Sarah Harris, senior associate registrar at the University of Iowa, has been awarded honorary membership by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) this April 2020. 

The award recognizes Harris’ active involvement and significant contribution to AACRAO, and confers certain association benefits upon retirement. Recipients are selected by the AACRAO Board of Directors.

“Sarah’s impact on AACRAO has been wide-ranging,” says AACRAO Executive Director Mike Reilly. “Her leadership on various issues will help shape AACRAO for years to come, and we are thankful for her dedication.”

Harris attended her first AACRAO annual meeting in Minneapolis in 2002, and returned as often as possible for the education and networking opportunities. By participating in conferences, her connections expanded and, in 2008, Harris was asked by then-AACRAO board member Glenn Munson to become a member of the Student Academic Records Professional Activity Committee (PAC).

After serving a year on the committee, she became vice-chair, then chair through 2011. From 2009 through 2011, she also chaired the Electronic Transcript Task Force. Wanting to increase her service with AACRAO, Harris accepted a three-year appointment in 2013 and became a Program Committee coordinator, and in 2017, she was invited to serve as the Annual Meeting Program Committee vice-chair for Minneapolis and 2018 Annual Meeting Program Committee chair for Orlando. In 2019 and 2020, Harris  continued with the Program Committee as a coordinator.

Harris will retire from her position as a senior associate registrar later this year, though will return to the UI as a temporary employee to complete an imaging project.