S6E6 - AACRAO Hill Day

AACRAO’s Hill Day is an opportunity for members to become advocates in the halls of power in the United States capitol complex. Hill Day is a way for members to increase their awareness of AACRAO’s legislative agenda, help communicate that agenda to members of congress, and develop the skills necessary to increase their advocacy efforts from local to national. In this episode we hear from Michelle Mott, AACRAO’s director of public policy, about AACRAO’s history with and motivations for Hill Day, and then we hear from nine members who participated in Hill Day 2023.     

Key Takeaways:

• AACRAO provides everything you need to be successful in this adventure: online training, videos, issue briefings, and reference handouts. You may feel nervous, but you will be prepared!  

• Advocacy work is very similar to registrar work: we build relationships, we provide information, we listen to pain points, and we offer solutions. Advocating for higher education on the Hill is right in a registrar’s wheelhouse.

• Knowing about the issues facing higher education and the legislative efforts under way to address those issues is an important part of being an effective advocate. You can do a lot to effect positive change even at your state level just by educating yourself on the issues and doing some outreach to your representatives.  

• Hill Day is a fun way to get involved. Members commented on how easy it is to make your voice heard, and many committed to continuing the advocacy efforts beyond the event. 

Host:

Doug McKenna, University Registrar
George Mason University
cmckenn@gmu.edu 

Guests:

Michelle Mott, Director of Public Policy
AACRAO
mottm@aacrao.org

Scott Campbell, Associate Vice President and University Registrar
University of Chicago
scottcampbell@uchicago.edu 

Lisa Emery, Sr. Associate Registrar
University of Michiganemeryl@umich.edu 

Shannon Gerke Corrigan, Registrar and Title IX CoordinatorFox Valley Technical Collegeshannon.gerkecorrigan8969@fvtc.edu 

Angela Goodwin, Associate Registrar
Point Park University
agoodwin@pointpark.edu 

Tara Kent, Director - Office of the Registrar
American Musical & Dramatic Academy
tkent@amda.edu 

Ramie Nation, University Registrar and Advisor to the President for Accreditation
Baker University
ramie.nation@baker.edu 

Jacquelyn Sims, Assistant Registrar
George Mason University
jsims@gmu.edu 

Sara Sullivan, Sr. Associate Registrar
University of Iowa
sara-c-sullivan@uiowa.edu 

Ashley Wheelis, Deputy Registrar
University of North Texas
ashley.wheelis@unt.edu