In this digital age, how do institutions know what documents to accept and from whom? This year's school closures, distance learning, online education, and other upheavals have made it even more critical for institutions to ensure that they are accepting official academic records from valid sources. Typically, receiving official documents…

The global demand for higher education currently exceeds the world's existing university capacity. This shortfall is likely to persist for the foreseeable future, raising concerns that frustrated students might choose to purchase fraudulent credentials from counterfeiters or diploma mills. International efforts to encourage the development of…

In a relatively short time, technology applications have become an essential feature of the admissions business. They make the jobs of international admissions professionals easier in many ways, allowing for more robust communication with applicants and counselors, a streamlined application process, and quicker access to information about…

On every college and university campus, common themes weave throughout identity and access management (IAM) and its relationship to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Institutions approach IAM differently as there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Nevertheless, all face common elements. Over the past few years, a number of…

In Spring 2008, senior members of the international admission and credential evaluation community met to deliberate over the admission and placement of Bologna Compliant degree holders into U.S. graduate programs. This group comprised several individuals holding top leadership positions in NAFSA, AACRAO, and closely allied groups involved in…

The potential that exists for expanding services and automating routine procedures via the microcomputer has been greatly increased by the advances in database managers. A database manager is described as a collection of programs that perform many data manipulation functions that would have required elaborate programming work in the past. (MLW)

Few would dispute that much has changed in the field of international credential evaluation in the past twenty years. Support for fully staffed international admissions has waned as directors of admission have faced increasing challenges in the areas of recruitment and enrollment management while being faced with budget constraints and increased…

Covered in the proceedings of AACRAO's 63rd annual meeting are: basics in systems management; why, when, and how of reporting data; data base management systems; and budgeting. (LBH)

Issues and considerations likely to be confronted in designing and constructing longitudinal institutional databases or studies are examined, including operational definitions of retention and attrition. The intent is to reduce current limitations in dropout research. (MSE)

The University of Calgary (Canada) medical school admissions process has been streamlined with the Student Admission to Medicine computer program, largely paperless, that creates a database from student applications. The database then converts grades to the university's standards and assists with administrative details, statistical analyses, and…

Brigham Young University (Utah) has an automated system for evaluating student transfer information, using an established database containing a historical record of courses taken at other schools. A unique feature of the system is that course evaluation and degree audit are completed the day the student is admitted. (Author/MSE)

The Registrar at McMaster University, Ontario, Canada, reviewed the student records system, a data base structure using IBM's IMS package. Over 13 interviews were conducted to determine use of the system, problems, and suggestions. An estimated $50,000 could be saved annually by adoption of recommendations. (SW)

The University of Georgia's computer-based recruitment file of about 20,000 annual freshmen prospects has several primary sources: Georgia achievement award winners, names purchased from the College Board, and superior prospects who submit scores. The file can also record various student interactions with the admissions office and students'…