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AACRAO's biweekly professional development e-newsletter Connect offers timely information, actionable tips, and expert guidance relevant to your career; stories about interesting colleagues doing inspiring things; and news about association services, activities and resources.

Like a virtual, on-demand AACRAO conference-between-conferences, Connect keeps professional conversations alive and helps you stay engaged with the association that advocates for and believes in your career. 

Letter from the Editor July 2025

Letter from the Editor: July 8, 2025

Jul 7, 2025

Our systems of learner recognition and documentation are on the brink of something exciting.

Learning Mobility: Empowering Educational Journeys Beyond Traditional Pathways

Learning Mobility: A New Kind of Blue Book For a New Kind of Learner

Jul 7, 2025

AACRAO released a new e-book on Learning Mobility for rewiring how we recognize learning. Dr. Wendy Kilgore of AACRAO and Dr. Carolyn Gentle-Genitty of Butler University set the tone: learner-centered change isn’t optional—it’s overdue.

Polaroid pictures with snapshots of data visuals

What the Latest International Data Tells Us

Jul 7, 2025

This spring's IIE survey captured responses from 559 higher education institutions that host 53% of international students in the U.S. Julia Funaki of AACRAO suggests the data reveals an international education sector being tested but not broken.

Will Lipske

What We’re Bringing to AACRAO Hill Day 2025: Part 2

Jul 7, 2025

Before setting foot on Capitol Hill, Will Lipske of the University of Wisconsin-Madison had an honest conversation with a fellow first-time Hill Day newcomer to spark insights about professional identity, purpose, and showing up when it counts.

Emily Gallagher, Hill Day Advocate

What We’re Bringing to AACRAO Hill Day 2025: Part 1

Jul 7, 2025

What does it mean to “be ready” for the Hill? Two enrollment professionals interviewed each other for prep tips and encouragement. Emily Gallagher of Cornell University wonders, ‘Are we already advocating in our day-to-day work without knowing it?’

A group of AACRAO members showing their AACRAO socks.

From First Names to Next Steps at the 2025 Leadership Meeting

Jul 7, 2025

From authentic off-the-cuff introductions to energizing conversations about strategy and transparency, the 2025 Leadership Meeting sparked connection and momentum across the AACRAO volunteer leadership community.

AACRAO Connect Letter from the Editor June 2025

Letter from the Editor: June 24, 2025

Jun 23, 2025

There’s power in knowing when to rush and when to reflect. If you have the luxury of time, take it when you can. Moderation is its own kind of courage.

View from standing on a rope bridge with the end in sight entering a beautiful forest.

Sometimes You Need to Retreat to Advance

Jun 23, 2025

Tammy Aagard of AACRAO Consulting offers critical factors and key tips for planning your next leadership or office retreat.

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Session Preview for #TechTransfer2025: Dual Enrollment, Unified Guides, Equity Research

Jun 23, 2025

Catch three #TechTransfer2025 session previews from UNC, Tarrant County College District, and the RP Group, offering a fresh take on how institutions are building smarter, more student-centered pathways.

SEM-EP Evaluators Incoming and Outgoing 2025

In Conversation: SEM-EP Evaluators Reflect on Service and Growth

Jun 23, 2025

Meet the two outgoing evaluators, Dr. Sara Kelly and Richard MacLeod, who are wrapping up their service and welcome the two incoming voices, Laurel Rea and Sam Matheny, in a reflective conversation.

A row of pencils on an upward slant with a graph line above showing the increasing height

Two Critical Services Your Institution Can Offer to Learners and Families

Jun 23, 2025

Kenneth McGhee of the DC Tuition Assistance Grant Program suggests that increased levels of specific career and financial aid support can help address the ongoing public questions about the value of attending college.

Meet the LER Inaugural Cohort 2025

Building the Future of Credentialing: LER Accelerator Cohort Gets to Work

Jun 23, 2025

The coalition approach transforms what could be fragmented, competing initiatives into a coordinated effort that leverages each unit's strengths while ensuring the final LER system truly serves learners navigating complex education-to-employment pathways.

Five paper airplanes with one flying askew

The Ins and Outs: Modernizing Ideas About the Registrar’s Office

Jun 23, 2025

Whitney Merinar of West Liberty University proposes some "Ins and Outs" to update outdated ideas about the role of the registrar’s office and reinforce new concepts.

Ask the FERPA Professors

Jun 23, 2025

The professors answer questions regarding the timing of annual notification to students, specifically for part-of-term and other rolling registration cases.

AACRAO Connect Letter from the Editor June 2025

Letter from the Editor: June 10, 2025

Jun 9, 2025

As practitioners, we constantly switch between leader, learner, advocate, enforcer, or steward—depending on the day, the meeting, or the crisis.

Ask a Consultant: Practitioners Helping Practitioners

Ask a Consultant

Jun 9, 2025

Our consultants address a common yet challenging question about the length of time for your strategic enrollment management plan.

Join the Collective Gathering

Discuss Project Management with Colleagues

Jun 9, 2025

Please join us for the June AACRAO Collective Gathering on June 12, facilitated by Michael Davenport of The University of Arizona, to discuss how higher education professionals are managing project-related work.

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How International Students Impact U.S. 'Soft Power'

Jun 9, 2025

David Mihalyi of AACRAO International asks us to consider the long-term consequences of policy shifts that are driving international students away.

Sarah Reed, Chair and Dr. Brenda Schumann, Vice Chair, N&E Committee

Journey Into the Slate of AACRAO Elections

Jun 9, 2025

Learn how you can make an impact on our association with guidance from the Chair and Vice Chair of the Nominations & Elections Committee.

Decorative maze of arrows

Building Bridges, Not Barriers: Centering Learning Mobility in Prison Education

Jun 9, 2025

Leaders from AACRAO’s Prison Education Work Group headlined a NASFAA convening, along with FERPA experts, and other senior practitioners to explore systems that truly support incarcerated learners.