SACRAO Fall 2019 Newsletter

Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers

NEWSLETTER

Fall 2019

Inside this issue: »»

President’s Letter

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Nomination and Election Committee Results

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Treasurer’s Report

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SACRAO Planning Well Under Way

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Do you want to represent SACRAO at SROC?

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SACRAO’s 2020 Conference Planning Dream Team

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Register for the SACRAO 2020 Annual Conference

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Announcing the new SACRAO Website and Membership Database

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State Association Updates

Thanksgiving Dear SACRAO, Thanksgiving is around the corner, therefore in the spirit of the season I would like to use this platform to send some appreciation.

To the SACRAO membership Thank you for your patience as we migrate to a more robust and effective platform, MemberClicks.

Registration opened for the conference a bit later this year, but it is our hope that this system will serve SACRAO and its members with greater ease. You should have received an email inviting you to the new SACRAO website.

To the Alexandria LAC I think Hope Reynolds, LAC Chair, must have taken a sabbatical to work on SACRAO 2020 because I don’t understand how she has time in the continued...

day for all she is preparing! The 2020 LAC is creating quite the Presidential experience. Thank you for the long hours, creativity, and persuasive negotiating to bring us a wonderful conference.

To the N&E Committee As part of scaling back on expenses, the N&E Committee meeting occurred virtually this year. Thank you to Emily White and her committee for the flexibility and for selecting a wonderful slate.

To Jon Reece and Kim Barber Jon has worked extensively to create a more effective budget and transparency between the EC treasurer and the LAC. Kim is the wizard that is making MemberClicks a reality. They have both dedicated extreme amounts of time to this organization and it is so appreciated. Their expertise has been priceless.

To Dusty Duncan Dusty served as the VP for States, Regionals, and Membership until late October. He was given a wonderful job opportunity that was unfortunately outside of higher education. Even though he is no longer involved with the organization, he still makes himself available to answer any questions as the EC shares his VP duties. We will miss him, but I did give him a good scolding about keeping in touch.

To the Program VPs and Program Committees Rounding up sessions and presenters is never an easy job. This year Megan Mitchell, Kim Taylor, Cynthia Terry, TJ Smith, Ronnie Chalmers and all their committees rustled up some fantastic content. Thank you for all your hard work.

To the SACRAO EC It has been such a privilege to work with this SACRAO EC. Thank you to all who represented SACRAO at a State meeting this year. In addition to the ones mentioned above, thank you to Angela Brockelsby for all her work on this newsletter, the journal and awards, Justin Schilke for management of guidebook, and Brandy Piner for keeping our records in line. And last but not least, my counterparts Steve McLeod and Andy Green for great collaboration, we are the Prez Trio!

I can’t wait to see everyone in Alexandria, Virginia, February 1-5, 2020.

Sincerely,

President of SACRAO

Nomination and Election Committee Results The Nominations and Elections committee met in mid-October to select the 2020-2021 slate of officers.

Nominees for SACRAO Executive Committee: President-Elect

Kimberly Taylor

University Registrar

University of Kentucky

Program Vice President for Recruiting, Admissions and Enrollment Management

Charles Bedsole

Vice President for Enrollment Management

Arkansas Tech University

Program Vice President for Topics in Higher Education

Edward Trombley

Registrar

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide

Secretary

Julie Taylor

Director of Admissions

University of North Alabama

Vice President for Information Technology

Melissa Hyatt

Associate University Registrar

Texas State University

Vice President for Program and Evaluation

Wayne Banks

Registrar

Southern Arkansas University Tech

Vice President for States/ Regionals and Membership

Karen Beckett

University Registrar

University of Miami

Nominees for SACRAO 2020 N&E Committee.

These SACRAO members have agreed to be placed on the Nominations and Elections ballot for 2020. Voting occurs after the Annual Conference.

Ryan Garrity

Associate Registrar

Tulane University

Louis Jimenez

University Registrar

Texas State University

Brenda Schumann

Director of Records and Registration and Deputy University Registrar

University of Texas at Austin

Matt Cash

Assistant Director of Admission University of South Carolina for Recruitment Beaufort

Tracy Finch

Registrar

Stephanie Baird

Associate Dean for Academics/ Oklahoma Christian University Registrar

C. Allan Lockett

Associate Registrar

Roanoke College

Melissa Johnson

Director of Recruitment and Student Experience

Aiken Technical College

Arkansas State University

Thank you to the N&E committee for all your hard work!

CHAIR - Emily White, Jacksonville State University CHAIR-ELECT - Patrick Frazier, Western Carolina University

MEMBER - Ken Foshee, University of Alabama MEMBER - Lillian Owens, Jefferson State Community College MEMBER - Jessica Brock, Arkansas Tech University

Treasurer’s Report

by Jonathan Reece, Treasurer

SACRAO Account Balances as of October 15, 2019 Checking: $8,333.08 Savings: $54,521.72 PayPal: $500.00 Total: $63,354.80 There is one outstanding check in the amount of $301.48 (not included above) that have not hit our account, related to the SACRAO representation at West Virginia ACRAO. Our annual audit and tax filings with Jennings Cook (our audit firm) was received the day after our last newsletter. There were three findings related primarily to the recent annual meeting in Baton Rouge: 1) significant annual meeting revenue loss, resulting in liabilities absorbed by the association, 2) tracking of LAC nonpayment of registration fees and association nonpayment of member dues, and 3) monthly LAC PayPal statements were not retained as they should have been. These findings have been reviewed by the Executive Committee and shared with the 2020 Local Arrangements committee. It is expected that these findings will not present themselves again in the future. The SACRAO Treasurer will share this information and expectations with future LAC chairs.

I appreciate the opportunity to serve this great organization. I hope your fall semester is progressing and you enjoy the upcoming holidays.

P.S. --- Keep an eye out for your 2019-20 membership renewal. We are a little behind as we transition to a new membership management system. Dustin Duncan has stepped outside of SACRAO and thus your primary contact has changed, please contact me at sacraotreasurer@gmail.com.

All-Call to Serve on Distinct Populations and Program Distinct Populations and Program are seeking persons to assist with conference developing program session workshops relating to access and equity, campus to campus affairs, international affairs, veteran, and athletic affairs.

If you are interested, please email TJ Smith at tjsmith@sheltonstate.edu.

SACRAO 2020 Planning Well Under Way

by Steve McLeod, SACRAO President-Elect

The SACRAO Executive Committee met in Alexandria, VA in late June to plan the 2020 SACRAO Annual Conference. In the shadow of Washington, DC, this conference should definitely be a “presidential� experience. The program vice-presidents worked hard to bring together sessions, workshops, and forums that would appeal to our constituents. We are contacting presenters and working to finalize the program.

SACRAO will hold its 73rd Annual Conference all under one roof, at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, so no matter the weather we should be in good shape! Hope Reynolds serves as the LAC chair, and is doing a wonderful job to put together a conference that will serve SACRAO well. Old Towne Alexandria is a short Uber ride away, and you will have time to explore the area in the evenings on Saturday and Monday.

We will post an overview of the agenda soon, and registration is open on our new website. Check SACRAO.org for the latest information. I look forward to seeing everyone February 1-5, 2020 in Alexandria, VA!

AACRAO Voting is Open October 14 - November 15 We are excited that several SACRAO members are on the AACRAO ballot!

If you are an AACRAO member, please follow this link to view all the candidates and cast your vote.

If you are unsure of your membership status with AACRAO, contact membership@aacrao.org

Would you like to represent SACRAO in the United Kingdom?

SACRAO has an exchange program with SROC, the Student Records Officers’ Conference based in the United Kingdom. Each year, delegates of SACRAO and SROC attend each other’s conferences. Historically, the President of SACRAO (or other available EC member) is the individual slated to attend the SROC meeting across the pond. For 2020, in addition to the SACRAO President, we would like to send another non-EC SACRAO member as well.

SROC will waive the conference registration fee and SACRAO will pay up to $1200 for travel.

Requirements: »» Must be an active SACRAO member »» Must be able to travel to the SROC Conference in Huddersfield, UK, held April 6-8, 2020 (NOTE: These dates conflict with the AACRAO Annual meeting for 2020) »» Have a valid passport, or ability to get one in time »» Willingness to represent SACRAO with professionalism and share best practices »» Present a session/panel at SROC »» Share what you learn with SACRAO membership through an article for the newsletter »» Complete a personal statement of 500 words (max) as your application »» Have the support of your institution/supervisor allowing you to travel and attend an international conference

Application Deadline for the 2020 SROC Conference is February 1, 2020.

Please send the following information to SACRAO President Cié Gee at Ginnifer.Gee@utsa.edu. »» »» »» »»

500 word application letter explaining your desire to represent SACRAO Name, title, phone, email Current institution List of SACRAO activities

Decision will be made by the SACRAO EC. If you have specific questions about this conference, please do not hesitate to contact the SACRAO President, Cié Gee at Ginnifer.Gee@utsa.edu.

Incidents of SPAM coming from a SACRAO Executive member has increased.

The SACRAO EC will: »» Never ask you for gift cards. »» Never ask you to pay a corporate partner directly. »» Never ask you to send money directly to an individual.

If an email looks phishy… please don’t hesitate to ask about its authenticity.

SACRAO 2020’s Conference Planning Dream Team!

As you can see, planning the 2020 conference has a lot of moving parts, and every chairperson listed is in need of additional volunteers to help assist them fulfill their conference role. If you work closely with any of the 2020 chairs, please take a moment to thank them for their commitment to VACRAO and SACRAO! VACRAO is extremely excited to be hosting SACRAO here in the beautiful state of Virginia, and I am asking that our membership work together to build and promote an extraordinary conference experience for our regional members. Thank you all!!!

Sincerely, Hope Reynolds

Ashley Browning, Hollins University, Corporate Partners Chair

Mallory Griffith, Radford University, Publicity and Publications Chair

Ashley will be working to attract partners to exhibit and present exhibitor track presentations at the annual meeting.

Mallory will promote the annual meeting through utilization of exhibitor space, distribution of door prizes and presentations at the annual meeting one year out. She will also make announcements to membership throughout the SACRAO newsletter and email distribution list.

Whitney Pitschke, Radford University, Social and Catered Events Chair Whitney will work to provide a variety of social events and enrichment opportunities for the non-program meeting times throughout the annual meeting.

Jason Ferguson, Hampden-Sydney College, Hotel and Hospitality Chair

Alana Davis, Randolph Macon College, Registration Chair

Jason will serve as the hotel contact at the Annual Meeting and will coordinate the Hospitality Suite during the annual meeting.

Alana will be in charge of providing an orderly process for registering members attending the annual meeting and help generate reports during and after the meeting.

Sarah Boswell, Jefferson College of Health Sciences, Physical Arrangements Chair Sarah will provide room, seating arrangements, audio/visual equipment and signs for workshops, program sessions, special events and committee meetings prior to and during the meeting.

Barbara Rowe, Washington and Lee University, Transportation and Outings Chair Last but not least, Barbara will be responsible for ensuring that adequate air and ground transportation is available for the annual meeting. In addition she will find tours to local education, historical or entertainment attractions available for conference attendees.

SACRAO 2020 Alexandria, VA

Dear SACRAO Membership, The LAC can’t wait to see you all in Alexandria, Virginia in February! Presidential preparations continue to keep the LAC very busy during these fall months!

Conference registration is now open on SACRAO’s new website, and we would like to encourage you to register for the conference by the early bird deadline of January 3, 2020. After that deadline, the registration fee will increase by $50.00. Please make sure to join the SACRAO Facebook page for special door prize drawing announcements for conference registrants!!

Corporate partners who will be joining us, please know that there is a separate corporate partner registration form that can be found on your webpage: https://sacrao.memberclicks.net/exhibitor-info-registration The 73rd annual conference will be held at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, and all conference festivities will take place at the hotel – so we strongly encourage you to make your reservations at this location. Again, the room rate is $129.00 and reservations can be made at the following link using the Group Code: SACR https://book.passkey.com/ gt/217341162?gtid=3dbfb4d91b8bb9b977099ec9fb938533 We are also excited to announce many entertaining conference activities.

Courseleaf is kicking off the conference with “Leepfrog’s Legislative Pomp & Circumstance Keynote Presentation” with Dr. Michael “Doc Nix” Nickens and the Green Machine Ensembles from George Mason University.

After an inspiring address, we will have you up on your feet and adrenaline flowing for our reception with our corporate partners.

National Student Clearinghouse will cap off Sunday evening by hosting a “Patriotic Powder Puff Viewing Event”.

Prior to the Big Event on Tuesday evening, Paradigm will be sponsoring a “Presidential Happy Hour” where we will enjoy camaraderie and cocktails….followed by College Scheduler’s “Constitutional Conga Line after Dinner Dance Party” after the featured Capitol Steps.

Finally, Parchment will close the conference by hosting the “Bipartisan Breakfast Plenary Speaker” comedian Brett Leake, as we share laughs prior to saying our goodbyes.

Along with a great meeting agenda, there are many reasons to travel to Northern Virginia. »» ACCESSIBLE: Travel in is easy with The Hilton Alexandria Mark Center just five miles from Ronald Reagan National Airport and complimentary airport shuttle »» AFFORDABLE: Alexandria was named #1 Best Value U.S. Travel Destination 2018 by MONEY magazine.

Room rates are an affordable $129/night even though we’re in the DC metro area! »» UNIQUE VENUE: The Hilton Mark Center is a modern 30-story hotel and retreat center with heated indoor/outdoor pool, health club, and jogging paths located in the West End of Alexandria, Virginia. »» SIGHT-SEE: Come early or stay late for planned tours of greater DC sites, or enjoy a self-guided trip to The Mall to visit one of the many free Smithsonian Museums. Complimentary hotel shuttle rides to the Metro allows for easy travel to the attractions, monuments and business district of Washington, DC or Pentagon City. »» ENTERTAINMENT: The SUPER BOWL on Sunday night, an evening in OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA, and our big event that includes a performance by THE CAPITOL STEPS! »» SESSIONS EXTRAORDINAIRE: From Sunday workshops, professional and plenary sessions, and morning Presidential Pilates, rich and varied professional and personal development opportunities are planned.

Finally, we are also very pleased to announce the following opportunity for our conference attendees:

DC area tours with SACRAO discount!

Two private ‘DC at Dusk’ tours are scheduled for SACRAO members and family with convenient pick-up and drop-off at the Hilton Mark Center hotel. They are Saturday, February 1 and Sunday, February 2, both at 7:30p-10:30p at only $35.99 per person (normally $62.99). Details for registration (separate from the SACRAO conference registration) are posted at https://usaguidedtours.com/sacrao/.

SACRAO members and family can get a 15% discount on any USA Guided Tours in the Washington DC area between now and February 9, 2020. Popular greater DC tours include Best of DC – VIP Tour, DC Deluxe Tour, Discover DC Tour, DC Highlights Tour, African American History tour, Arlington Cemetery & DC Highlights Tour, Old Town Alexandria and Mt Vernon Tour, and more. Instructions for booking those tours can be found at https://usaguidedtours.com/sacrao/ .

Remember – Sail Away to SACRAO…It’s bound to be a Presidential Experience!!

Questions?

Email SACRAO 2020 Local Arrangements Chair Hope Reynolds: hvreynolds@vt.edu

Announcing the New SACRAO Website and Membership Database

by Kim Barber, Vice President of Information Technology

Last year the SACRAO Executive Committee announced plans to investigate changing our website and membership database. That was approved late Spring and we have since been working with MemberClicks to convert our website, database, conference registration, forms, and membership invoice systems to the MemberClicks. I am happy to announce that is effectively complete. I say “effectively” because anyone who has done a system conversion knows there is always work to do after Go Live.

When we Go Live all members will receive (or maybe already have received) an email directing them to log into the new website (this is legit, not a phishing attempt). Your user name will be the email we have on file for you in the SACRAO database. If you recently moved and your email has changed, try the email from your last institution. You will be prompted to set up a password to gain access to the member-only portions of the website like registration, directory searches, etc. From there you will see your profile and can make any updates you would like. Below are a few vocabulary words to help you in your navigation and exploration. »»

“Profile” and “Linked Profiles”: Your institution, educational agency, or corporation will have a profile that includes basic information such as mailing address. In the case of institutions we will also collect information such as FICE, type of school, what membership tier you are at for billing, etc. Your profile as a person is a “linked profile” associated to an institution, educational agency or corporation. Please check this over and make any adjustments needed.

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Ethnicity, Race, and Gender: We have added some data elements that we want to collect information about. These are optional but will help us when considering diversity in our committees and for different awards or scholarships.

Please consider updating these when reviewing your profile.

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Key Contact: We are establishing two key, or primary, contacts for each organization. Key contact(s) will have the ability to see all linked profiles for their organization and make some limited changes. When SACRAO needs to communicate with your organization about something specific, such as invoicing, we will be reaching out to the key contacts. If we need to update your key contacts, simply let us know.

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Logo/Profile Image: Consider updating your personal profile with a headshot or other image of yourself. This image will display in the directory search. Also, consider adding a logo to your institution or organization profile.

As some of you are aware, the conversion has also delayed our membership invoicing. We appreciate your patience. In addition to the new member login emails, membership invoice emails will be going out as well for the 2019-2020 membership year. Invoice pricing is based on the tier of your institution, not the number of members you have. You can have unlimited members from your institution listed in the SACRAO database. So as you are looking over your own profile, consider if there are others in your organization that you would like to add.

In closing, I ask that you continue to be patient as you navigate the new site. As much as we have tested, I expect that we will run into little oddities. Please forward any questions, issues, or concerns with the new site to me and I’ll research and respond as quickly as I can.

Update your Membership Membership invoice emails have been going out within the new MemberClicks system. Please make sure to pay your membership dues for your institution.

If you have questions regarding your institutions membership or invoicing concerns please contact SACRAO Treasurer Jonathan Reece at sacraotreasurer@gmail.com.

State Association Updates FACRAO The Florida Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (FACRAO) Executive Committee, in conjunction with the Florida College Registrars and Admissions Officers (FCRAO) Steering Committee Chair, held a planning meeting in mid-October at the Plaza Hotel in Daytona Beach, FL in preparation for their Higher Education Summit, to be held at the Resort, June 21-25, 2020.

The committee is very excited about the conference they are assembling, which will include an expanded conference program and feature two guest presenters from AACRAO. The Florida College Registrars and Admissions Officers (FCRAO) held their Fall Symposium on September 25-27, at the Hutchinson Shores Resort in beautiful Jensen Beach, FL. Their three-day program brought together staff from Florida College System institutions to share a dynamic program of relevant guest speakers and activities. FACRAO extends their thanks to FCRAO, as Steering Committee Chair Amber McGown invited FACRAO President Edward Trombley and Vice President of Emerging and Specialized Programs Valerie Kisseloff to present the opening session at the Symposium. The group very kindly received their presentation, which discussed collaboration between admission’s officers and registrars.

Save the Date ALACRAO 82nd Annual Meeting June 14-16, 2020 - Mobile, AL

2019-2020 SACRAO Executive Committee »»

Cié Gee - President Associate Vice Provost for CareerEngaged Learning University of Texas at San Antonio

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Brandy Piner - Secretary Senior Associate Registrar University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio

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Tennyson Smith - Program VP Distinct Populations and Programs Director of Recruiting Shelton State Community College

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Steve McLeod - President-Elect Associate Dean Harding School of Theology

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Jonathan Reece - Treasurer University Registrar UNC Charlotte

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Andy Green - Immediate Past President Director of Community Engagement Jacksonville State University

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Hope Reynolds - Local Arrangements Chair Senior Director of Enrollment Management and Registrar Virginia Tech Carillion School of Medicine

Megan Mitchell - Program VP Professional and Personal Development Director of Graduate Admissions and Recruitment Austin Peay State University

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Cynthia Terry - Program VP Records and Academic Services University Registrar University of Alabama at Birmingham

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Kim Barber - Vice President Information Technology University Registrar Florida State University

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Justin Schilke - Vice President Program and Evaluation Senior Associate Registrar Rice University

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Angela Brockelsby - Vice President Communication and Recognition Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Services NC State University

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Ronnie Chalmers - Program VP Recruitment, Admissions and Enrollment Management Director of Strategic Initiatives for Undergraduate Admissions NC State University

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Kim Taylor - Program VP Topics in Higher Education University Registrar University of Kentucky

Call for Nominations Multicultural/Emerging Leader Annual Meeting Scholarship Deadline Extended - November 30, 2019 Submit your nomination online