Dr. Carolyn Gentle-Genitty, inaugural Dean of Founder’s College at Butler University and leading transfer credit expert, has been named to The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers’ (AACRAO) Learning Evaluation and Recognition for the Next Generation (LEARN) Commission, a new national effort to recognize undergraduate learning and improve credit evaluation policies and practices.

Comprising practitioner leaders, accreditors, and research experts from across the country, the Commission will recommend national guidelines to practitioners for recognizing undergraduate learning in all its forms and applying learning to credentials, with the intent of advancing learning mobility.

“We are seeing an increasing percentage of Americans taking advantage of learning opportunities beyond high school, but it’s not always easy for learners to move across providers,” Gentle-Genitty said. “SOVA and AACRAO are boldly leading a charge. It’s estimated that learners lose 43 percent of their credits when they transfer across postsecondary institutions. That’s simply unacceptable.”

The work of the LEARN Commission will focus on designing systems, processes, programs, and initiatives around the needs and best interests of the learner and anticipating what those needs will be in the future.

“Postsecondary education is evolving. There are more ways to access learning today than ever before, and opportunities are expected to expand rapidly in the coming years,” Gentle-Genitty said. “But our credit transfer and recognition processes aren’t keeping up. For example, more than half of institutions of higher education do not accept credits earned at another institution. It is imperative that we remove barriers which prevent learners from accessing the education that they desire.”

The LEARN Commission will evaluate policies and practices for transferring and applying credit between accredited institutions, as well as policies and processes for recognizing credit earned from high school dual enrollment and learning obtained in the workplace and military. In these areas, the Commission will also assess the potential of new technologies to streamline credit evaluation processes, while eliminating human error and bias.

“I’m excited to have direct input into this important work on a national stage,” Gentle-Genitty said. “Butler is doing some cool stuff regarding learning mobility, with our Founder’s College and Online Degree Completion program being two prime examples. But we can always do more. I look forward to gleaning some best practices while serving on the LEARN Commission and expect that we will have opportunities to be among the first in the nation to implement some of those learnings here at Butler.”

The LEARN Commission is beginning its work this month and will continue to meet through November 2025.