Making a Splash at WACRAO
This year marked the 92nd annual conference for the Wisconsin Association of Collegiate Registrar and Admissions Officers (WACRAO). Those who attended the conference were instructed to “Make a Splash” in the Wisconsin Dells, and that they did. From presenting, to participating on panels, to being part of a committee, team members from the Office of Admissions, Office of the Registrar, and the Office of the Vice Provost were able to share ideas and make new connections with colleagues from across the Universities of Wisconsin, private institutions and technical colleges.
The conference kicked off with an amazing keynote from UW–Madison’s own Kacie Luchinni Butcher, where she shared about the Public History Project, its goals, and the evolution to the Rebecca M. Blank Center for Campus History. The audience was captivated as they learned about stories of firsts, how our campus is reckoning with its history, and how they can work to uncover some of these stories on their own campuses.
DEM team members and campus partners continued presenting or participating on panels throughout the conference. Aaron Apel, Mahika Mohan, and Ellen Clark gave presentations on project management. Scott Golueke, Julie Meyer, and Lori Christianson were on panels that discussed Transferology and articulation agreements. Kelly Higgins was part of a panel on athletic compliance, Katie Block was on a panel about remote and hybrid work, and Anne Eckenrod and Will Lipske led a catalog roundtable. There were also other members of DEM and campus partners who joined in presenting. Mike Hollander and Justin Mumford presented on the divisional recruitment improvement project. Katie Block was joined by Katherine Charek Briggs from the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center to discuss “The Importance of a Name,” And the dynamic trio of Beth Warner, Sarah Stilp (Division of Continuing Studies), and Bobbie Jean Huerth gave a great presentation titled “Wonder Women: There Are More Than One.”
This conference would not have been possible without the incredible work of a Local Arrangements Committee, led by Will Lipske. Will along with Anne Eckenrod, Ellen Clark, and many other committee members from other institutions collaborated to ensure the best conference experience for all those who attended. From amazing food, to fantastic vendors, to some stellar entertainment of a trivia night and dueling pianos, the conference was a success!
This was also due to the work that WACRAO committees put in prior to the conference to come up with amazing sessions to attend. Several team members from across Admissions and the Registrar are part of the seven different professional committees that were tasked with supplying speakers to fill the conference and other activities to ensure that those who attended were constantly engaged and had opportunities to connect with colleagues. This year that included two new/recent member social events to connect individuals who were experiencing the conference for the first time. Over 25% of conference attendees were first-time attendees.
So, “Make a Splash,” the UW–Madison contingent may have created a wave pool! This conference provided sessions ranging from direct admissions, business meetings, dual credit, high school visits, to Excel tips and tricks and many opportunities to connect and grow with colleagues from beyond campus. Members of DEM will make ripples of those waves with everything they learned and gained from the 92nd WACRAO Annual Conference.