OACRAO 2025 Conference

Vendor contributions (sponsorships) go to the OACRAO Scholarship Fund

Are you new to OACRAO or attending the conference for the first time? Join us for an informative and welcoming session designed to help you make the most of your membership and your time at the conference. You’ll learn about OACRAO’s mission, structure, and year-round professional development opportunities, as well as how to get involved with committees, events, and leadership roles. Meet members of the Board of Directors and connect with fellow newcomers in a relaxed and supportive setting. Whether you're a registrar, admissions officer, or part of enrollment services, this session will jump-start your OACRAO journey and help you build a network that lasts long after the conference ends.

Come and join colleagues involved in the course scheduling process for a panel discussion on best practices and policies in this critical area for every institution. Scheduling is a challenge, but even more so in a world demanding more flexibility for students than ever before. Come and share your experiences while also learning what other schools are doing to improve the scheduling process for faculty, staff, and students.

Have you ever been in a project planning meeting to implement a new system or feature with IT staff and felt completely lost? In this session we'll explore agile project planning tips to help keep every stakeholder informed, develop testing strategies, hear tips on implementation and communication and hear "real world" successes and failures.

A roundtable to meet and discuss any trends and issues with NSC reporting or changes. A time to ask questions you may have of other institutions.

This session is designed to help leaders, managers, and team members cultivate a more engaged, motivated, and collaborative work environment. We will explore the key principles and practical strategies for fostering a culture of engagement that inspires employees to contribute their best efforts, communicate openly, and work together towards common goals.

Changes with the Department of Education, Senate Bill 1, and the State Budget have all caused colleges and universities to move away from DEI initiatives and programs directed at underrepresented populations. However, most if not all of our schools are still dedicated to increasing the number of people in college and removing the barriers. This session will look at ways that schools can continue to focus on removing barriers and increasing access for students while doing so within the guardrails of existing state and federal restrictions.

The role of a college registrar has transformed significantly in recent years. No longer confined to maintaining student records and managing registration processes, registrars now find themselves balancing a wide array of responsibilities- from data management and compliance to strategic planning and student engagement. In this session, we will explore how registrars can effectively juggle diverse roles, identify key areas for mastery, and become strategic leaders within their institutions.

We understand the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), but we are often challenged when trying to apply it in specific real-life situations. This highly interactive session allows participants to share how they would interpret and apply FERPA regulations in realistic scenarios.

We will discuss different tools to help Registrar's and Admissions Professional to effectively communicate with students and faculty. Tools like ChatGPT can be very helpful in developing clear instructions and information text that makes sense to different audiences.

Registrar's impact retention at many levels. This session will highlight the strategies taken by Kent State University to help retain students and support our colleges. This session will be provided in a relatable way that suits any College or University even with little to no budget.

While the inception of the CTAV database has helped the process of receiving CTAG credit information, the logistics of awarding that credit to students largely remains a fully manual process. Utilizing Raptor technology, which reads any PDF document, the UC Registrar's Office changed the process of awarding CTAG credit from a fully manual process to one that mirrors the automated process of awarding institutional transfer credit.

In this interactive session, participants will explore the essential elements of creating engaging and effective instructional videos tailored for students, faculty, and staff. The session will cover the entire process from planning and scripting to recording and editing, ensuring that attendees leave with practical skills and strategies to enhance their instructional content. Participants will also learn about the latest tools and technologies available for video creation and how to leverage them to produce high-quality videos that meet the diverse needs of their audience.

In this session, we will dive into the strategies for restructuring your enrollment areas to better align with the student journey, increasing your enrollment funnel from leads to recruits, applicants, and ultimately, enrollees. Learn how Owens Community College streamlined communication, enhanced personalized outreach, and created seamless touchpoints across the entire enrollment process. By rethinking how your enrollment teams engage with prospective students, you can improve conversion rates, shorten enrollment cycles, and deliver a more student-centric experience. Participants will walk away with actionable insights on optimizing their strategies for increased enrollment outcomes.

This session will explore different leadership styles and each individual's unique potential. We will highlight that leadership extends beyond titles, as leaders can emerge in all aspects of life. Participants will take a survey to identify their leadership style and discuss how their approach impacts decision-making outcomes.

Whether your registrar’s office is front-and-center with planning the ceremony or stays behind-the-scenes awarding degrees, you will find something in this session for you! This session will cover the following graduation related topics: graduation application process; communicating with students and advisors; ceremony support; degree clearance and reporting; and working with vendors and campus partners.

This session will explore key lessons learned during the implementation of the Admissions and Student modules in Workday, focusing on best practices, common challenges, and effective strategies for a smooth transition. Real-world examples will highlight practical solutions to issues encountered during the process, helping institutions navigate their own implementations. Join us to learn from the experiences of others and ensure a more efficient and successful deployment of Workday’s academic modules.

In this session, we will explore the pivotal role of LCCC's ARC in empowering community college students to persist through challenges and achieve their educational and career aspirations. The ARC provides crucial support by offering resources, guidance, and advocacy tailored to the unique needs of students facing barriers to success. Join us to discover how the ARC-lick center can be a game-changer in helping students stay in college and realize their dreams in your community.

One of the biggest challenges facing leaders at all levels is having confidence in themselves, their abilities, and their worth. This session will help attendees learn more about confronting their own doubts and overcoming imposter syndrome. Note that this will be an interactive session.

Ohio institutions face new requirements under federal ADA regulations, Ohio's budget bill, and Senate Bill 1. This legislation includes significant changes to curriculum approval, faculty workload, and especially syllabus management. This session will highlight what these mandates mean for your campus and how technology can ease the burden of compliance. We'll discuss how Concourse Syllabus streamlines processes, ensures compliance, and enhances transparency for faculty, administrators, and students alike. Attendees will also gain and share insights into how Modern Campus helps institutions adapt efficiently to evolving state and federal mandates while protecting valuable faculty and staff time.

Is your office constantly juggling tasks, submitting work at the last minute, or even missing deadlines? You need a production calendar! In this session, you will learn what makes production calendars different from standard calendars; basic principles for developing a production calendar; how to build a production calendar with tools you already use; and benchmarks to ensure that it becomes not merely a template, but rather an evergreen resource for your office for years to come.

Is your office constantly juggling tasks, submitting work at the last minute, or even missing deadlines? You need a production calendar! In this session, you will learn what makes production calendars different from standard calendars; basic principles for developing a production calendar; how to build a production calendar with tools you already use; and benchmarks to ensure that it becomes not merely a template, but rather an evergreen resource for your office for years to come.

The landscape and evolution of micro-credential initiatives and digital badge issuance is rapidly evolving with many higher ed institutions now offering or planning to offer innovative credentials. This session will focus on one campus' journey (University of Colorado Boulder), including considerations and key players needed for successful campus program. It will also highlight the important role AACRAO is playing on a national and global landscape in regard to learning mobility and learner recognition.

This round table will be a breakout for schools who use the same Student Information Systems (SIS). Attendees will break off into their relative SIS.

The International Institute Pre-Conference Workshop at the 2025 AACRAO Annual Meeting imparted a lot of incredibly helpful information for interpreting and understanding transcripts and credentials that are received from international institutions. The UC Registrar's Office will outline best practices learned during the institute and how we have implemented best practices for international credentials.

In higher education, strong professional relationships are essential for navigating institutional challenges and fostering career growth. This session explores the key relationships that impact the work of registrar and admission professionals, from internal collaborations with the provost’s office to peer networks across institutions. Co-presented by a University Registrar and a former university registrar who transitioned to the provost’s office, this session will provide insights into how strategic relationship-building can enhance efficiency, support institutional goals, and open new career pathways. Attendees will engage in discussions on best practices, real-world examples, and actionable strategies to strengthen professional connections that drive success.

Tired of juggling disconnected tools and outdated processes? In this session, explore how forward-thinking institutions across Ohio are using Parchment beyond transcripts. From streamlining staff workflows to supporting learner mobility, see how one comprehensive platform and trusted partner can help you connect your Admissions, Registrar, and professional learning initiatives in more efficient, learner-centered ways, including:- Automating transcript processing for admissions- Empowering faster transfer admissions using machine learning through Data Automation- Expanding learner success with alternative credentials and Comprehensive Learner Records (CLRs)- Supporting learners with workforce-aligned skills communications through certificates, and digital transcripts and diplomas.

In this interactive workshop, participants will explore the DISC model to better understand their unique communication styles and how to apply this knowledge when interacting with students and teams. Through practical examples and engaging activities, attendees will learn how to identify different communication preferences, enhance collaboration, and foster more effective relationships in educational and team environments. By the end of the session, participants will have actionable strategies to improve communication, reduce misunderstandings, and boost overall team dynamics.

Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) is a complex, time-consuming, cumbersome, and often manual process for HED institutions. ProcessMaker TCE is a solution built by higher ed, for higher ed, to provide institutions a very cost-effective, efficient, and scalable way to automate, optimize, and streamline the TCE process from End-to-End. Attend this session to see a live demo of the solution, and learn about how Muskingum University is leveraging technology to improve their current TCE workflow and process with ProcessMaker.

This roundtable will be a session in which participants can meet to discuss how to navigate difficult or unique case scenarios. Facilitator will bring several scenarios for discussion, but participants are also encouraged to bring cases for discussion. Discussion may involve whether student is eligible for residency, what documents to collect, or how to communicate with students/parents.