traits of the incoming generation of college students with six insights to consider.

Key Enrollment Answers Through Case Studies: Alicia Kornowa of Western Michigan University presented on her recent dissertation research, during “A Multiple Case Study of Four-Year Public, Non-flagship Universities: Meeting Common Institutional Goals of Increased Enrollment and Academic Profile,” which explored theoretical influences, including SEM, systems theory/thinking, and positive deviance (intentional behaviors that depart from norms of a referent group in honorable ways). Her findings are divided into two principles: data-driven and informed, and interconnected and bi-directional.

Key Points for Future Proofing Enrollment Management: Daniel Barkowitz, Assistant Vice President of Student Financial Assistance and Employment and John Haller presented, “Future Proofing Enrollment Management in Times of Change: Strategies Across Admission, Financial Aid, and Student Success,” which focused on how enrollment professionals can build resilience, take proactive approaches, and implement data-informed human-connected policies and practices to ensure success in a challenging higher education macro environment.

Kindness Isn’t Soft—It’s Strategic: Keynote speaker Shola Richards challenged enrollment leaders to rethink what kindness means in the workplace. His call to embrace “commitment over convenience” and lead with courage resonated deeply in a field defined by constant change. This reflection explores how Richards’ message of intentional kindness can strengthen teams, culture, and purpose in higher education.

Live from #SEM2025 Articles Previously Published:

• Badging SEM Endorsement: Tracking the Legacy of a Premier Professional Development Program: What started as one member’s passion and persistence for providing a way to credential enrollment professionals now attracts the “new normal” learner: someone who approaches education already juggling job, family, and life responsibilities.
• Notes from an Award-Winning Session on Recruiting and Retaining Online Students: Three veteran strategic enrollment management practitioners discuss an area of study long absent from the research journals: recruiting and retaining online students. Also, the winners of a National Student Clearinghouse SEM 2025 Research Award.
• The SEM-Advising Equation: Why This Partnership Will Define the Next Decade: Sean Bridgen of NACADA and Mike Simmons of AACRAO revealed growing partnerships—and persistent tensions—between academic advising and enrollment management. Here’s why aligning these functions has never been more urgent.
• A Complete Overhaul to the Federal Financial Aid System: Melanie Gottlieb of AACRAO and Jill DesJean of NASFAA led a #SEM2025 session on the significant changes to the financial aid process brought about by the “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”
• Redefining the Registrar: From Record Keeper to Architect of Learning Pathways: Molly McDermott-Fallon of the University of Cincinnati outlined a vision of the “Registrar 2.0,” a professional who is agile, data-driven, and ready to enable change rather than merely respond to it.
• ‘Just Cause Culture’ with Enrollment Success: Gina Macklin of Delaware County Community College shared how her campus conducted a regional needs assessment to identify the most requested certifications and skills, as well as top employers, in the region.
• Flying Blind in a Time of Change: Len Gutkin opens the 35th Annual AACRAO SEM Conference with a candid conversation on higher ed’s challenges and responsibilities.