Since being elected to the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers’ (AACRAO) Board of Directors a year ago, Beth Warner has navigated her fair share of unsettled waters.
A new federal administration ushered in a shift in priorities and attitudes toward higher education. State-mandated revisions to the transferability of core general education requirements are bringing significant changes to the Universities of Wisconsin. And a divisional leadership change led to her being named the interim university registrar.
Through it all, she has been a steady hand at the helm.
The role of the registrar
As AACRAO’s vice president for records and academic services, Warner has traveled nationwide to advocate for higher education, focusing particularly on academic records, registration, and – especially relevant this year – credit transferability.
Changes to the transferability of core general education requirements included in the state’s most recent biennial budget – Act 15 – have underscored the importance of broad collaboration through organizations like AACRAO.
“Across the country, institutions are grappling with similar pressures – external mandates that outpace operational realities, legislative expectations that don’t always neatly align with academic governance, and increasing scrutiny on transfer, transparency, and student success,” Warner says. “So my ‘aha’ moment (through my AACRAO role) has been realizing just how not alone we are. Act 15 feels uniquely Wisconsin in its scope, but the underlying themes – credit mobility, statewide general education efforts, recognition of prior learning, and compliance expectations – are part of a national pattern of tension between policy ambition and operational feasibility. And it’s affirmed that our insistence on academic standards, governance, and student-centered design is exactly what every high-performing Research 1 registrar’s office is focusing on.”
Bringing it home
Warner’s national perspective has shaped a path forward for the Office of the Registrar. AACRAO’s community of practice has provided invaluable support, idea sharing, and a framework for navigating rapid change.
“In moments of uncertainty – when legislation moves faster than systems, and expectations move faster than facts – leadership, for me, becomes less about having the answers and more about creating clarity, stability, and trust for the people who rely on you,” she says. “I feel honored to be in a position where I can help chart a path through the fog – both at UW–Madison and nationally through AACRAO. Leadership right now means translating ambiguity into actionable steps; keeping people grounded in mission, not panic (that one’s hard!); advocating for the integrity of academic processes and governance oversight, even when timelines feel impossible; and modeling calm persistence.”
When you can’t see the path ahead of you, it can be easy to wait for the fog to clear, but Warner says that’s not an option. The Office of the Registrar– situated at the intersection of data, technology, policy, and implementation – is uniquely positioned to guide UW–Madison and higher education forward deliberately.
“To reflect something my Grandpa Tomter used to say, ‘If you don’t participate, you can’t complain’ (although he used a different word than complain),” she says. “I believe national policy and professional standards are shaped by the people who show up. Having worked at other institutions, I can say that UW–Madison has a unique institutional footprint – R1, land-grant, highly selective admissions, deep research mission, and a complex academic ecosystem. When conversations about credit mobility, transfer, student success metrics, academic records, and federal/state compliance happen without institutions like ours represented, the guidance is incomplete at best and unworkable at worst.”
Being in the room ensures that we’re working proactively to create sustainable solutions for UW–Madison and peer institutions.
“I love being part of the RO, DEM and UW because we’re not just responding to national changes, we’re shaping them,” Warner says.
This article is part of a series highlighting the Division of Enrollment Management’s contributions to higher education beyond the boundaries of UW–Madison, in keeping with the Wisconsin Idea and our Strategic Framework.