Dear GACRAO colleagues,
Welcome to the 54th annual conference of the Georgia Association of Collegiate Registrars
and Admissions Officers! We are once again on the coast in one of the most historic and
beautiful cities in Georgia. Savannah we are here!
Much like Savannah herself, this year’s theme, Lessons from Georgia’s First City: Setting
Sail with Innovation, Technology, and Customer Service reflects the ever changing and
adaptive professional environment in which we work. The cotton gin, technology invented
on a plantation just outside the city limits, revolutionized an entire industry and for a
time put Savannah on the map as a global commodities giant. The city has always been known
for its hospitality and great customer service; more than 50 million people visited Savannah
in the 1990’s. We can indeed take lessons from Georgia’s first city and apply them to our
chosen profession.
GACRAO President-Elect Mike Augustine and his Program Committee Chairs, Jennifer Brannon,
Lisa Shiveler, and John Mason, have put together an extraordinary slate of session topics
that we in student enrollment deal with each and every day.
We are very fortunate to have Dr. Bertice Berry as our keynote speaker. She is an
accomplished lecturer, educator, sociologist, and author with bestsellers like, I’m
On My Way, But Your Foot Is On My Head, and When Love Calls, You Better Answer. I can
tell you that this is one keynote address you don’t want to miss at the opening session
Monday morning!
Our award winning Enrollment Management track will be in its third year at the GACRAO conference.
This track, which last year took the moniker of the GACRAO Institute for Strategic Enrollment (GISEM),
provides a unique professional development opportunity for upper level enrollment managers as well as
those seeking to move into this exciting and challenging field.
In closing, I hope you learn a lot about our great profession, renew old friendships,
make new ones, and have a great time!
Sincerely,
Bruce Applewhite
GACRAO President 2006-2007
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