Transfer Tea, An AACRAO Podcast

Recorded live at The Assembly, this special crossover episode brings Transfer Tea and Transfer Nation together for an honest, unfiltered conversation centered on the transfer student experience. Loida González Utley and Heather Adams sit down with transfer students to explore what transfer made possible for them, where institutional processes made their journeys harder, who helped them feel supported and welcomed, and what they want higher education professionals to do differently.

From navigating credit and finding accurate information to belonging, advocacy, and the power of human connection, this conversation challenges us to see transfer beyond policies, processes, and data—and through the eyes of the students experiencing it.

Because transfer students aren't just participants in our systems. They are experts in how those systems are experienced.

After receiving a thoughtful email from a listener, Loida explores a difficult but important question: What happens when one institution wants to partner, and the other doesn't?

Building on a recent conversation about how universities can be better partners to community colleges, this solo episode examines the other side of the equation. Drawing on findings from her doctoral research with community college professionals across Texas, Loida discusses the realities of transfer collaboration, the barriers that emerge when institutions operate in silos, and why partnership cannot be sustained by one side alone.

The conversation expands beyond traditional transfer to explore learning mobility, institutional alignment, and the growing need to recognize learning acquired through military service, workforce training, dual enrollment, prior learning assessment, and other pathways. Ultimately, this episode challenges institutions to move beyond good intentions and toward shared understanding, meaningful collaboration, and actionable outcomes that better serve students.

If transfer is a promise, then partnership—and alignment—are how we keep that promise.





Host:
Loida González, Ed.D.
Director, Recruitment & Enrollment Services
Texas A&M University–Central Texas




FMI on The Assembly: https://www.aacrao.org/events-training/meetings/the-assembly/balancing-access-and-accountability



Email us at [email protected]!

Innovation in higher education often moves slower than the students it’s meant to serve—but learning mobility demands something different. In this episode, Loida sits down with Lizzie from Edvisorly to explore how technology is reshaping the transfer experience, from credit articulation to real-time decision-making.

Together, they unpack what it truly means to build systems that recognize learning as it happens, rather than forcing students to navigate outdated processes after the fact. This conversation challenges institutions to move beyond static agreements and into dynamic, student-centered ecosystems powered by data, transparency, and intentional design.

Because in a world where students move faster than systems, technology isn’t just a tool—it’s the bridge between opportunity and access.

 

 

Host:

Loida González, Ed.D.

Director, Recruitment & Enrollment Services
Texas A&M University–Central Texas

https://www.linkedin.com/in/loidagonz%C3%A1lezutley/





Guests:

Lizzie Allison
Chief Innovation Officer at Edvisorly

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizzieallison/



To learn more about Edvisorly: https://www.edvisorly.com/

FMI on The Assembly: https://www.aacrao.org/events-training/meetings/the-assembly/balancing-access-and-accountability



Email us at [email protected]!

 In recognition of Global Advising Week, this episode of Transfer Tea explores the evolving role of advising in an era shaped by learning mobility, transfer complexity, and student-centered innovation. Loida sits down with Sabih, co-founder of Stellic, to discuss how one student’s vision—deeply inspired by the mentorship of Carnegie Mellon advisor Mark Stehlik—grew into a platform focused on helping students navigate clearer academic pathways.

Together, they explore why advising has become essential infrastructure for student success, how technology can strengthen human connection rather than replace it, and what institutions must do to better support today’s increasingly mobile learners. From transfer pathways to degree planning and credit mobility, this conversation highlights why the future of higher education depends on systems that are both connected and deeply human.

Host:

Loida González, Ed.D.

Director, Recruitment & Enrollment Services
Texas A&M University–Central Texas

Guest:

Sabih Bin Wasi

Founder & CEO, Stellic

They’ve been on both sides of transfer—as students navigating the process and as mentors helping others through it. In this episode, Mimi and Mckenna share the tea on what transfer students actually experience, what support really matters, and where institutions still fall short. Now graduate students, they reflect on how those experiences shaped who they are today—and what both students and higher ed professionals need to understand if we’re serious about getting transfer right.

Host:

Loida González, Ed.D.

Director, Recruitment & Enrollment Services
Texas A&M University–Central Texas

Guests:

Mimi Guthrey, Graduate Student, M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Colorado Christian University

Mckenna Reinsch, Graduate Student, M.S. in Coastal and Marine System Sciences
Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi

In this episode of Transfer Tea, Loida sits down with Ashley to unpack a critical question emerging from research and practice: Are universities truly being the partners they expect community colleges to be? Drawing on insights from Loida’s dissertation, the conversation explores gaps in communication, policy clarity, and shared responsibility that impact transfer students. Together, they challenge traditional assumptions about the transfer pipeline and reframe partnership as a mutual, ongoing commitment. This episode calls on institutions to move beyond expectations—and toward action that better supports students on their transfer journey.

Host:

Dra. Loida González Utley

Director of Recruitment and Enrollment Services

Texas A&M University- Central Texas

Guest:

Ashley Lattimore, MBA

Director of Advising

Lone Star College

Transfer isn’t broken because people don’t care — it’s broken because processes go unexamined. In this episode of Transfer Tea, Loida sits down with Alex Aljets to talk about why institutions must continuously assess and map their processes if they truly want to serve students well. From transfer credit articulation to adult learner applications to onboarding communications, they explore how well-intentioned systems often create invisible barriers. If you believe student success requires more than good intentions, this episode is for you.

Host:

Dra. Loida González Utley
Director of Recruitment and Enrollment Services
Texas A&M University- Central Texas

Guest:

Alex Aljets
Process Improvement Strategist
Aljets Consulting, LLC
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexaljets/
Email: [email protected]

Join us at The Assembly this July! FMI: https://www.aacrao.org/events-training/meetings/the-assembly

As higher education expands its commitment to access, Prison Education Programs (PEPs) are playing an increasingly critical role in creating equitable pathways for learners. But what happens when education must function without Wi-Fi, laptops, student portals, or even consistent communication?

In this episode of Transfer Tea, we explore the operational, ethical, and mobility challenges institutions face when delivering academic programs inside correctional facilities. From academic integrity and FERPA compliance to transcript management and credit portability, we unpack what it truly means to uphold rigor and equity in paper-based environments.

If learning mobility is about continuity of opportunity, then it must include students whose movement is restricted. This conversation challenges higher education professionals to rethink infrastructure, policy, and design — and to ensure that opportunity does not stop at a prison wall.

What happens when learning is recognized—but doesn’t fully move?

In this episode of Transfer Tea, we explore the complexity of Joint Services Transcript (JST) credit through the lens of learning mobility. While JSTs document rigorous military training and occupational expertise, many service members discover that awarded credit doesn’t always translate into meaningful degree progress. Why does this gap exist—and what does it reveal about our systems?

Joined by military and veteran services experts, we examine the difference between credit recognition and credit applicability, the institutional barriers that slow mobility, and the knowledge gaps that impact military-connected learners. Together, we challenge higher education to move beyond awarding credit toward designing systems where learning truly travels with the learner.

 

Host:
Dra. Loida González Utley
Director of Recruitment and Enrollment Services
Texas A&M University- Central Texas



Guests:
Abby Kinch, Ph.D.
Chief of Staff & Vice President of Research
Student Veterans of America

 

Coby Dillard, MA-HSC, CCM
Director of Military and Veterans Affairs
University of Texas at Tyler

 

James Dalton
Director of Military and Veteran Services
Texas A&M University- Central Texas

Learning rarely follows a straight line—and higher education is being challenged to move with it. In this episode of Transfer Tea, Quintina Barnett Gallion joins the conversation to break down what learning mobility is, why it matters, and what it means for today’s learners. We explore how learning mobility goes beyond transfer to include prior learning, workforce and military credit, and cross-institutional movement—and how AACRAO is leading the work to ensure learning is trusted, portable, and allowed to move.

Host:

Dr. Loida Gonzalez Utley

Director of Recruitment and Enrollment Services
Texas A&M University- Central Texas
[email protected]

Guest:

Quintina Barnett Gallion

Associate Executive Director, Strategy Planning
AACRAO
[email protected]

FMI on Learning Mobility: https://www.aacrao.org/our-work/learning-mobility

Join us @ The Assembly this summer! FMI: https://www.aacrao.org/events-training/meetings/the-assembly

Email us at [email protected]