McQuarie, newly appointed as an AACRAO Advocate, met with Congressional staff members alongside other higher education registrar professionals

University of Phoenix Vice President of Registrar Audra McQuarie joined the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) Congressional Hill Day event, July 21-23, 2024, in Washington, D.C. The event allows AACRAO members to engage with congressional offices and share their perspective as practitioners and discuss the association’s legislative priorities.

“As the Registrar at University of Phoenix, I am focused on creating academic policies that best serve our students and enjoying the reward of seeing the benefits that these changes can have on our student success,” states McQuarie. “Participating as an AACRAO Advocate on Hill Day fulfilled a professional goal to enhance service to our students by lending my voice and perspective at the legislative policy level.”

AACRAO, a non-profit, voluntary, professional association working to make higher education more responsive to learners, features a membership of more than 15,000 higher education professionals at approximately 2,300 institutions in more than 40 countries, collectively representing over 16.5 million enrolled students.

For the Hill Day event, McQuarie was one of 25 AACRAO Advocates representing 24 institutions from 18 different states who met with nearly 100 Congressional offices to discuss issues ranging from reverse transfer to double Pell, short-term Pell, and more, as well as AACRAO’s concerns about the College Cost Reduction Act (CCRA). Advocates also heard from Gallup on the state of higher education, as well as former Hill staffers and government relations experts from some of AACRAO's sister higher education associations.

McQuarie was selected to serve as an AACRAO Advocate in Spring 2024, and in preparation for the Hill Day event participated in online training that provides an overview of federal legislative process, helpful insights on how to set and prepare for meetings with representatives, and tools to help state and regional organizations engage with both federal and state issues while remaining in federal compliance.

McQuarie began serving as Registrar at University of Phoenix in 2008. With almost 25 years of experience in higher education with University of Phoenix, she has had the opportunity to serve in various leadership roles at both the local campuses and central university administrative offices. As Vice President, Registrar at University of Phoenix, she has made her focus on process efficiencies that enhance the student experience, and these efforts have resulted in the University being recognized with two process excellence awards by the Southwest Alliance for Excellence for the Registrar’s Office degree conferral and quality control processes.

McQuarie is actively involved in the higher education community speaking at conferences, contributing to industry publications and serving on various boards and committees. She recently served as the Vice President of Diversity Development and is in her second year as a Leadership Development Faculty member with Pacific Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (PACRAO). McQuarie holds a Bachelor of Science in Family Studies from The University of Arizona and a Master of Educational Counseling in Human Relations from Northern Arizona University. In addition, she recently completed the Organizational Leadership Specialization from Northwestern University.

McQuarie contributed her perspective on engagement at the event which is now featured on the AACRAO website.

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