Save the Date: 2025 UMACRAO Annual Conference

October 27–29, 2025*
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Canopy by Hilton Sioux Falls Downtown

*The 2025 conference will take place Monday through Wednesday.

 2024 UMACRAO Annual Conference

Empowering Minds, Elevating Lives: Fostering Support and Happiness in Higher Education

October 23–25, 2024
Bloomington, Minnesota

Conference Registration Information

Conference registration closed October 11.

Additional Details to Help You Plan Ahead

Full Conference Schedule

Check out the Full Conference Schedule for the 2024 conference.

Program at a Glance

Check out our Program at a Glance for the 2024 conference.

Conference Plenary Session with Tom Sonnek
Lean Thinking – How to Get on the Same Page

Tom Sonnek is a continuous improvement expert who has been applying the principles of Lean Management to higher education systems for the past 10 years. With a bachelor’s degree in theater from Mankato State University and an MFA in Acting from Indiana University, Tom applies a mix of storytelling and theatricality to Lean thinking. He has helped non-profits, retail, government, and for-profit organizations improve their processes, empower employees, and produce greater value for their customers and students.  Tom currently serves as Senior Director of Continuous Quality Improvement and Academic Operations at Capella University. This session will provide you with the tools and thinking to help you get on the same page with your team, make your work visible, and improve continuously. 

AACRAO Representative

Ari Kaufman is this year's AACRAO representative to the 2024 UMACRAO Annual Conference.  Ari is AACRAO's Vice President for Finance on the AACRAO Board of Directors.  For the past 23 years, Ari has served in the Office of the Registrar at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.    He currently serves as Associate Registrar for Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee, two schools which merged together in 2016.  

Ari prioritizes customer service and mentoring others while providing expertise in the areas of compliance, querying, reporting, registration, systems troubleshooting, curriculum management, and degree audit.  Ari is also Past President and the former Treasurer of New England ACRAO (NEACRAO).  Ari has written for AACRAO’s College and University (C&U) on the topic of student data security. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Science in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  Prior to his career in higher education administration, Ari worked as a CPA in the audit function at Ernst & Young and he also taught financial accounting at UMass Amherst.  

Ari is a proud husband to Heidi, an education administrator at the MetroWest YMCA in Framingham MA as well as the father of two current college students – a daughter, Josie, who is a senior at the University of Connecticut and a son, Ryan, who is in his first year at Rochester Institute of Technology. In his spare time, Ari enjoys playing the piano and spending time with family and friends.

Thursday Evening Entertainment - Improv Company

Some of the Twin Cities’ funniest improvisers are set to bring you an evening of laughter, fun, and a feel-good time! If you’ve ever watched “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” then you have some idea of what’s in store for this year’s UMACRAO Thursday evening entertainment. With more than 100 years of combined improv experience, this comedy group still loves to play make-believe for a living. (Some of them have even worked in a registrar’s office!) This improv company is not “accredited,” yet they are “a credit” to society—but only on Thursday evenings. Lucky us! So, get ready to laugh, chortle, hoot, chuckle and shout out ideas that could be fodder for their performance (and heck maybe their lives too!) It’s tuition-free and no need to register, just pull up a chair and enjoy the show.

Hotel and Conference Location Information

Hilton Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport - 3800 American Blvd East
Make your reservation online or by calling the hotel reservations at 1-800-HILTONS (1-800-445-8667). If reserving by phone, individuals must identify themselves as being with the UMACRAO group at the time the reservation is made in order to receive the special group rate. The conference room rate will be $122 plus tax through October 1.

Please note: There are two airport Hilton locations on American Blvd. Please be sure you are booking at the 3800 American Blvd EAST location.

The hotel is waiving the parking fee for UMACRAO attendees. The hotel has complimentary wireless internet for Hilton Honors Members. If you are not a member, you can sign up for free to take advantage of this benefit.

Location and Transportation

Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport is ideally located in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, a short distance from the international airport (MSP), Mall of America and Interstate 494. Located three miles from MSP and one mile from Mall of America, allows for easy shuttle transportation. The complimentary shuttle services MSP every 30 minutes starting at 4:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily. The complimentary shuttle services the Mall of America daily during merchant hours.

Philanthropy

Each year, the UMACRAO team chooses an organization to support during it's conference. The 2024 philanthropy recipient is Minnesota Independence College and Community.

Corporate Partners

Special thanks to our 2024 corporate partners!

Refunds and Substitutions

All changes, substitutions, and cancellations must be made in writing and emailed to [email protected]. There is no penalty if the substitute works at the same institution as the original registrant. Membership status will be verified and additional fees assessed as appropriate.

Cancellation and Refund Deadlines

Refund requests will be considered based on the following deadlines. Refunds will be credited in the manner paid. Allow up to 30 days after the meeting to receive your refund.

On or before August 31, 2024: no penalty for cancellation; refund given.
September 1–October 1, 2024: refund given minus a $150 administrative fee.
After October 1, 2024: No refunds of any fees paid.

These terms and conditions apply to registrations received on the UMACRAO website. If the meeting is canceled or converted to an all-virtual delivery, registrants will be notified in advance.