Sessions at a Glance 2020

Rebecca Mathern, PACRAO President | Associate Provost and University Registrar, Oregon State University
Kristi Wold-McCormick, AACRAO Vice President for Records and Academic Services | University Registrar, University of Colorado, Boulder
PACRAO Executive Board

Over the course of two weeks, Seattle University had to convert its entire yield season, a highly personal and largely in-person recruitment effort, to a completely digital and virtual experience due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our cross-campus team will share technologies that were leveraged, marketing efforts, and new collaborations that were formed. We will present analytics and data that helped us to understand the user experience around our virtual events and outreach efforts and to how to pivot parts of those efforts that were not working.
Presented by: James Miller, Seattle University; Adrian Hodos, Seattle University: Patrick McCarthy, Seattle University
Topic Track(s): Admission, Data/Analytics/Assessment, Leadership, Technology Solutions/Practical Tools
 

This session will be a discussion about best practices for communicating to academic scheduling partners who help to create each term's schedule of classes. The University of Oregon and Oregon State University have distributed scheduling models, and clear communication is necessary to keep department partners up to speed on deadlines and projects. In this session we will talk about what has and hasn't worked for us, and we will open up the session for discussion to hear about communication methods that have been successful at other institutions.
Presented by: Sarah Strickler, University of Oregon; Mike Jefferis, Oregon State University
Topic Track(s): Enrollment Management, Registrar
 

We've all done the standard SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity, Threat) analysis - come learn how The University of Arizona Office of the Registrar, using resources found online, transformed a simple SWOT analysis into a prioritized Action Plan with three 'Quick Wins' for the department.  This process helped clarify the priorities of the management team and allowed the entire team a central focus in accomplishing our goals.
Presented by: Alex Underwood, The University of Arizona; Cori Cashen, The University of Arizona: Irene Delgado, The University of Arizona
Topic Track(s): Leadership, Registrar

2020 is one of the most unpredictable, volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous years any of us have ever experienced. It seems as though everything, including our normal lives, has been canceled. But what if 2020 isn't canceled? What if this is the year we all needed to put us in an uncomfortable state in order to learn, grow, and become better individuals, families, communities, and society? We will conduct an interactive discussion regarding strategies for handling our current reality.  Come prepared to share your experiences, strategies, and tips for coping with and effectively navigating this uncertain time.
Presented by: Andrea Siegrist-Baez, University of Phoenix; Audra McQuarie, University of Phoenix
Topic Track(s): Diversity/Inclusion, Leadership
 

 A5: Strategies for effective communication across cultures

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people, whether they like it or not, are working remotely. Technology has allowed people to create their own offices anywhere; however, communication can be more difficult. Without face-to-face contact, remote workers must be intentional about communicating with co-workers, bosses, employees, students, faculty, and others. The transition may warrant a change in communication channels and styles, but effective communication is more critical than ever. Cultural values may be reflected in the relative importance of the conversational constraints, which in turn affect choices of conversational strategies (Kim, 1994). This session aims to explore the importance of strong communication strategies and tactfulness for relationship building across cultures by reviewing different communication styles in a safe space as it pertains to practicing inclusion and tolerance for the Human Race.
Presented by: Marcedes Butler, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Ruth Garay, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Topic Track(s): Diversity/Inclusion, Leadership
 

 A6: Path of an Enrollment Services Vice President

Have you ever wondered what you need to do to grow your career? What is the experience and background of a vice president? This presentation will walk down the path of one current Student Services Vice President. From financial aid to athletic director to registrar, Steve will share insight regarding experiences and skills that were important in his journey to his current position.
Presented by: Steve Ashpole, Bates Technical College
Topic Track(s):  Leadership, Enrollment Management
 

 A7: Transfer Credit Roundtable

A roundtable discussion about transfer credit practices for both Registrar's and Admission offices.
Presented by: Sean Pattison, UCLA Registrar's Office
Topic Track(s): Admission, Registrar
 

A8: You know who, but do you know where?: Uncovering new recruitment opportunities in a test optional world | Vendor Session

Faced with an unprecedented pandemic, colleges and universities across the globe have had to mobilize an entirely virtual admissions process. Without the reliability of the ACT/SAT and in person events, counselors must find new ways to discover potential applicants. With Parchment Recruit, undergraduate admission teams can leverage data gathered from the country’s largest credential exchange to uncover new recruitment opportunities from high schools who weren’t on your radar pre-pandemic. Recruit also provides real time access to student inquiries - all hand raisers who have expressed interest in your institution. Join us for our session to learn how Parchment can help you grow your applicant pool in these uncertain times.
Presented by: Heather Hoskins, Parchment
 

A9: Student Transfer on the Rise | Vendor Session

Covid-19 brought campuses to a standstill, and the impacts continue as institutions project more transfer students and more transferred credit in the coming years. Institutions have a responsibility to communicate transfer information and help students stay on track, and there is a recruitment opportunity to increase enrollment by publicizing equivalencies. Transferology® is the only nationwide network, with nearly 400 member institutions, designed to help students to see how their courses will transfer, apply toward a degree (for schools who integrate their degree audit), and view pathway agreements, programs, school profiles, and more. In this session we will give a demo of the student experience on Transferology.com and review the tools built for staff in the Transferology Lab.
Presented by: Shelley Jackson, CollegeSource, Inc

 

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, DigiPen Institute of Technology's admissions office conducting all evaluations using paper files, but when it became clear Washington state would be under a stay home order, the evaluation process had to move online rapidly. In this session I will share the steps we took to create an online system with multiple users, what worked and didn't work, and lessons learned.
Presented by: Emily Kirby, DigiPen Institute of Technology; Laurie Heath, DigiPen Institute of Technology
Topic Track(s): Admission, Enrollment Management, Technology Solutions/Practical Tools

 
B2: Shaken Into Action: Emergency Planning for the Registrar's Office

Following one of the largest earthquakes in U.S. history, the Registrar's Office at the University of Alaska Anchorage scrambled to relocate 80+ sections from an extended site to main campus in 48 hours without access to their office space and many campus resources. Learn how this massive 7.1 quake shook up more than just the ground and led to improved emergency preparedness, space utilization and cross- campus collaboration.
Presented by: Lindsey Chadwell, University of Alaska Anchorage; Alyona Selhay, University of Alaska Anchorage
Topic Track(s): Registrar

 
B3: Removing Barriers to Help Students Succeed

Most colleges and universities have many unintended barriers hitting students as they navigate our processes and pursue their education.  At Utah Valley University, we have spent over two years identifying and removing our 50 barriers to support our students.  Data collected from students each semester informs our efforts and provides valuable insights to how these changes have impacted student experiences.  This session will walk participants through our process of developing a student survey, identifying barriers, and working across campus to remove barriers.
Presented by: Andrew Stone, Utah Valley University; Eric Humphrey, Utah Valley University: Kris Coles, Utah Valley University
Topic Track(s): Admission, Data/Analytics/Assessment, Enrollment Management, Student Success/Persistence

 
B4: How do you like the sound of documentation and procedures?

Envision this: dusty old binders and desk manuals on a bookcase; each piece containing highlights (in actual highlighter marker...faded as it may be) and red pen "notes" as procedures have changed, tabs for ease of flipping through, slathered in sticky notes. Sound outdated...or all too familiar?
If the latter, bring your office into the modern century using electronic-based procedures. This session will focus on the importance of departmental standard operating procedures, how we use Google docs to share them, and the processes for keeping them maintained and up to date. We will share our best practices for how these have been implemented and shared at a multi-campus institution. We will review our standard training plans as well for onboarding new staff. Examples and templates will be included.
Presented by: Melissa Frey, Chemeketa Community College; Eme Smith, Chemeketa Community College: Amy Clark, Western Oregon University
Topic Track(s): Registrar, Technology Solutions/Practical Tools
 

 B5: Navigating Change In a Virtual Higher Education World

The onset of COVID-19 required many institutions to pivot and modify classrooms and services into a virtual format almost overnight.  In most cases these changes were rapid in response to an unprecedented event so the ability to review and share best practices and utilize change management were bypassed in order to address immediate needs.  In this session we will reflect on the institutional experience in quickly shifting to a virtual format, and discuss best practices in change management and supporting students in a remote environment.
Presented by: Marc Booker, University of Phoenix
Topic Track(s): Leadership
 

An opportunity to dialogue, share information, ask questions, network and brainstorm for allies and those who identify as LGBTQIA+.
Presented by: Kathy Rank, Arizona State University
Topic Track(s): Diversity
 

B7:Student Success is Your Success: What's New from the National Student Clearinghouse? | Vendor Session

Whether you have partnered with us for years, or are new to the Clearinghouse, this session is for you! Come learn about our services and how we can help your institution better serve your students. In this session, we will cover important information about our core services and our new initiatives. We will talk about MyHub, our new Transcript Services initiatives (including Third Party Ordering - Admissions, our new PeopleSoft integration and Next Generation API), Student Tracker/Student Tracker Premium, and our Post Secondary Data Partnerships program.
Presented by: Paul Wright, National Student Clearinghouse
 

B8: The Evolving Role Of The Registrar: Leveraging Technology Effectively On Campus | Vendor Session

Fasten your seatbelt and prepare to be launched into the 21st century! During this virtual ride, Jennifer Creech from Chaminade University of Honolulu will share the journey of creating a vision for the team beyond the record keeper and policy intreptur. Hear how she moved to a new institution and immediately leveraged new technology to produce data to facilitate informative discussions and discovering ways they can now leverage student success through identified channels. She will also share how to rally departments across campus to generate buy-in, and how to empower faculty and staff to become more efficient with the software platform selected.
Presented by: Jennifer Creech, Chaminade University of Honolulu
 

B9: Agility, accuracy, and efficiency are needed now more than ever | Vendor Session

CourseLeaf provides a suite of tools for managing curriculum change, catalog publication, schedule planning, and syllabi production. Leepfrog clients are relying on their software to help them react quickly as they face crisis that impact staff bandwidth, budgets and changes in class delivery. Leepfrog Technologies will share product highlights that save you, your faculty, and your students time and stress. Highlights include:

Presented by: Bryan Blackwell, Leapfrog Technologies, Inc

Privilege: Unseen, Unacknowledged and Undermining Equity and Inclusion
In this session, participants will gain a broader impression of the breadth of differences that contribute to societal privilege.  Through exploring common unproductive behaviors that show up in allyship, they will see and understand the insidious nature of privilege, how it perpetuates and preserves systemic oppression. Applying Melia's EMBRACE model, participants will take away a strategy for personal development to advance social justice.

Admissions outreach efforts vary as widely as the interests and needs of our prospective students. If you've ever noticed the prospective students in the back of your tour group, at the edge of your college fair table, with questions in their eyes but without any move to ask them - let's talk! Whether you're looking for different ways to engage your quieter audiences, or are a self-identified introvert looking to reflect and expand on your own approach to admissions outreach, this space is here for you.
Presented by: Amanda Gadian, DigiPen Institute of Technology
Topic Track(s): Admission, Diversity/Inclusion

 
C2: Registrars: Higher Education's New 2020 Super Heroes!

As institutions in Washington State were the first in the country to respond to the COVID-19 global pandemic, which started in our backyard, never before were registrars needed more. We were there to advise on grading, registration, P/F, adjusting calendars, changing fees and deadlines, and to be the go-to subject matter experts for policies and procedures. Let's share lessons learned and to reaffirm the core competencies registrar folk embrace, which earned us our superhero capes in 2020.
Presented by: Helen Garrett, University of Washington; Andrea Coker-Anderson, University of Washington: Pamela Lundquist, University of Washington
Topic Track(s): Leadership

 
C3: Two Sides of the Same Coin: How to Identify Your Leadership Style

Offices of admissions and registrars are places filled to the brim with different personality types, work styles and leadership approaches. Being a leader and navigating supervision in dynamic places like these can be challenging even if you’re a veteran manager. In this session, participants will learn how to identify their leadership style(s) and how they can shift their style depending on their employees. Using real world examples, our hope is that the audience will walk away with a new found confidence in their own leadership skills as well as some new techniques in identifying different types of employee work styles.
Presented by: Jennifer Nehus, Eastern Washington University; Gabriel Chavez Garcia, Eastern Washington University
Topic Track(s): Leadership

 
C4: WIPT Good: How We Created a Process, Changed Directions, and Learned to Trust Each Other

Enrollment Services began an odyssey of defining much more than language, including one key moment when everything changed. This session will highlight leadership strategies, listening to your staff, and trusting your instincts.
Presented by: Karl R. Smith, Everett Community College
Topic Track(s): Registrar

 
C5: Training your campus

Best practices for developing and implementing training programs for new systems that support current staff and can easily integrate into onboarding programs.
Presented by: Nicole Mendoza, Stanford University
Topic Track(s): Leadership, Technology Solutions/Practical Tools

 
C6: BIPOC Professionals Roundtable

A roundtable discussion for and about BIPOC professionals. This is our moment to connect, discuss issues & possible solutions, vent, and support each other.
Presented by: Soraira Urquiza, AFI Conservatory, American Film Institute
Topic Track(s): Diversity/Inclusion
 

C7: How a Single Credential Management Platform Made a Difference at Western Oregon University | Vendor Session

Would your Registrar Department benefit from having more time to complete projects and focus on tasks that don't include manual processes? What does a single credential management platform look like? Join us, as we take a look at how having a single platform for transcript and diploma services will change how Western Oregon University tackles this upcoming year.
Presented by: Holly Luky, Parchment; Amy Clark, Western Oregon University
 

C8: Paradigm: Credentialing at its best. The easiest, quickest, most advanced solutions for both paper and electronic credentials in the industry! | Vendor Session

Graduates need their diplomas faster than ever before, for job applications, graduate school acceptance, certifications, social media sharing and more, both internationally and domestically. Solution: Paradigm offers the most comprehensive credential platform for both its clients and their learners. Come and participate in this informative session as we reveal the details of PIE, the Paradigm Integrated Experience, featuring our exquisite printed diplomas, our leading digital CeDiploma®, CeCertificate®, and the ScholarRecord®(CLR), together with our optimized services DirectShip™ to the students, MyHold™, and MyReorder™. All integrated with affordable presentation products for your ceremonies and the most efficient turnaround times, we make life easier for you and your staff while your learners experience exceptional results!
Presented by: Elizabeth Kunde, Paradigm, Inc

 

C9: TES®, “the” Essential Transfer Software | Vendor Session

The number of students who will transfer is expected to rise, and many institutions are hoping to close the gap on enrollment shortfalls by recruiting and admitting more transfer students. TES, the Transfer Evaluation System from CollegeSource is a powerful all-in-one solution for researching transfer credit, exploring changes in curricula, routing and tracking evaluation tasks, and managing equivalencies. TES is backed by a database of over 125 million course descriptions and 155 thousand college catalogs. Already used by more than 2,000 colleges and universities, this is “the” essential tool for anyone responsible for making/managing transfer credit decisions. In this session we will dive into the most popular features and functionality in TES.
Presented by: John Panzica, CollegeSource,Inc
 

Micro-credentials and digital badges are being explored and implemented on many campuses. These programs promote faculty innovation and provide students with a credential to communicate additional skills and knowledge. They also can help attract new students, increase student engagement, and promote work force development.  Because they fall outside of traditional curricula, they can pose challenges to structures, policies and processes.  Learn about one campus' journey toward implementing a comprehensive micro-credential program.
Presented by: Kristi Wold-McCormick, University of Colorado Boulder; Noah Geisel, University of Colorado Boulder
Topic Track(s): Enrollment Management, Leadership, Registrar

 
D3: PACRAO Leadership Development Institute:  Listen to Our New Leaders

PACRAO's Leadership Development Institute (LDI) promises to provide a transformational experience to a new group of aspiring leaders each year.  Listen as members from the most recent cohort share their stories.  Let them be heard, as they present the ways that they are changing their communities, supported by the information and inspiration supplied by each other and by the LDI faculty.  Come meet the future leaders of PACRAO and our profession.
Presented by: Julia Pomerenk, University of Oregon
Topic Track(s): Diversity/Inclusion, Leadership

 
D4: Managing ADHD - Helping Neurodiversity Work For Your Institution

Diagnoses of ADHD have only gone up in the US over the last 10 years, and eventually you will have someone in your office who lives with this condition. This session talks about what ADHD is, what it feels like to live with it, and how you can apply practical solutions to make the power of the ADHD brain work for your department, harnessing the incredible energy and creativity to put it to productive use.
Presented by: Katherine Cable, Southern Oregon University
Topic Track(s): Diversity/Inclusion, Technology Solutions/Practical Tools

 
D5: Diversity Development Book Club: How to Be an Inclusive Leader

This will be an interactive discussion on the book How to Be an Inclusive Leader: Your Role in Creating Cultures of Belonging Where Everyone Can Thrive by Jennifer Brown.  Registration will occur in advance for this session and books will be sent to those registered prior to the virtual conference for session discussion.
Presented by: Audra McQuarie, University of Phoenix
Topic Track(s): Diversity/Inclusion

 
D6: Working and Parenting in a Pandemic

No matter the age of your child or how many children you have, you've experienced the struggles of balancing a full-time/part-time job and teaching/raising your children during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Join us for testimonies, tips and open discussion.
Presented by: Peyton Coronas, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Topic Track(s): Diversity/Inclusion, Leadership

 
D7: Records and Grades - Changes Due to COVID-19

This session will focus on how Yavapai College adjusted enrollment statuses and grading to accommodate students during the COVID crisis. We are a Banner school, and we will include screenshots of the Banner forms involved.
Presented by: Sheila Jarrell, Yavapai College
Topic Track(s): Registrar, Technology Solutions/Practical Tools
 

 D8: Modernizing Your Student System Experience with Workday | Vendor Session

 

D9: How To Prepare For Your Scanning & Conversion Project  | Vendor Session

Do you want to be an effective data user? To be effective you need to have the ability to search, locate, and use your organization’s information quickly and accurately. Digitally scanning your records gives you this ability, but the process to convert your hard copies to digital can seem daunting. To prepare you for a scanning and conversion project, some key areas to focus on include: the amount and type of records you’re digitizing; the indexing specifications to organize your digital files; your purchasing process; and selecting a qualified conversion partner. In our virtual session, we’ll show you how to approach these and other key items so you can create and execute a successful project.
Presented by: Jake Walker, BMI Imaging Systems, Inc.

 

Rebecca Mathern, PACRAO President | Associate Provost and University Registrar, Oregon State University
PACRAO Executive Board

USC, partnering with CollegeSource, developed a service to enable student prospects to self-report their completed and IP course data.  The service provides validation of course data --  properly formatted prefix and suffix -- based on data found in existing CollegeSource data sets.   The self reported data is ready for consumption within most ERP Transfer Articulation systems.   For our 2020 pilot, nearly 1/3 of prospects successfully submitted self reported data.
Presented by: Matt Bemis, USC; Eric Kidder, USC: Tim Horzmann, CollegSource
Topic Track(s): Admission, Data/Analytics/Assessment, Enrollment Management, Registrar, Technology Solutions/Practical Tools

 
E3: FERPA Group Counseling: Don't Let FERPA Keep You Up at Night

In this session, we will review the basics of FERPA while also delving into nuances that can often trip us up. We’ll discuss technology, identity verification, parents, and more. This is an interactive session so be prepared to share your FERPA challenges and your FERPA solutions so that we all can get a little more sleep.
Presented by: Kristin Benson, Oregon State University
Topic Track(s):

 
E4: Keeping It Fresh:  Considering and Implementing New Perspectives, Over Time and Across All Levels

Description:
For ongoing professional development, we value fresh ideas and want to encourage new perspectives across our organizations.  Yet sometimes we may feel stale in a long-term position, at a long-term institution, or in a lower-level position.  How can we keep it fresh, for ourselves, for our colleagues, and for our institutions? During this panel presentation, we will talk about the importance of considering and implementing new perspectives in our work.  We will share examples of introducing new perspectives and share ways to encourage freshness in our colleagues and in ourselves.  You will learn ways to remain current with trends and innovations, regardless of the level of your position or the length of time in a position or at an institution.
Learning Outcomes:

Presented by: Julia Pomerenk, University of Oregon; Biljana Jovanovska, Washington State University, Vancouver
Topic Track(s): Leadership

This session will provide an update on transfer initiatives, policies, practices, with the new reality of COVID-19.
Presented by: Michele Sandlin, AACRAO; Mickey Reynolds, AACRAO
Topic Track(s): Admission, Diversity/Inclusion, Enrollment Management, Registrar, Student Success/Persistence

 
E6: PAC-12 Registrar Roundtable: Compare best practices, benchmark current processes and ask questions of your fellow PAC-12 colleagues.

This session would be a roundtable discussion for PAC-12 Registrars, Associate Registrars and Assistant Registrars. The basis of this session will be to compare best practices, benchmark current processes and ask questions of your fellow PAC-12 colleagues. Please come prepared with a few topics you would like to discuss and the moderator will also provide some discussion points and topics.
Presented by: Reid Kallman, University of Colorado Boulder

Topic Track(s): Registrar

 
E7: Virtual Recruitment Conversations

Let’s gather to check in about how our virtual fall has gone. What have you learned? What are your success stories? Where are you still trying to find ways to engage students and their families?
Presented by: James Miller, Seattle University
Topic Track(s): Admission
 

E8: Modernizing with Workday: Lessons Learned from Evaluating, Selecting, and Preparing for the Implementation of a New Student System | Vendor Session

The decision to move to a new student information system is a once-in-a-generation process for most institutions. As hundreds of institutions are expected to make such a decision over the next decade, it is critical to hear the perspectives of those who have recently completed such a process. This session will be a moderated panel discussion in which Workday customers share their experiences and lessons learned from evaluating, selecting, and preparing for the implementation of Workday within their campus communities.
Presented by: Joellen Shendy, Workday; Ravi Ravishanker, Wellesley College; Jeff Allen, The Ohio State University; Mike Anderson, The Ohio State University

 

E9: How to Make Learner Records More Flexible, Descriptive and Transportable | Vendor Session

It is wise to observe: “not all learning is done in the classroom!” This is certainly true at an institution such as Indiana University at Bloomington, which has defined and accentuated the value of leaning in many common, but often overlooked, contexts. The Hoosier Experience program is designed to help incoming learners to the University to immediately broaden their learning horizons and orient them to the resources available to them on campus. Creating a record of these activities undoubtedly encourages leaners to explore and begin to develop nascent narratives of their learning journeys. During this session, you will be exposed to what a learning record is and how it can be represented. This session also will introduce you to the value of adopting a new, structured data standard to organize the information and export it, both to create the official record itself, as well as give learners the capacity to send that information anywhere they wish. Outcomes for this session includes imparting answers to the following: what is a CLR (comprehensive learner record); why is a CLR important; what can institutions do to collect non-curricular learning activities; and how to represent learner achievements while making the information exportable and usable by social media programs and other downstream systems.
Presented by: Thomas Black, Paradigm, Inc