Takeaways from AACRAO 2025

A group of people pose for a photo in a restaurant.

UW–Madison was represented at AACRAO 2025 by (standing, left to right) Brittany Elandt, Anne Eckenrod, Aaron Apel, Scott Golueke, Beth Warner, Sarah Stilp, Kelly Norton, Heidi Tuescher-Gille (kneeling, left to right) Will Lipske, My Linh Do, Katie Block, and Ellen Clark.

DEM team members traded one isthmus for another as they headed to Seattle for AACRAO’s 2025 Annual Meeting. The meeting from March 30 to April 2 took place against the backdrop of rapid changes in the higher education landscape. That uncertainty serves as an extra reminder of the importance of engaging and collaborating with peers from across the country on ways to continue best serving our students. Now more than ever, flexibility is crucial for students and staff alike, which was a main theme of this year’s meeting. Whether it’s creating more global learner records or clarity around the transfer of courses, students expect new options that better meet their needs and prepare them for a changing employment landscape. For us as higher education professionals, flexibility is key to keeping up with our growing enrollment and responding quickly to policy shifts at the state and federal levels. Fortunately, our team members are among the best in our field, which was on display throughout the meeting. Here are just a few of the DEM team’s contributions:
  • Beth Warner took part in two panel discussions,
    • One highlighting the importance of advocating for higher education during AACRAO’s annual Hill Day; and
    • One reflecting on the work we did to report Financial Value Transparency (FVT) and Gainful Employment (GE) data and how we can use what we learned in the future;
  • In a panel discussion on using technology to improve students’ enrollment experiences, Aaron Apel highlighted UW–Madison’s custom-built Course Search & Enroll app;
  • Katie Block and Kelly Norton put the spotlight on the work the RO does behind the scenes to coordinate and support students’ graduation experiences;
  • Scott Golueke and My Linh Do facilitated a Transfer Articulation Roundtable to highlight their work in the credit evaluation space; and
  • Ellen Clark shared insights on why projects fail and how to keep that from happening (the biggest tip: define what the project is and especially what the project is not); and
  • On top of all of that, Beth officially began her term as AACRAO’s Vice President for Records and Academic Services!
As a reminder, DEM has an institutional membership to AACRAO, so if you’d like to check out some of the resources shared in Seattle, visit AACRAO’s website.