Holly Diamond joins AACRAO’s national Student Success Workgroup
Holly Diamond, the HFC Executive Director of Enrollment Services/Registrar, was recently selected to join a national Student Success Workgroup as part of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO).
Diamond is one of 12 individuals from all over the United States who were selected for the Student Success Workgroup, a 2-year appointment.
The Student Success Workgroup is focused on five goals:
• Develop recommendations for professional development opportunities to educate members in student success using the framework of the professional core competencies
• Identify resources within AACRAO to assist members in selecting appropriate technologies to support efforts in student success
• Identify best practices in promoting and fostering student success
• Develop assessment tools to assist member institutions in identifying policies and processes that are barriers for student success
• Identify student success-related public policy that needs AACRAO support
“We’re hoping to bring about positive change,” said Diamond. “This will undoubtedly change the way in which AACRAO operates in the future. Of course, HFC will also benefit from my participation by working with the identified resources to increase student success. The group will meet monthly via teleconference. I’ll also be going to Washington, D.C. in early October for several days to meet with my fellow members and AACRAO officials to assess where we are and make plans for the future.”
Founded in 1910, AACRAO is a non-profit, voluntary, professional association of more than 11,000 higher education professionals who represent approximately 2,600 educational institutions in more than 40 countries. Its mission is to provide professional development, guidelines, and voluntary standards for higher education officials regarding best practices in records management, admissions, enrollment management, administrative information technology, and student services.
AACRAO represents institutions in every part of the higher education community, from large public institutions to community colleges.
“I’m honored to have been selected for this workgroup,” said Diamond.
Career in Higher Ed
A veteran in higher education for nearly 30 years, Diamond has worked at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Walsh College in Troy, Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, and HFC. At those schools, she has successfully developed and implemented strategic enrollment, retention, and recruitment plans that have resulted in implementation of an early-alert system; reduction in time to earn a degree; enhancement of the academic advising process; increased institutional enrollment in a short turnaround time; and increased enrollment with focused student populations.
Diamond has been at HFC for nearly 10 years. She began in 2009 as the director of registration, records, admissions, placement testing, and international students. In 2013, she became the director of enrollment services/registrar. In 2014, she was promoted to her current position. In addition to her work in college administration, Diamond has also taught courses at HFC and LTU.
Diamond graduated with honors from UM-Dearborn, where she was a James B. Angell Scholar, earning her undergraduate degree in psychology. She went on to earn a graduate degree in administration from Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant.
As an undergrad, Diamond worked as an admissions secretary at UM-Dearborn. That role helped spark her passion for higher education and revealed her desire to help students succeed. So she changed her major from business to psychology.
"My alma mater is where I got my first taste of helping students, and I really enjoyed it," she said. "I decided that this was how I wanted to spend my career: helping students succeed at the enrollment and admissions levels, so they succeed in their careers and lives.”