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TACRAO Fall 2012 Newsletter
TA C R A O FA L L 2 0 1 2 N E W S L E T T E R
Join your TACRAO friends in Beautiful Downtown Dallas!
91st Annual Conference
“Sustaining Our Scholars”
November 4th—7th, 2012
Register Now!
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Inside This Issue
Message from TACRAO President
Trey’s Two Cents
Jamie’s Jollies
Oscar’s Oratory
Irene's Inclinations
Bobby’s Buzz
Stan’s Scribbles
South Texas Tales
West Texas Whistlings
Central Texas Commentary
East Texas Eavesdroppings
North Texas Notes
Southeast Texas Summaries
TACRAO Executive Committee
SACRAO News
TACRAO—Dallas!
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TACRAO Fall 2012 Newsletter
BERRI’S BRIDGES
BY BERRI O’NEAL, TACRAO PRESIDENT
October has arrived, and fall is in the air! I love fall for pumpkin spice, for Rangers’
baseball playoffs, Friday night football and the knowledge that it is time, once
again, for the annual TACRAO Conference! I look forward to TACRAO as much as I
do to the holidays, because although we may all communicate through e-mails,
listserv messages, phone calls and mandates that we all must implement, it is rare
that we get to see each other face-to-face. I love everything about the TACRAO
Conference – the sessions packed with invaluable information, the latest updates
from the THECB, updates from our regional and national associations, lots of fun
on Monday night, a roaring competition among the state’s regions on Tuesday,
good conversations over a cup of coffee in the exhibitor area, and hugs to last us
until next November.
I entered the field of higher education when we all still went to the Cyber Café at the annual conference to
stand in line for one of the computers, to check our emails for 5 minutes each day, as no one had heard of an
iPhone and was more likely to carry around a pager than a cell phone….and though things have changed, one thing
always stays the same – TACRAO is still the most powerful, most informative and most rewarding organization to
which I belong. I benefit from every single meeting I ever attend – Summer meetings, one-day workshops and the
annual conference! My first boss, (and a Past-President), John Edwards, made sure I attended my first TACRAO
Conference, and then he ensured that I was involved in the Newcomer program while I was there. I met my mentor,
Marcilla Collinsworth, and developed a name badge dance with one of my dearest friends, Melissa Gallien. That boss
of mine also convinced me to compete in the Scavenger Hunt for the Newcomers program (He did not need to twist
my arm – I’ve always been up for a little friendly competition!), and with that, I won the Newcomer Scavenger Hunt,
which enabled me to attend the next year’s TACRAO Conference with free conference registration! I served on the
Historical Committee for three years, and during that time, when I was able to work with the archives and historical
documents of our organization, I developed an even deeper respect and understanding of how much impact our
organization truly has on higher education in the State of Texas. If you are attending this year’s conference in
November, I encourage you to get involved! Volunteer for a committee, visit with someone who is wearing colorful
ribbons on their name badge. Our colleagues are the most generous, most gracious individuals, and we all learn
from one another through this amazing organization!
In management classes, I teach the JCM. Many of you are familiar with it – the Job Characteristics
Model….What makes us love our jobs? There are five factors – and each person has a primary and a secondary
dimension – Skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback. Task significance was the reason
I chose to work in higher education. I love knowing that the work we do each day impacts lives and impacts the
future in a positive way. I hope that TACRAO helps you to do your job more effectively, more efficiently, and with more
enjoyment than if you were in another industry! You all, my colleagues, have impacted my life for the better, and I
feel so blessed to feel so much enjoyment and fulfillment through my work.
This experience has been an absolute highlight of my career, and I would never trade this year and this
opportunity. Thank you for the confidence you had in me to serve as your President. It has been a humbling
experience to serve all of you, and I hope that if you have not yet registered for Sustaining Our Scholars in Dallas –
November 4th – 7th, you will do so now! I promise you will not be disappointed. I have been blessed to serve this year
with a phenomenal group of officers – Trey, Oscar, Bobby, Jamie, Stan, Irene, Jennifer and Melinda…and so many
volunteers, too numerous to name. Thank you to EACH of you who have said, “I’ll do whatever you need…” and have
done so selflessly, for our organization. I am counting the days until we meet in the Big D!
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TACRAO Fall 2012 Newsletter
TREY’S TWO CENTS
BY TREY HATTAWAY,TACRAO IMMEDIATE PASTPRESIDENT
Lots to report from the Past-Presidents area…
First of all, The Site Selection Committee has met, toured and made a recommendation to the TEC and
contracts have been signed for the site of the 2014 Annual Conference. Destination: WACO – October 25
-30, 2014! We will have three conference hotels – the Waco Hilton, Embassy Suites and Hotel Indigo.
David Edwards and Lee Owens from Navarro College have signed on to be our LAC Chairs. Our annual
conference has never been to Waco. There are lots of possibilities and Waco is eager to have us! Thanks
to Bobbye Fry and Manuel Lujan for their assistance. We owe a huge kudo to Debbie Ploeger and
Experient for their guidance throughout this process.
Secondly, our Newcomers committee is shoring up details to welcome our First-Time Attendees to Dallas. Be looking for details in the next
couple of weeks. Plan to attend the TACRAO 101 session from 5:00-6:00 PM, (check the schedule), and the mixer following. We also need
mentors to help our new folks navigate the conference and learn about our organization. We hope you will consider being a part of this important program.
Lastly, we are ever so close to getting our new website, the conference registration, the membership directory and updated system and the
college day/night subscription system all online. Dave Stones, Stan DeMerritt, Sofia Montes and Javier Villarreal have been invaluable in
this process. Over the next month, we will be working out the bugs. Once that process is complete, we will announce the unveiling.
Since this is my last newsletter, I wanted let you know - I am grateful for the opportunity to serve TACRAO. It was always a career goal of
mine because of the people who took time to mentor and help me see the value of our organization upon the students and institutions of
our State. I have learned a lot, about myself and about people. This experience has been truly eye opening. Thank you, for this opportunity. I
look forward to many more years of serving our great organization.
JAMIE’S JOLLIES
BY JAMIE HANSARD,TACRAO VP FOR ADMISSIONS
Greetings from the West Texas plains. It is hard to believe that summer has come and gone
and we have started another fall semester. This also means that we are only weeks away from
the 91st TACRAO Conference where TEC has been busy putting the final touches on what is
sure to be a great conference. I am very excited to announce that we will have 52 admission
sessions this year including a session by Michelle Lapierre, Senior Director for Customer Relationship Marketing & Social Media at Marriott Rewards. You won't want to miss Michelle's session: Social Media with Tabasco: Spicing Up Engagement. I also want so say a special thank
you to your 2012 Admission Session Planning Committee Chairs Leah Vineyard (Access and
Equity), Sofia Montes (Health Science, Graduate & Professional Schools), Dustin Mayfield (Student Success), Denise
Groves (Strategic Enrollment Management), Jason Hale (Undergraduate Admissions) and their teams who have worked
very hard to create these dynamic and informative sessions just for you.
I also want to say thank you to Jeff Fuller and the High School Relations Committee for implementing scanner technology
at the TACRAO college programs this year. While not every high school has taken advantage of this wonderful opportunity,
many schools have registered their students and it is making a great impact in our admission offices. We are able to upload our inquiries daily and send immediate information to prospective students. In the words of Bob Dylan, "the times
they are a-changin". The days, weeks, and months of entering prospective student data are slowly fading away. As we
continue to use scanner technology, more and more schools will use it.
I can't wait to see you in Dallas at the 91st Conference.
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TACRAO Fall 2012 Newsletter
O S C A R ’ S O R A T O RY
BY OSCAR REYNA,TACRAO PRESIDENT-ELECT
The TACRAO Annual Conference is just around the corner! Your Executive Committee
has been busy preparing for this year’s conference - Sustaining Our Scholars. If you
have not yet registered, please do so now! Your Vice-Presidents, Jamie Hansard and
Bobby Lothringer, have been busy finalizing your conference sessions. I think you will be
very pleased with the selections! We have a great slate of sessions being presented by
wonderful experts in their fields.
For the past few months, I’ve been busy working on updating Standing Committees and
Session Planning Committees for 2012-2013. I have been able to use all “I’m Available”
responses submitted at the San Antonio conference along with other recommendations
and volunteers. Thank you so much to each and every one who will be assisting. Every committee member is
instrumental in the success of our association and annual meeting. The success of our association depends on the
participation of our membership. Please let me know if I can assist in getting you involved with TACRAO. We always
welcome new ideas and members who are passionate about making a difference.
This past year has been very exciting working with your TACRAO Executive Committee. This group of individuals is professional, very dedicated to their professions and committed to student success. The Local Arrangements Committee
has been very busy and has some wonderful events scheduled or everyone in Dallas. Make sure you see the LAC
section of the newsletter for important conference updates and visit the conference website for details:
http://essc.unt.edu/registrar/tacrao/
Thank you again, for the opportunity to serve. I appreciate the faith you have put in me to serve this great organization.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can help in any way. I look forward to seeing you in Dallas!
IRENE’S INCLINATIONS
BY IRENE ROBINSON, TREASURER
Hello TACRAO Family,
I hope that this semester has begun well for everyone. I know it has for Alvin CC! With the new
Hazlewood report and existing CB reports to keep me busy, it’s amazing that we have just a little over
a month away from conference…my, my, where has this year gone!
The LAC 2012 is well under way in finalizing details for another fantastic conference and let me tell
you – you’re going to love the hotel. Let me catch you up a little on Treasurer and TACRAO financial
news. I’m finalizing the annual financial reports to turn over to the Audit Committee for their
preliminary inspection and I’m also putting finishing touches on revising the Treasurer’s procedural
manual. It’s just a wonder on what we can do with modern technology and how that has affected how
we do business, so I want to make sure that the next Treasurer, Joe Papari and future Treasurers are well equipped in carrying out their
duties. TACRAO, as a whole is very financially sound as our membership has steadily grown. Your TEC have been very frugal in
spending just what they need to bring you another balanced annual financial report.
On a personal note, it has been a sincere pleasure serving you as Treasurer for the past two years. I have loved learning firsthand how
this organization functions and seeing all the love and dedication that members put into it. I will miss this position and serving on the
TEC, but I leave you in the very capable hands of Joe Papari as your next Treasurer. I will stand ready to assist him in his transition. I
wholeheartedly thank you for the trust that you placed in me as your Treasurer for 2010-2012.
I wish you all the very best personally and professionally and I will see you in November!
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TACRAO Fall 2012 Newsletter
BOBBY’S BUZZ
BY BOBBY LOTHRINGER, VP FOR RECORDS &
REGISTRATION
I hope everyone has survived the start of the fall term and another new year. As I write
this, we are less than six weeks away from the 91st Annual TACRAO Conference in Dallas,
Texas. Your session planning committees, Local Arrangements Committee, and TACRAO
Executive Committee have worked very hard to put together a conference that you do not
want to miss. This year we will have over 120 different sessions to provide you with the
latest information and innovations to better serve your institution. If you haven’t made
your plans to attend yet, do so immediately! This is one TACRAO conference you simply
cannot afford to miss.
I want to take this time to thank you for allowing me to serve as your Vice President for
Records and Registration these past two years. I am humbled and honored to have
been entrusted with this position, and it has been a true privilege to serve this wonderful
organization and all of its membership.
I would also like to take a moment to thank everyone for the get-well cards I received from the summer meetings, and I
would like to thank Berri O’Neal and Jamie Hansard in particular for their assistance in helping with some of my duties
while I was out on medical leave this summer. TACRAO is truly blessed to have such wonderful professionals who will go
the extra mile to ensure the needs of the organization are met, and I am very thankful for them.
See you in Dallas!
S TA N ’ S S C R I B B L E S
BY STAN DEMERRITT, TACRAO SECRETARY
Fellow TACRAO Members,
It is hard to believe summer is over and we are now in the midst of the fall season. As I
write this article, I am sitting in the cool mountains of Cloudcroft, New Mexico. No, it isn’t
for vacation it is actually a university wide leadership meeting. However, outside of our
meeting room we can see the beauty of the mountains and the flat lands of the Tularosa
Basin, which holds a spectacular view of the White Sands National Monument.
Since the first of August, I have emailed two sets of invoices: TCCNS Support Fees and the
2012-13 Membership Dues.
1.
TCCN Support Fees – If you are unsure if your institution has paid, please contact
the TACRAO Treasurer, Ms. Irene Robinson. I have received numerous requests for the institutional contact on record and
have made changes as necessary. If you need to know who your institutional contact is, please contact me and I will get
that to you as quickly as possible. Please remember that the collecting of fees assists in keeping the TCCNS site
functioning.
2.
Membership Dues and Updated Rosters – The updates and payments are coming on a steady basis. It is preferred
to receive any updates via email as I can work these within a few days of receipt and the electronic version allows me to
save them quicker than scanning individual pages. Please let me now if you have any questions or concerns about the
invoicing, charges, and payment of your institutional account.
As we move out of the membership dues cycle and your institution experiences changes in the roster, please be sure to
contact me and update those on a regular basis. Having an updated roster will assist in assuring that TACRAO is able to
contact the correct person.
It has been a great experience these few months getting to know each of you. I am looking forward to serving the
remainder of my term as secretary.
Grace and peace.
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TACRAO Fall 2012 Newsletter
SOUTH TEXAS TALES
BY LETICIA BAZAN, TEXAS A&M-CORPUS
CHRISTI
Greetings from South Texas! As a new season of fall brings changes all around so comes change in our
departments and schools this fall semester. Here are some quick updates from some of our regional
institutions:
University of Texas Pan American
New Jobs: DIRECTOR OF UNDERGRADUATE RECRUITMENT – GRISELDA CASTILLA
Griselda Castilla named Director of Undergraduate Recruitment at UTPA. Griselda Castilla received a
Bachelor of Business Administration - Accounting and a Master of Business Administration from The
University of Texas-Pan American. She has been employed with UTPA for 16 years. She began her
career in the Division of Business Affairs and has spent the last several years managing many areas within the Office of Student Financial Services.
Highlighted Programs: BRONC ROUNDUP
For three hot days in August, UTPA was transformed into a welcoming, fun and informative place for our new students. Attendance
exceeded everyone’s expectations. Over 2,600 new students, an amazing 83 % of the entering freshmen class, attended Bronc
Roundup on the first day. Bronc Roundup is an entering freshman conference designed to introduce the entering freshmen class to
UTPA and Bronc life. It is the second part of new student orientation. All entering freshmen are told of the required attendance when
they attend orientation. The freshmen convocation, which used to occur the first week of classes, is part of the Roundup schedule.
New students attending receive information on how to be successful at UTPA, academic and department information, required information on financial literacy, code of conduct, as well as gain opportunities to meet fellow students, learn UTPA traditions and become
aware and involved in campus activities.
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
New Additions: One of Kind Education and Research
On Friday, September 21, 2012, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi President Flavius Killebrew officially “flipped the switch” on three
20-kilowatt vertical axis wind turbines, which help make up the largest vertical-axis wind turbine installation of its kind in the United
States. The site at the main campus also includes a small 4-kilowatt campus wind turbine, which can be lowered horizontally and
opened for education and research. The 20-kilowatt wind turbines are also the largest of their kind in the continental U.S.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi facilities will showcase a total of 11 wind turbines with a combined total capacity of 92 kilowatts. The turbines have real-time data collection for faculty and students in engineering to analyze on a network. For an interactive look at the wind
turbines project, go to http://windenergy.tamucc.edu.
Good-bye from the “windy” campus of A&M-Corpus Christi. Good health and happiness to everyone this fall semester! Looking forward
to seeing everyone in Dallas for TACRAO - Safe travels!
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TACRAO Fall 2012 Newsletter
WEST TEXAS WHISTLINGS
BY
DIANE BRICE, AMARILLO COLLEGE
Kelly Franke has joined the Registrar Office staff at Howard Payne University as Coordinator of
Transfer Credit and Records. Kelly, who graduated from HPU, was a manager at WalMart for 20
years before coming to the Registrar’s Office. Her years at WalMart have given her a plethora of
customer service skills.
Amarillo College is pleased to report that preliminary findings of a visiting team of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) have placed the College
firmly on the road to reaffirmation of its accreditation.
Pictured: Kelly Franke
C E N T R A L T E X A S C O M M E N TA R Y
BY DEBBIE BEATY, UNIVERSITY OF MARY
HARDIN-BAYLOR
*The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor once again earned a top tier ranking in
the Regional Universities-West category of the 2013 edition of America’s Best
Colleges by U.S. News & World Report.
UMHB moved up in its overall ranking to number 46, compared to 48 last year.
The university has remained in the tier-one ranking since 2005 and has remained in the top 50 master’s granting universities in the West Region since
2008.
*For the fourth straight year the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor has reported the highest fall enrollment in its
history.
According to the official eighth-day enrollment figures, UMHB is now home to 3,287 students. That is 150 more
than the 3,137 students who enrolled in the fall of 2011. This year’s enrollment includes 2,926 undergraduate
students, 278 students pursuing master’s degrees, and 83 doctoral students
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TACRAO Fall 2012 Newsletter
E A S T T E X A S E AV E S D R O P P I N G S
BY
LYNDA LANGHAM, STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE
UNIVERSITY
SFASU Admissions - We have a new Team Member in Admissions-Brittany Minchew. Brittany and Jessica Maynard bought brother Yorkies who are both mini lumberjack supporters.
Charlie Rusk and Franklin Maynard are our new family members. Kimberly Lower will be
leaving SFA in October to move to Louisiana, since she is getting married! Who knew you
had to live with your husband?!
SFASU Registrar’s Office – We will be looking for a CAPP Technician, as we say good-bye to
Jodi Derryberry. She is pursuing a career more in line with her degree. Stacey Glover has
joined us as Registration/Records Specialist. The team is working on moving to separate
summer terms in Summer 2013. SFA has added a new football tradition: Jacks Charge.
Lots of football excitement going on as we head toward the Battle of the Piney Woods!
TJC is very excited to welcome two familiar TACRAO faces to campus. Excited is actually an understatement. Jacqueline
Messinger was hired as the Director of Institutional Research in June 2012. Jacque’ brings valuable expertise in Banner, CBM reporting, federal reporting, research and data integrity. Thomas Elder was hired in August 2012 as the Director of Academic Support. Tom brings to TJC experience as a former Registrar, Faculty member and IT support. His experience will be valuable as we move forward with more predicative academic scheduling using Ad Astra and other
scheduling models and tools.
TJC has also added new faces to the TACRAO line-up in the Admissions office. Sarah Malik is the new Coordinator of
International Student Admissions. Antonio Cardenas is a new Admissions Recruiter and will be hitting the road this TACRAO season. Cody Coe, Admission Recruiter, received a very well deserved promotion and is now the Assistant Director
of Admissions.
The Admission Office went live with Banner Relationship Management (BRM) July 1, 2012. The Admission and Registrar’s office will begin sending all formal communications through BRM so that we are able to monitor our successes
and continue to build the communication lines with students. Registrar’s Office will Go-Live with DegreeWorks October
8, 2012.
The best news of all is the passing of the TJC Bond Election in May 2012. This Bond will allow TJC to build a new Allied
Health facility. The new 150,000 square foot facility will allow for the expansion of the college’s nursing programs and
the addition of new health sciences majors of interest to the local medical community. The college plans to open the
new facility for the Spring 2015 semester.
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TACRAO Fall 2012 Newsletter
NORTH TEXAS NOTES
BY SHANNON WILLIAMS, UNIVERSITY OF
TEXAS-ARLINGTON
MEETINGS
SUMMER TACRAO Universities Meeting
Austin Texas
July 17-18, 2012
The Summer TACRAO Meetings were held in Austin July 17-18 for the Universities and July 19-20 for
the Community Colleges. Paige Bussell, Registrar at Texas A&M University-Commerce, chaired the
event and Cindy Hess, Tarleton, and Michelle Walker, TAMU, served on the
event committee.
Guests from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board included Doug Parker, Director, Education Data Center; Dr. Julie Eklund,
Director, Planning; Susan Brown, Assistant Commissioner, Planning and Accountability; Dr. MacGregor Stephenson, Assistant
Commissioner, Workforce, Academic Affairs and Research; Lizette Montiel, Assistant Director, State Relations; and Lynette
Heckmann, Director, College Readiness Initiatives…and that was just Day 1! VIPs on Day 2 included Donna Carlin; Justin Greiner,
Program Specialist, Business and Support Services; and Jane Caldwell, Director, Grants and Special
Programs.
Lots of questions for Coordinating Board staff who shared their time at the TACRAO Summer Meetings.
Topics covered included state reporting, outcomes-based funding, transfer compacts, changes to TSI, STAAR exemption standards,
residency, bacterial meningitis issues, and teasers about THECB’s legislative recommendations for the 2013 legislative session.
Dr. Berri O’Neal, TACRAO President, also gave an update on the organization’s initiatives, as well as the state conference set for Dallas in November. Check out the conference website at http://essc.unt.edu/registrar/tacrao/reg.html.
SACRAO
Mary Kincannon, Associate Registrar at Texas Christian University, is currently serving as the President of the Southern Association
of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (SACRAO). She hopes that many TACRAO folks will be able to join her at SACRAO’s
next annual meeting, at La Cantera, in San Antonio, February 3-6, 2013. A conference schedule is available at
http://www.sacrao.org/2013Conference/ConfSchedule.asp?cid=1.
Left: Mary Kincannon
CAMPUS NEWS
Midwestern State University
Darla Inglish, Registrar for Midwestern State University, reports that congratulations are in order for Karin Velasquez, who was recently promoted to Registrar Assistant III, and Linda Carr, who was recently promoted to Registrar Assistant II. The Office of the
Registrar also recently welcomed two new members to our team: Karlene Rogers, Registrar Assistant I, and Laura Salazar, Registrar
Assistant I.
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TACRAO Fall 2012 Newsletter
Wedding bells are in the air for Kaylee Wilson, daughter of Jamie (Associate Registrar) and Ron Wilson. Kaylee will marry Stephen
Banks on October 11. They picked that date for a very special reason. Their anniversary will be: 10-11-12.
Photo: Darla Inglish
Texas A&M University - Commerce
Demetra Durham, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Texas A&M University – Commerce,
announced that Clarissa Salcedo has joined the team as an Admissions Recruiter.
Clarissa has been working in higher education since 2008 at New Mexico State University.
As a student she worked for the Department of Housing and Residential Life as a Resident Assistant, a New Student
Orientation Leader for the Office of Campus Activities and a Peer Mentor for Trio Student Support Services. What all
of these positions had in common was being a higher education advocate and putting students' needs first. Clarissa
graduated in May 2011 from New Mexico State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration majoring in
Human Resources Management. She started in February 2012 at her current position as an Admissions Recruiter at
Texas A&M University – Commerce. Since then she has been acclimated into the culture as an Admissions Recruiter/Counselor by learning from fellow counselors, participating in college fairs and visits, attending TACAC in
Houston, assisting in Hispanic Outreach and concluding the Fall 2012 recruiting season. Clarissa’s territory includes
high schools in Denton, Lewisville, Carrollton, Keller, Grapevine and some community colleges which include Tarrant County College
and North Central Texas College. Clarissa is looking forward to her first full recruiting season!
Paige Bussell, Registrar, announced that Texas A&M University – Commerce has welcomed both a new associate and assistant registrar in the Office of the Registrar. Molly Baur,
who was promoted to Associate Registrar in July 2012, came to A&MCommerce from Baylor University in Waco, TX.
She started in housing November 2006 and moved to the Registrar’s
Office July, 2007 as Assistant Registrar. Ms.
Baur served 5 years as Assistant Registrar assisting faculty, staff and
students on daily basis with
registration/grading questions as well as other staff in the office.
Jessica Gossett has worked in the Registrar’s Office for 5 years starting as a temporary transcript analyst in 2007
(during the Banner conversion) and became full time a short time later. In 2009, Ms. Gossett was promoted to
Administrative Assistant and within a year, also took on the role of Veteran’s & Military Services Specialist. After
serving in this dual role for over a year (and doing exceptional juggling). Ms. Gossett was promoted to Assistant
Registrar in July, 2012.
Both Ms. Baur and Ms. Gossett have gone far above and beyond the call of duty and work hard to ensure the
success of students.
Texas A&M – Commerce broke 12,000 this year. Not only is that an enrollment coup, but it is in synchronistic
keeping with their other recent records: 10,000 in 2010 and 11,000 in 2011.
Photo: Berri O'Neal and Paige Bussell under the TACRAO flag.
Texas Wesleyan University
Holly Kiser, Director of Texas Wesleyan’s Office of Admissions, proudly announced three new hires in her office. E'Lyn Taylor will serve
as the new freshman counselor for Dallas. April Tillett is the new freshman counselor for Dallas, and Jeff Green is the new transfer
counselor for Dallas.
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TACRAO Fall 2012 Newsletter
Texas Woman’s University
TWU welcomed Jacqueline Smith to their team. She has been hired as a new Admissions Counselor II for the Houston Campus.
Nikki Young, Associate Director of Admissions, delivered twin boys on January 17, 2012.
Universities Center at Dallas
Berri O’Neal, at Executive Director at the Universities Center at Dallas, welcomes Araceli Cadena as the new Coordinator of Marketing and Recruitment, and Nick Schmitt as the new Information Technology Specialist. Both Araceli
and Nick will be serving on the LAC for the Dallas conference and look forward to attending their first TACRAO Conference and welcoming everyone to Downtown Dallas!
Nick
Araceli
Berri
UNT Health Science Center
The Office of Health Promotion in the Division of Student Affairs at UNT Health Science Center challenged all of the offices in Student Affairs to participate in a points-based competition involving canned goods and other non-perishable items for the Tarrant Area Food Bank.
TEAM RegistRAWR is proud to announce that we won first place in the Food Drive challenge by outplaying the fierce competition in Student Affairs! Our motto – “We don’t just keep the records… we make them!
Team RegistRAWRL: Emily Rhodes, Kim Kearney, Janice Villarreal, Sloan White, Ruth Iglesias (not pictured).
WERE YOU SEEN AT THE SUMMER MEETING?
.
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TACRAO Fall 2012 Newsletter
SOUTHEAST TEXAS SUMMARIES
BY
SHERRY BENOIT, LAMAR UNIVERSITY
Greetings from southeast Texas where the end of hurricane season was met with a
huge sigh of relief! I will be serving as your “interim” regional editor for this newsletter
as our former SETACRAO regional editor, Paul Donaldson, has left his position at
University of Houston—Downtown to take a new position at the Houston Community
College District. We wish him well in his new position!
Speaking of new positions—CONGRATULATIONS to southeast Texas’ own Becki Griffith
on her election as TACRAO President-Elect. Becki has not only served TACRAO and
SETACRAO well but also has been a valued member of the Lee College team for a long time. We are proud of you Becki
and know you will do a wonderful job!
Lamar University reported another record enrollment for fall 2012 with 14,675 students. Lots of new recruitment and
retention strategies have been implemented within the last year with some of the more fun ideas being the new tour
shuttle and the new Cardinal Express mobile GO center.
Tour Shuttle
Cardinal Express
The LU recruitment team bid goodbye to Morgan Morehead and Lacy Parker. New members of the LU recruitment team
are Naomi Doyle and Kelly Rivera. Please help us welcome them to TACRAO!
2011-2012 TACRAO Executive Committee
President:
Berri O’Neal, Executive Director
Universities Center at Dallas
Immediate
Past-President:
Trey Hattaway, Director of Enrollment
Management & Marketing
Kilgore College
VP, Admissions: Jamie Hansard, Director of
Recruitment & Marketing
Texas Tech University
Secretary:
Treasurer:
President-Elect:
Chair, Local Arrangements
Committee (Ex-Officio):
VP, Records
& Registration:
Stan DeMerritt, Associate Academic
Vice President
Wayland Baptist University
Irene Robinson Registrar
Alvin College
Oscar Reyna, University Registrar
Texas A&M-International
Bobby Lothringer, University Registrar
Texas Woman’s University
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Jennifer Beal, Co-Chair
Assoc Director, Transfer Admissions
University of North Texas
Melinda Carroll, Co-Chair
Associate Registrar
University of North Texas
TACRAO Fall 2012 Newsletter
The stars at night are big and bright…deep in the heart of Texas! We proudly invite you to the 66th Annual Meeting of the
Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, February 3 rd-6th, 2013, in San Antonio, Texas. The
conference will be held at The Westin La Cantera in the San Antonio hill country.
In San Antonio, you’ll find an exhilarating mix of true living history and fun festivities that are sure to educate and excite.
The historic Alamo provides audio-guided tours or a personal reflection on the societal impact of the legendary battle.
The San Antonio Visitor’s Center also offers a multitude of cultural tours in the city.
Attending the SACRAO 2013 conference will give you the opportunity to network with 500 colleagues representing
schools across the SACRAO region. We will provide 80 diverse meeting sessions that will offer you professional development, a place to exchange ideas with your colleagues, and also a chance to learn about new and valuable tools you can
apply to your business processes. In addition, there will be plenty of time to learn about the unique services provided by
our 40 corporate partners. Booths will be set up on site, so make sure you get a chance to visit as many as you can!
When planning your trip, please keep in mind that we will offer four afternoon workshops on Sunday, February 3 rd. Plan
accordingly!
The SACRAO 2013 Registration fee is $195. To register and view program details, please visit http://
www.sacrao.org/2013conference/2013conference.asp. Prepare to mosey on down to Texas for a dynamic conference
covering issues such as enrollment management, succession planning, innovative ways to accomplish more in lean
times, and much more.
Make your reservation now at
https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/res?id=1208299899&key=E490C
Hotel room rate: $149/night
18 miles from San Antonio’s famous Riverwalk
15 miles from the San Antonio International Airport
Taxi cost from the airport to the resort is approximately $30-$35
Shuttle service from the airport is approximately $29.25 per person
The temperature in early February in San Antonio is between 44-65 degrees so pack your slacks and cowboy boots!
Our Tuesday evening ‘Big Event’ will take place at Enchanted Springs Ranch, an old west town. Come ready to experience the old west and bring your favorite western attire for a chance to win our “Best West Dressed Contest”. A BBQ dinner will be provided along with band music and a Wild West good time! Transportation will be provided to and from the
park. For more information, please visit http://www.enchantedspringsranch.com/.
In San Antonio, it all starts here. Deep in the heart of Texas.
2013 Local Arrangements Chair
V. Shelby Stanfield
Vice Provost and Registrar
The University of Texas at Austin
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TACRAO Fall 2012 Newsletter
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