FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 4, 2025
AACRAO Contact: Christopher W. Tremblay, Ed.D.
SEM-EP Director
sem-ep@aacrao.org
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers recently renewed its agreement with Bethel University regarding its Strategic Enrollment Management Endorsement.
Under this agreement, professionals who have earned the SEM Endorsement will have one course waived toward the completion of the Doctor of Education: Leadership in Higher Education degree at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Upon successful completion of the SEM Endorsement Program, Bethel University will waive the course, EDUC 885: Individual Projects in Higher Education (two to four credits).
In this revised agreement, AACRAO members with a SEM Endorsement accepted into the Bethel University Ed.D. program will also now receive a scholarship that will cover up to $400 of tuition per term for a maximum of $1,200 per academic year. This is a new benefit of the agreement.
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Bethel University as they value our educational training and endorsement,” said Melanie Gottlieb, Executive Director of AACRAO.
“I’m grateful for the generosity of Bethel University in offering a multi-term scholarship for our SEM Endorsement graduates, as they recognize that cost can be a barrier to the pursuit of advanced degrees,” said Dr. Christopher W. Tremblay, Director of the SEM-EP.
About the Endorsement
Since 2012, the AACRAO Strategic Enrollment Management Endorsement Program has been providing a well-defined, self-paced professional development program and career advancement track for in-service enrollment service professionals. The SEM Endorsement is a unique credential in the field and provides assurance of a strong foundation and understanding of enrollment management functions in a higher education setting. This endorsement is a national acknowledgement of enrollment management professionalism. Through a series of educational experiences with defined learning outcomes, the SEM-EP is an accepted structure that underscores a set of uniform activities guided by association and industry best practices and resources. Admission to the program is competitive.
About Bethel University and the Doctor of Education Leadership in Higher Education Program
Bethel University is an independent Minnesota university associated with the Converge Worldwide denomination and regionally accredited through the Higher Learning Commission. Within the Bethel University Graduate School, the Doctor of Education: Leadership in Higher Education degree program is committed to higher education as a platform for positive social change, and thus attentive to relevant higher education context, rich leadership and personal formation, and a high quality academic writing and research. The Bethel University Doctor of Education: Leadership in Higher Education degree program requires three years of coursework, participation in residencies, a completed dissertation, and the completion of 61 credit hours.
About AACRAO
Founded in 1910, AACRAO is a nonprofit, voluntary, professional association of 18,000 higher-education professionals who represent roughly 2,300 institutions in more than 40 countries. AACRAO represents institutions in every part of the higher education community, from large public institutions to small, private liberal arts colleges. Its mission is to provide professional development, guidelines, and voluntary standards to be used by higher-education officials regarding the best practices in records management, admissions, enrollment management, administrative information technology, and student services. Research, guidance, and best practices are shared with members and other higher-education stakeholders through training, publications, journals, and consulting services.
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