WaACRAO - About Us

About WaACRAO

WaACRAO is committed to the service and advancement of learning and to the institution of higher education. We are equally committed to the professional and intellectual growth of WaACRAO members.

WaACRAO is a highly inclusive organization that welcomes representatives from every institution of higher education in the State of Washington: Public, private, 2-year, 4-year, traditional or emerging.

WaACRAO encourages people at every career level to participate in our programs and to contribute to our work. Our programming is particularly sensitive to the needs of members early in their career, since fewer networking and development options exist for them elsewhere.

Higher education in Washington has traditionally been too divided by sector, region, level, profession, and other outmoded lines. We all serve society through our passion for the advancement of knowledge. WaACRAO believes we serve best as a single, collaborative, and connected community.

Mission Statement

To provide for the dissemination of information and the exchange of ideas on state-wide issues of mutual interest to member institutions.

To foster a better understanding of the activities of member institutions and to develop a spirit of cooperation, collaboration, and unity in addressing issues of mutual concern.

To promote the development of individual participants in areas that will enhance their performance as student services professionals.

To enhance communication amongst existing established groups within the state of Washington (private schools, public schools, etc.)

Member Testimonials

"For many years, a person starting out in a career with a registrar's office in the state of Washington has had little or no opportunity to network with peers from other schools. (Our budgets often do not allow us to send more than one or two senior folks to AACRAO and PACRAO.) WaACRAO fills the gap."

Todd Mildon

University Registrar

University of Washington

The History of WACCRAO/WACRAO/WaACRAO

In 1968, the first official meeting of the Washington State Community College Registrars and Admissions Officers (WACCRAO) met. It included representatives from all of Washington’s community colleges.

By 1976, the term “Association” had been added to the group’s official title.

In 1992, in response to the addition of the technical colleges to the state’s community college system, the name was once again changed to the Washington Council of Registrars and Admissions Officers (WACRAO).

Perhaps as a result of the World Wide Web, and the increased ability to freely communicate, confusion developed over the WACRAO acronym. Constituents from across the nation incorrectly assumed the acronym belonged to Washington Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, a state subsidiary of AACRAO and PACRAO that most certainly included all higher education institutions within the state.

- Examples of such state subsidiaries associated with PACRAO/AACRAO are:
AzACRAO: Arizona
BCRA: British Columbia
CACCRAO: California
OrACRAO: Oregon
UACRAO: Utah
WARUCC: Western Canada

Other admissions and registration groups that formed independently of WACRAO within Washington’s higher education system include:
- ICORA: Comprised of all Washington public baccalaureate institutions
- PROW: Comprised of Washington private baccalaureate institutions
- Others?

And still other related Washington statewide groups, both formal and informal, include:
- Credentials Evaluator group
- AWISA: Association of Washington International Student Affairs
- A yearly Residency workshop group
- Others?

In fall of 2002, the topic of a need to change the WACRAO acronym was introduced under the leadership of that year’s president. Discussion continued during both the winter and spring 2003 meetings. At the Spring 03 meeting, the group decided to officially vote on whether to pursue a new name and acronym. As a result, in the fall of 2003, the succeeding WACRAO president finalized the name change and bylaws amendment process.

In winter of 2004, WACRAO was officially changed to ARC, Admissions and Registration Council (ARC).

Over the next several academic years, ARC continued its discussions of partnering with its 4-year public and private constituents to create a true WACRAO organization. This possibility was presented to both constituents mentioned above and was consistently met with positive responses.

A grassroots steering committee was formed and came together on September 12, 2005 to discuss the possibility of a Washington ACRAO endeavor. Additional members were solicited to add balance and representation from each constituent group. This group included the following members:

- Betsy Abts – North Seattle Community College
- Machelle Allman – Highline Community College
- Steve Ashpole – Bates Technical College
- Becky Bitter – Washington State University
- Virjean Edwards – University of Washington
- Kathy Gaer-Carlton – Central Washington University
- Kenda Gatlin – Seattle Pacific University
- Chris Masterson – Bastyr University
- Chris Melton – Shoreline Community College
- Janelle Miner – Whatcom Community College
- Joe St. Hilaire – Western Washington University

The suggestion for the WaACRAO acronym was to avoid confusion with Wisconsin’s version, which already bears the WACRAO acronym.

This steering committee did not view WaACRAO as a policy/decision-making body, but rather as a means to share information, discuss common concerns and to collectively provide professional development opportunities that otherwise might not be available at individual institutions. It sees the following as common Washington statewide issues that would fit appropriately within a statewide association:

- Transfer Articulation
- Residency
- FERPA
- Systems (student information systems, electronic transcripts, Clearinghouse, etc.)
- Professional Development

On May 3, 2006, the first official meeting of WaACRAO occurred at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, WA.

For additional information about our past, you may also wish to visit our Archives.

Washington Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers

Serving Washington's Higher Education Community