| Pacific Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers |
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| - PACRAO HAS HEART!
Program Highlights - First Time at PACRAO?
- Your Seattle Packing List
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Constitution & Bylaws Proposals
- Nominations & Election Update
- From the Archives: Ellen L. Deering, A Pillar of PACRAO
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Dear ,
As the preparations for P24: PACRAO HAS HEART are in full swing, I hope you enjoy this 'Conference Edition' of the Newsletter. It will have information for those PACRAO Pals who will be joining us soon in Seattle, and general organizational business for those of you who will be joining us in thought from afar! It is a bittersweet moment to compose my final newsletter message to you as President; it feels like just yesterday Kristin handed me the gavel in Portland! This has been an interesting and rewarding year, and I am thankful to all of you in the membership for your great ideas, commitment to our purpose, and support this year.
As I mentioned in the Summer newsletter, there was a vacancy in the Treasurer-Elect role, and I am thrilled to announce that Joshua Reinhold has agreed to return to the board to complete Max Xiong's term. Josh has already made an impact in supporting the board and is in the throes of training and transition planning with Karen. Per our Bylaws, the Treasurer's term extends past the annual conference until the Winter Business meeting to support our fiscal year closing in January. Therefore, Josh will take office as Treasurer in February. I am grateful to him for his commitment; Josh, like PACRAO, has heart!
I am forever grateful for the talented group of volunteers on the committees and on the board who have been working for over a year to deliver PACRAO HAS HEART, and to ensure it will be a fabulous and enriching experience worthy of our association. It has been my honor to be your President this year, and I look forward to seeing many of you very soon in Seattle! Alex Underwood PACRAO President University Registrar | The University of Arizona |
PACRAO's First Pups, Dawson & Bailey, wishing you a Happy Halloween! |
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The End of Burnout Culture
For the past 2 years, PACRAO members have enjoyed learning about the characteristics of FUN & how to integrate them in the workplace. Chelsea is back for Part 3 of this series, which focuses on larger organizational changes that battle burnout and how to advocate for those changes Presented by:
Chelsea Peoples, University of Nevada- Las Vegas CPL and CBE: Are They Siblings, Cousins, or maybe even Frenemies?
With rapid change tied to how learning can be assessed and transferred this has created new challenges for the transfer community on evaluating credit for prior learning or competency-based education. Learn about the similarities and differences between these items and how to build processes to support evaluations on campus. Presented by: Marc Booker, University of Phoenix |
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SHARE YOUR STORY: 2024 ED TALKS |
There is still space to participate in this year’s ED Talks. The theme is “navigating change.” Our work in admissions and the registrar’s office is never static and always shifting, sometimes dramatically, whether we are ready for it - or not! We’ve all experienced the pressures and transformations that change brings. We’d love to hear your stories about how you’ve navigated change - whatever that might mean in your professional life.
You are invited to share your story as part of a panel during the conference. Please fill in and ask any questions you might have on our ED Talk story form. |
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We will be utilizing the Guidebook app for PACRAO HAS HEART! The full schedule and additional information will be posted prior to the conference and all registered participants will recieve an email with the passcode. You can use Guidebook to start planning which of the fabulous sessions you want to attend in each of the session blocks! Prefer to wait? Volunteers at the Registration tables can help you get access! |
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We're so excited to have you join us at PACRAO! Here’s what’s planned to help you make the most of your first conference:
First-Time Attendee Session: November 10, 3:30-4:30 PM Meet your PACRAO Pal, grab some goodies (we’ve got cards and a $20 gift card for the scavenger hunt winner!), and connect with other first-timers! Get to know the PACRAO Board, join a scavenger hunt, and plan your PACRAO experience. PACRAO Pals Meet-Ups (optional) Sunday 3:30 PM – Meet your PACRAO Pal at the First-Time Attendee Session! Monday 7:00 PM – Diversity Development Committee (DDC) Room Meet-up Tuesday 1:30 PM – Lunch with your PACRAO Pal We can’t wait to welcome you and make this conference unforgettable! |
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Your Seattle Packing List |
We’re thrilled to welcome you to Seattle for PACRAO 2024! Get ready to connect, learn, and celebrate all things PACRAO in the city where “PACRAO has heart.” From inspiring sessions to our star-studded Gala, you’re sure to find new friends, memories, and insights to take home. To help you prepare for an unforgettable experience, we’ve crafted this must-have packing list—filled with the essentials and a few fun suggestions too. Can’t wait to see you there!
PACRAO’s Packing List Essentials: - Your smiling face and open heart
- We’re all about connection, so bring your warmth and enthusiasm!
- Business cards
- Perfect for making new connections, whether it’s during a session, at a coffee shop, or waiting for the Seattle ferry.
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Umbrella or rain jacket
- Seattle’s rain is famous, so stay dry and stylish.
- Notebook or tablet
- You’ll want to capture every PACRAO insight and aha moment.
- Comfortable walking shoes
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Between conference events and exploring the city, your feet will thank you!
- Outfit for the Gala
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The "Shoot the Moon" Gala is one for the books! Think card games and card sharks, or channel your inner Queen (or King) of Hearts for the night.
- Reusable water bottle
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Stay hydrated and eco-friendly with this Seattle essential.
- Charger and backup power bank
- There’s too much to see and do to risk a low battery.
- Layered clothing
- Seattle’s weather can be unpredictable, so pack layers for comfort indoors and out.
- A sense of adventure
- Whether it’s trying Seattle’s famous coffee, riding the ferry, or getting a view from the Space Needle, be ready to explore.
- Any personal items
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For the hotel room (snacks, extra chargers, or your favorite travel pillow) to keep you energized and ready each day.
Get ready for an unforgettable time in Seattle with PACRAO—where we’re all about heart, connections, and a whole lot of learning! |
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Diversity Development Committee Update |
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The Diversity Development Committee is excited to share some things you can expect at the conference:
DIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE ROOM
The DDC Room is a place where you can connect with others and recharge (literally and metaphorically; there will be phone chargers available in the room throughout the conference). We will offer a variety of simple games to play with colleagues (think: Uno, cards, etc…), a letter-writing station for PACRAO Gives Back, an arts and mindfulness station, and more!
The DDC Room will be available throughout the conference in-between sessions and planned events. There are some planned opportunities for you to get-together with others in the DDC Room: Monday 11/11 6-9pm Karaoke Lounge - Join us and sing your heart out to your favorite tunes! We will have a mini karaoke machine available for attendees to pick their own songs, and sing along and/or cheer others on!
Tuesday 11/12 3-4pm PACRAO Gives Back Letter Writing Campaign
4-5pm Get ready for the gala together - Join us to get in the PACRAO Spirit! The theme for the gala is “Shoot the Moon”; we will have stickers, face paints, temporary tattoos, and more to help you get decked out! |
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PACRAO GIVES BACK The Diversity Development Committee is excited to announce this year’s PACRAO Gives Back organization: Rainier Scholars!
Now in its 24th year, Rainier Scholars offers a pathway to college graduation for underrepresented students of color in the Seattle and Tacoma areas, most of whom will be the first in their family to earn a college degree. Through a comprehensive 12-year program, Rainier Scholars provides academic enrichment, mental health support, college counseling, and leadership and career development to over 1000 scholars and alumni. Rainier Scholars is committed to eliminating barriers to educational opportunities and growing new generations of diverse college graduates, career professionals, and community leaders.
On Monday, during the Diversity Luncheon, we will have the opportunity to hear from Rainier Scholars about how they support the Seattle community!
The DDC has also coordinated with Rainier Scholars to put together a letter-writing campaign for their students. Letter-writing prompts, envelopes, paper, pens, and stickers are available in the DDC room throughout the conference. There will also be a dedicated time for this campaign during Tuesday’s Lunch on Your Own time (check Guidebook for more details!).
Jump-start our PACRAO Gives Back donations: https://www.rainierscholars.org/donate/ (please include a note that says “PACRAO Gives Back” so we can track donations that come from PACRAO) |
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DDC BOOK CLUB
The DDC is hosting a book club discussion on He/She/They by Schuyler Bailar. He/She/They is rooted in personal narrative, science, and history, which helps to depoliticize the existence of transgender people, and build an understanding of how to be an ally and an advocate! Hosts (Sara Pishny-Foster, and Laura Schonberger) will be providing discussion prompts and providing additional information/resources as necessary and appropriate. Reading ahead is encouraged, not mandatory.
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A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS Make sure to visit with them in the exhibit hall! |
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COURSELEAF PARCHMENT
PARADIGM |
| HIGHPOINT SOFTDOCS
COURSEDOG COLLEGE SOURCE NATIONAL STUDENT CLEARINGHOUSE INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION EVALUATIONS COLLEGENET |
| STELLIC INFOSILEM
WORKDAY EDUCATIONAL CREDENTIAL EVALUATORS THE GRAD TEAM |
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BUSINESS MEETING INFORMATION |
Proposed Constitution and Bylaws Revisions |
Each year, the Past-President works with the PACRAO board to identify edits and changes to the Constitution and Bylaws. PACRAO members have the opportunity to review and vote on the proposed changes at the annual conference.
The proposed changes for this year were sent to membership on October 4, 2024. Since then, we’ve hosted a webinar to discuss the changes in depth. All of the feedback so far has been very positive, though members were able to point out a few typos, missed position title changes, and a small wording suggestion.
Please review the since updated proposals on our Constitution and Bylaw Proposals webpage.
(You may need to clear your cache to see the most up-to-date versions of the PDF proposals.) Electronic voting on these proposed revisions will take place on Monday, November 11. |
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Committees, Elections, Board Positions...Oh My |
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Kristin Benson N&E Chair
PACRAO Past-President |
| Each year, the Nominations & Elections Committee (N&E) gets excited to review nominations for the various roles that allow members to be more involved with PACRAO.
This year, we are recruiting for: - 2025 Nominations & Elections Committee
- President-Elect
- Treasurer-Elect
- Vice President for Publications and Information Technology
- Vice President for Professional Development
- Audit Committee
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Just looking to put your toe in the water? Put your name in the hat for the N&E or join the Program or Local Arrangements Committees.
Just graduating from the Leadership Development Institute? It’s time to nominate yourself for a board position such as the Treasurer or one of the Vice President positions. Been around the block a while? Consider the Audit Committee or the presidency!
Want to nominate an amazing colleague? Submit a nomination form and provide as much information as possible about the nominee. Select “prefer to not say” or “other” on any required fields where you don’t have the requested information. Here is an example of how to get started:
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Please nominate yourself or your colleagues prior to the conference so that we can discuss the roles and responsibilities with you (or your colleague) in person while in Seattle. Nominating yourself or a colleague does not lock them into serving so there’s time for discussion and reflection on the commitment.
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As the current past president and Nominations and Elections (N&E) chair, I along with current N&E vice-chair Sarah Strickler, are happy to present the following slate on behalf of the 2023 N&E Committee.
2024 - 2025 Slate of Candidates: Executive Board |
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President-Elect ERIN COLLINS Pomona College |
| Vice President for Membership SHELLY HSU Cal State - Fullerton |
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Vice President for Diversity Development LAURA SCHONBERGER University of Phoenix |
| Secretary OMAR SAUCEDO UC - San Francisco |
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This slate is to be voted on by membership at the 2024 conference and annual business meeting in Seattle, Washington. |
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Pro tip: save your PACRAO.org password on your phone browser as you will need to login to access business meeting documents and to vote and sometimes it is easier to do that on your phone! |
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Ellen L. Deering, A Pillar of PACRAO |
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This edition of PACRAO Archives covers the prolific PACRAO service record of Ellen L. Deering, University Registrar at the University of the Pacific. Ms. Deering was born in December 1898 in Orland, California about 20 miles west of Chico. She grew up in Chico with two sisters and two brothers. Her dad operated a bakery truck there, and her mom was involved in her church and in the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.
First mention of Ms. Deering in the PACRAO Archives is from 1939-40, when she was serving as First Vice President. PACRAO was only 16 years old in 1939. Ms. Deering was then the Associate Registrar at the University of the Pacific. At the time, the Executive Committee was comprised of just five members: the President, First Vice President (now President-Elect), Second Vice President (now VP for Membership), Secretary and Treasurer. That year, Dean Newhouse, who was serving as President, took a new position at the University of Washington as the Dean of Men; he stepped down from his roll as PACRAO President in May 1940.
Ms. Deering stepped in to complete his year as President and then served her own year as President the following year. Her conferences were in Eugene and Santa Barbara when attendance at PACRAO conferences was hovering around 100. During her year as President, she most notably compiled and wrote a history of PACRAO. |
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Program for PACRAO 1941 in Santa Barbara, California, when Ms. Deering was President |
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PACRAO INVOLVEMENT AFTER PRESIDENCY |
In the subsequent years, Ms. Deering continued to contribute to PACRAO in many ways: 1950: Chair of the Resolutions Committee
1952: Program Committee Member 1952: Member of the Special Committee on Revision of the Constitution 1953: Chair of the History Committee 1954: Member of the New Member Orientation Committee 1955: Resolutions Committee Member
1958: Hosted PACRAO’s Summer Workshop in Stockton, CA 1962: Chair of the Local Arrangements Committee in Monterey, CA |
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Photo is from the Western Regional Workshop in 1961; Carl E. McConnell (Dean of Admissions at Glendale College), Ms. Ellen Deering and Mr. Baumann (Unknown). |
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In 1972, Ms. Deering, then University Registrar at the University of the Pacific, worked to establish the first PACRAO archive at the university of the Pacific with the assistance of Dr. Randall Limbaugh, University Archivist. In 1973, when she was Registrar Emeritus at University of the Pacific, PACRAO established the role of PACRAO Archivist and Ms. Deering filled that role. |
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HONORS & AACRAO LEADERSHIP |
Ms. Deering was honored by both PACRAO and the University of the Pacific.
1967: PACRAO Honorary Member 1968: University of the Pacific Distinguished Alumni Award
1969: University of the Pacific Order of the Pacific (five awarded annually to U of P’s most impactful leaders, teachers and mentors; the highest honor awarded at the University) 1971: PACRAO Distinguished Service Award
Ms. Deering was also active in AACRAO; in 1956 she was Elected to AACRAO’s N&E Committee and also served on the Committee on Evaluations and Standards. Her obituary also said she was the founder of the University of the Pacific’s Workshop for Admissions Officers. |
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Ms. Deering never married. She died in March 1977 at the age of 78. She is buried in the Chico Cemetery, where her parents and several of her siblings are also buried.
As PACRAO Members in the 21st Century, we owe a debt of gratitude to Ms. Deering and others like her who worked tirelessly over many years to nurture our young association, move it forward and make it a meaningful professional experience for its members. |
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SUE EVELAND PACRAO ARCHIVIST |
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Find your next opportunity and the best talent in the region! |
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2023 - 2024 PACRAO Executive Board |
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Alex Underwood President The University of Arizona |
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Kristin Benson Past President Oregon State University | |
Tina Miller President-Elect University of Washington |
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Alisha Higley
Vice President, Professional Development Southern Oregon University | |
Gaby Asamsama-Acuna Vice President, Membership Ventura College | |
Michael Davenport Vice President, Publications & Information Technology The University of Arizona |
| Laura Schonberger
Vice President, Diversity Development University of Phoenix |
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Erin Collins Secretary Pomona College | |
Karen Khuu Treasurer Green River College |
| Joshua Reinhold Treasurer-Elect
UC Merced |
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Chelsea Peoples Business Partner Liaison University of Nevada Las Vegas |
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