Laurel Rea, associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment at Washington State University Vancouver, has earned the Strategic Enrollment Management Endorsement from the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers (AACRAO).
Rea is among a group of 71 individuals internationally and the first individual from the state of Washington to earn this endorsement, which signifies that Rea has developed skills in the field of strategic enrollment management to meet the current and future challenges in the industry.
“I was mentored by some leading enrollment professionals, who helped me see how I can leverage analytics more powerfully,” she said. “I’m applying what I learned as WSU Vancouver adapts to demographic shifts and changing enrollment patterns. I’m making a difference.”
Founded in 1910, AACRAO is a nonprofit, voluntary, professional association of more than 11,000 higher education professionals who represent roughly 2,600 institutions in more than 40 countries. Its mission is to provide professional development, guidelines, and voluntary standards to be used by higher education officials regarding the best practices in records management, admissions, enrollment management, administrative information technology, and student services.
With a career spanning over two decades at WSU Vancouver, Rea’s journey began as an academic advisor, and her commitment to students has been a constant throughout. In her current role, Rea provides strategic leadership for key departments including Admissions, Student Financial Services, Enrollment Technology, the Registrar’s Office, and Veterans Affairs.
