By Autumn Walden, Editor, AACRAO Connect, Content Strategy Manager, AACRAO
Learning anything can feel like moving two steps forward, then three steps back. Now imagine that setback isn’t your effort or ability but an administrative roadblock: credits that don’t apply, evaluations that take too long, policies that don’t align across institutions. That frustration isn’t hypothetical. According to a national survey by Public Agenda, 24% of adults who tried to transfer said only a few or none of their credits were accepted, and 20% had to repeat a class because their credits didn’t transfer. At the same time, student mobility is accelerating: the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reports transfer enrollment grew 4.4% in fall 2024. The gap between how learners move and how our systems respond is why this learning mobility work continues at The Assembly, launching this July 19-21 as the cornerstone annual summit of the Learning Mobility Lab community and the next evolution of the AACRAO Technology and Transfer conferences.
And guiding this transformation is Dra. Loida González Utley, whose journey from co-leading the previous Tech Transfer conferences to serving as the inaugural director of The Assembly, embodies the bridge between honoring legacy and demanding innovation. Fresh from completing her dissertation on transfer, hosting the influential “Transfer Tea” podcast, and establishing herself as a prominent national advocate, she brings both scholarship and lived urgency to the role.
When asked what serving as The Assembly's Inaugural Director means to her:
"It truly feels humbling and full-circle. Each of these roles, whether as a researcher, advocate, or practitioner, connects back to one common thread: the responsibility we have to listen and respond to students in real time. My dissertation reminded me that so many transfer students are still waiting for institutions to align, while their lives are already in motion. Hosting Transfer Tea has shown me that there's incredible work happening across the country, but also that our systems often move slower than students' needs."
That tension between institutional pace and student reality is precisely what The Assembly addresses. This isn't a traditional conference where attendees passively absorb information. The Assembly positions you as an active collaborator in a living movement. For Dra. González Utley, the stakes are deeply personal and profoundly collective:
"It’s an opportunity to bring people together who are ready to move beyond admiring the problem and start co-creating solutions. To me, this isn’t about recognition—it’s about responsibility. We can't keep waiting to design perfect systems while students are out there trying to figure out their next step."
That responsibility extends to every registrar and enrollment practitioner, policy-maker, technologist, and student advocate who understands that learning mobility—the ability for learners to move fluidly through educational and career pathways—depends on our willingness to dismantle barriers to credit transfer and recognition.
The Assembly represents a chance to accelerate that work collectively. We hear directly from Dra. González Utley on what needs to be done because, "It's time to get to work," she said.
What does hosting The Assembly look like, and how is it different from Tech Transfer or other conferences?
Dra. González Utley: Hosting The Assembly is both an honor and a responsibility. We’re curating a space for collective problem-solving. What makes The Assembly different from Technology & Transfer or other events is that it doesn’t just explore tools or best practices; it brings together the people, policies, and technologies that make learning mobility possible.
This new conference was designed intentionally to bridge the silos that often separate technology, policy, and practice. The Assembly creates a shared table where registrars, admissions professionals, IT leaders, system partners, and policymakers can collaborate on the full spectrum of credit and learning mobility.
Our sessions will center on how data and technology can work for students—accelerating transfer, recognizing prior learning, and ensuring that credits and competencies truly move with the learner. The focus is not just on innovation for its own sake, but on responsiveness: how quickly and effectively we can adapt our systems to meet the pace of students’ lives.
In many ways, The Assembly is a national call to action. We’ve been studying and piloting solutions for years; now it’s time to put those insights into practice together, in one space designed for collaboration and implementation.
What can we expect to learn through the “Transfer Tea” podcast over the next year?
Dra. González Utley: This new season 4 of “Transfer Tea” will be a true companion to The Assembly. We’re using the podcast to open up the same conversations that the conference will bring to life—questions around learning mobility, interoperability, and how we define success for today’s learners.
Historically, the transfer conversation has focused on credit movement between two- and four-year institutions. But the new season will invite us to think more broadly: How does learning move? How do we honor and verify what students know, regardless of where that learning happened? And how can institutions work together to remove barriers instead of reinforcing them?
The episodes will feature voices from across initiatives—policy leaders, practitioners, researchers, and students—each helping us refine our understanding of what comes after transfer. It’s meant to be an ongoing dialogue that complements The Assembly’s work, bridging gaps between research, practice, and lived experience.
Ultimately, my hope is that listeners walk away not just with new information but with a sense of shared responsibility. We can’t keep waiting for the “perfect model” to emerge; students need us to learn, adapt, and respond together. Now.
How do you interpret the integration between Learning Mobility and Transfer?
Dra. González Utley: I see learning mobility as the natural evolution of how we understand transfer. Transfer has traditionally focused on the movement of credits between institutions, but learning mobility invites us to take a broader, more human view—to look at how learning itself moves across a person’s lifetime, through multiple experiences, institutions, and formats.
I love the word “mobility” because it acknowledges the ever-changing landscape of a learner’s journey. Today’s students are not static—they are constantly balancing work, family, military service, and education. Their learning doesn’t pause when they step away from a classroom. Mobility captures that reality—the idea that learning is fluid, adaptive, and deeply personal.
The integration between the two is essential. Transfer remains a critical component of access and completion, but learning mobility challenges us to think beyond traditional structures: military training, work-based learning, microcredentials, and community experiences all carry value. The question is: How do we create systems flexible enough to recognize that value in real time?
To me, this integration represents both progress and accountability. It reminds us that transfer reform isn’t finished—it’s evolving. Learning mobility gives us the framework to connect policies, technology, and human-centered practice so that students don’t have to restart every time they move.
Ultimately, both concepts share the same purpose: ensuring that a learner’s effort counts, every time and everywhere. Our systems must reflect the pace and complexity of students’ lives, not expect students to slow down to match ours.
Anything you'd like to add?
Dra. González Utley: Yes—if there’s one thing I’d like to add, it’s that this work is bigger than any one conference, podcast, or initiative. The system we operate in was not originally designed for the kind of mobility and equity today’s learners need. That means we can’t rely on a few people or projects to fix it—we need a movement.
I often say that transfer is not just a process; it’s a promise. A promise that effort counts. A promise that institutions will meet learners where they are, not where it’s most convenient for us. But keeping that promise requires courage, collaboration, and a willingness to reimagine the way we do our work.
So, my call to action is simple: Join the transfer revolution. Whether you’re a policymaker, advisor, registrar, or faculty member, your role matters. We need advocates who are ready to design with students in mind, to challenge outdated systems, and to share ideas that move the field forward.
If The Assembly and Transfer Tea can help inspire that kind of collective energy—to bridge the gaps, elevate voices, and translate ideas into action—then we’ll be one step closer to a more mobile, equitable, and responsive higher education system.