For the Record, An AACRAO Podcast

Doug McKenna
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A Registrar Podcast by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), hosted by Doug McKenna.

  1. NOV 4

    Don’t Let Your Ego Be Your Enemy

    This episode was inspired by Ryan Holiday’s book, Ego is the Enemy, and its applications of Stoicism to modern ideas of leadership and management. With everything that’s going on in the United States as a backdrop, this episode reiterates the importance of focusing on service over receiving recognition, on cultivating humility, and leading with wisdom. These practices can help you avoid developing an inflated sense of self-importance that hinders effective leadership and decision-making. Making a return guest appearance in this episode is Dr. Doug McKenna (the host’s dad!).   Key Takeaways: Stoicism is an ancient philosophy of personal ethics that emphasizes wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance as a way of cultivating inner peace and strength, rather than being ruled by emotions or external circumstances.Stoicism encourages mindfulness, self-reflection, and exercises like negative visualization (imagining worst-case scenarios to build resilience), voluntary discomfort (practicing hardship to lessen fear of suffering), and journaling (as seen in Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations).Learn about your Happy 10 Seconds, the Three Things List, and your personal mission statement.   Host: Doug McKenna University Registrar, George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: LTC (Ret.) Doug McKenna, PhD Dean, Emeritus Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Quantico VA References and Additional Information: Core Competencies: Leadership and Management

    50 min

  2. SEP 17

    Holding Doors

    In this conversation with Dr. Cié Gee from the University of Texas at San Antonio we explore the idea of leadership through the roles of line leader and door holder–familiar responsibilities from elementary school. Dr. Gee argues that the door holder is a less glamorous but potentially more important role than the line leader, and we discuss ways door holding opportunities present themselves in the normal course of work.    Key Takeaways: Being the line leader can be fun, but being a door holder is a critical role for the success of any venture. Leadership doesn’t require a title, and it doesn’t require grand gestures to convey care and concern for the people one is leading. As Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”If you’re thinking about someone who held a door for you at some point in your career, reach out to them to let them know the effect they had on you.   Host: Doug McKenna University Registrar, George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: Dr. Cié Gee Associate Vice Provost for Career-Engaged Learning, University of Texas at San Antonio ginnifer.gee@utsa.edu  References and Additional Information: Core Competencies: Leadership and Management Cie Gee https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciegee/

    42 min

  3. AUG 20

    What’s a Registrar Anyway, Revisited

    In the very first official episode of this podcast, we explored the question of what even is a registrar. Now, with six more years of experience that included a global pandemic, it was time to once again take stock of our understanding of the role of the registrar. What do we do? And how do we explain what we do to people who work at our institutions or to people  all the way outside of higher education? Five brave souls responded to my request for input on the following three questions that guide this episode: 1) what do you think of when you hear the word, “registrar?” 2) How would you describe the registrar to someone outside of higher education? And 3) Why are registrars important?    Key Takeaways: The registrar and higher education go hand in hand. Registrars were the second administrative position created, following only the position of president. Our title dates back to 1446 at Oxford. Registrars play a variety of roles at our institutions, and there isn’t one right way to be a registrar. Because of the variety of institution type and missions, registrar responsibilities also vary widely.Registrars use a lot of metaphors to communicate how critical they are to their institutions; “plumbing,” “bridges,” “hubs,” “air traffic controllers,” “multi-tasking quarterback,” are all used. Being a registrar is easy. It’s just like riding a bike. If the bike is on fire. And you’re on fire. And everything around you is on fire.   Host: Doug McKenna University Registrar, George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: Dr. Reginald Garcon Associate Vice President/Registrar, University of Maryland - Eastern Shore rgarcon@umes.edu River Gordon Registrar, Minneapolis College of Art and Design rgordon182@mcad.edu Colleen Harms Associate Registrar, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities harms231@umn.edu Whitney Merinar Registrar, West Liberty State College whitney.merinar@westliberty.edu Katie Rendon Registrar, Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion krendon@huc.edu References and Additional Information: Records & Academic Services (AACRAO Professional Proficiencies) Quann, C. J., & And Others. (1979). Admissions, academic records, and registrar services. A handbook of policies and procedures. Jossey-Bass, Inc. The Registrar’s Guide: Evolving Best Practices in Records and Registration. (2006). https://community.aacrao.org/CPBase__item?id=a1H1L00000BjYRJUA3

    33 min

  4. JUL 16

    Hire the Best and Treat Them Well

    Two very important functions we engage in as registrars are hiring and onboarding. Perhaps surprisingly, we don’t spend a lot of time talking about either of those very important practices. In this episode we discuss ways to improve the interviewing and hiring process for everyone involved, along with practical ways to bring your new hire into your office and get them acculturated quickly.    Key Takeaways: A clear understanding of the role and a specific articulation of responsibilities in the position description will make recruiting the right person much easier. Calendaring out the interviewing process can reduce stress for participants and candidates alike. Clear timelines are very helpful.Asking “Will this person raise the average of the team?” or something similar may help you distill down a hiring decision. It’s better to have a failed search than to hire the wrong person. Clear communication with your new hire is vital to their onboarding. Scheduling out their first weeks in the office can go a long way to positioning them (and you!) to succeed.   Host: Doug McKenna University Registrar, George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: Michael Burke Dean of Student Services, Harvard University mikeburke@fas.harvard.edu   Rebecca Mathern Assoc. Vice Provost Academic Affairs & University Registrar, Oregon State University rebecca.mathern@oregonstate.edu References and Additional Information: Operations and Business Process Management (AACRAO Core Competency) STAR Technique and Behavioral Interview Questions (indeed.com) Onboarding Without Overwhelming (Harvard Business Review)

    52 min

  5. JUN 17

    Harnessing Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education

    Following up on the previous episode about AI’s potential applications to higher education, this episode focuses on the work that the Computational Approaches to Human Learning research lab at UC Berkeley is doing under the direction of Dr. Zach Pardos. We talk about ways AI can assist with transfer or credit mobility, ways AI might be able to streamline the creation of degree pathways for students, and ways AI is being leveraged for adaptive tutoring, all with an overarching goal of increasing the student’s social and economic mobility.   Key Takeaways: AI can be considered as anything that takes what a computer is good at and pushes the boundaries closer to doing things that only a human is good at.It is vital that we use AI in service of our humanistic pursuits, that it’s used in a way that retains the humanistic character of our education enterprise.  AI can help add desirable regularity to systems that are sometimes unnecessarily idiosyncratic.   Host: Doug McKenna University Registrar, George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: Dr. Zachary Pardos Associate Professor of Education, UC Berkeley https://bse.berkeley.edu/zachary-pardos  References and Additional Information: Welcome to OATutor - An Open Source Adaptive Tutoring System https://oatutor.io/  AI Transfer and Articulation Infrastructure Network (ATAIN) https://atain.org/  A University Map of Course Knowledge

    36 min

  6. MAY 12

    What the Carnegie Classifications Mean for You

    For more than 50 years, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has been categorizing institutions in a functional but basic way–by the highest degree the institution awards and the amount of research generated by the institution. Even as American higher education changed significantly from the early 1970s, the classifications remained the same. Until recently! In this episode we talk about the classifications, how they were used and why, and what led to the revised classifications that were just released.   Key Takeaways: The Carnegie Foundation partnered with the American Council on Education (ACE) to conduct the first major overhaul of the Carnegie Classifications for Higher Education in almost 50 years.Over the three-year process, the team engaged thousands of stakeholders across the higher education sector and other relevant experts about how best to provide more information about an institution through the classifications.  For the first time, the Carnegie Classifications bring in information about the student (not just the degree) through the new Student Access and Earnings category. The American Council on Education prefers a three-syllable callout (“EY SEA EE”) rather than a one-syllable word (“ace”) when referring to the organization in shorthand.  Host: Doug McKenna University Registrar, George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: Mushtaq Gunja Executive Director of the Carnegie Classification Systems & Senior Vice President  American Council on Education  References and Additional Information: Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education®  Classification Methodology American Council on Education

    31 min

  7. APR 14

    The 110th Annual Meeting

    The AACRAO Annual Meeting is a phenomenal event for networking, learning, and catching up with friends and colleagues. This year’s meeting, held in Seattle, Washington, brought together more than 1,700 higher education professionals for breakout sessions, plenaries, timely topics, and great fun.  Key Takeaways: The AACRAO Annual Meeting continues to provide outstanding opportunities for personal and professional growth to the AACRAO membership.It’s not too soon to start thinking about what you might present next year in New Orleans at the 111th Annual Meeting.  Say yes, get out of your own way, and be brave. You have tons of support from people who want to see you succeed!  Host: Doug McKenna University Registrar, George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: So many guests! Thank you to everyone who agreed to be interviewed for this episode. References and Additional Information: AACRAO Annual Meeting Get Involved

    25 min

  8. MAR 11

    Artificial Intelligence in the Registrar’s Office

    Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a hot topic everywhere these days. What is it, what are its promises, and what are its current limitations in terms of applicability to the work we do in a registrar’s office. You’ll hear from the Chief AI Officer at George Mason University about the promises and challenges of AI, and from a privacy and information law attorney about some of the considerations we should be making as we pursue any new technology, but AI especially.  Note to listeners: edit implemented on 3/12/25 to remove a small audio gap Key Takeaways: There are many promises of AI, but there are some significant challenges currently, as well. Don’t be swept away by the promises without engaging with the limitations.As registrars we have a special responsibility to make sure that the AI we employ maintains the safety, security, and integrity of the data we steward. The Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs) can help guide us to positive data governance outcomes.  Be wary of shiny new things. If the promise of something is too good to be true, it probably is. Explore AI and imagine ways it might be applied in your office, but AI is not the only tool available to us, and (in my opinion) we might be better served by pursuing intelligent automation solutions than artificial intelligence (AI) solutions.  Host: Doug McKenna University Registrar, George Mason University cmckenn@gmu.edu    Guests: Amarda Shehu, PhD Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer and Professor, Computer Science, School of Computing, George Mason University Claire McKenna University of Notre Dame Law School Claire McKenna is an attorney with 21 years of experience advising public and private sector clients.  Her practice focuses on all aspects of information law, including privacy, security, access, and disclosure. References and Additional Information: Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs) | FPC.gov Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O'Neil: 9780553418835 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books The Big Switch | Nicholas Carr  (Sorry I called you “David,” Nicholas!) How much electricity does AI consume?

    52 min
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A Registrar Podcast by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), hosted by Doug McKenna.

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