Laurier’s Necia Martins becomes 12th Canadian recipient of prestigious AACRAO SEM Endorsement

Feb. 20, 2026

At Wilfrid Laurier University, thousands of students rely on smooth, stress‑free access to financial aid, awards and frontline support. Few people influence that experience more than Associate Registrar Necia Martins – who recently became one of only 12 Canadians to earn the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers’ (AACRAO) Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Endorsement.

AACRAO’s SEM Endorsement is a rigorous professional development program that combines self-directed coursework, virtual site visits and a final capstone research project. Together, these components provide higher education leaders with a strong foundation in strategic enrollment management best practices. Overall, only 100 education professionals have earned the SEM Endorsement.

As Laurier’s associate registrar of student finance and client services, Martins oversees essential student support services including Service Laurier, financial aid, student awards and financial literacy initiatives. Her work focuses on reducing barriers that can disrupt a student’s academic journey by streamlining processes and improving access to resources.

“Good service should be seamless,” says Martins. “Behind the scenes, our team works really hard to continually improve processes so we can create that positive experience for students.”

Martins said a highlight of the SEM Endorsement program was virtual site visits to admissions and enrollment management offices at a diverse range of institutions.

“We looked at smaller institutions as well as large multi-site public institutions,” says Martins. “Learning from others who are working to support students ‘from app to cap’, or from application to graduation, was rewarding.”

AACRAO is a U.S.-based program and Martins gained valuable insight into the American post-secondary landscape. She used her capstone project to examine how strategic enrollment management principles apply within a Canadian context.

“There are very nuanced differences between the Canadian and American education landscapes, especially when it comes to funding and priorities,” says Martins. “But it was interesting to see the similarities in our practices, and it opened my eyes to new ways of doing things.”

Much of the SEM program literature originates in the U.S. and Martins’ research is helping Canadian enrollment professionals interpret and adapt practices for their own institutions. In sharing this research, she has connected with a new community of like-minded peers.

“It’s been very helpful having conversations with colleagues from across the country about goals and pain points,” says Martins. “We recognize that we’re all in this together.”

By applying the strategies and frameworks learned through the SEM program, Martins is enhancing services to better support Laurier students navigate the complexities of post-secondary education so they can continue to thrive, both in the classroom and in throughout their lives.