(Final) SASFAA
Executive Board Meeting
Sheraton
July 23-24, 2005
CALL TO ORDER
President Guy Gibbs called
the meeting to order at 9:01 am at the Sheraton Greensboro Four Seasons.
WELCOME
Dana Kelly, North Carolina
State President welcomed the board to the state of North Carolina and presented
each member with a pictorial book of North Carolina. President Guy Gibbs
recognized Ron Gambill and Edsouth for dinner on Friday night, National Education
for the Hospitality Suite, and Regions Bank for Breakfast.
CHANGES TO THE AGENDA AND SUBSTITUTE VOTING
President Gibbs announced
that Brent Tener will serve as Secretary for
this meeting and keep the board minutes in
INTRODUCTIONS
The following elected board
members were present: Guy Gibbs, President; Brent Tener, President-Elect; Janet
Sain, Past-President; Tolly Tollefson, Vice President; and Heather Boutell,
Treasurer.
State Presidents in
attendance were: Shelley Park, Kentucky; Forrest Stuart,
Committee Chairs in
attendance were: Clark Aldridge, Finance and Audit; Crusie Lucero, Diversity,
Carol Mowbray, Special Projects; Juanita Russell, Membership; Ron Gambill, Site
Selection; Keith Reeves, Vendor and Sponsor; Lisanne Masterson, Conference;
Susan Little, Special Appointee; Bill Spiers, Legislative Relations; and April Kendrick, Newsletter Editor.
Liaisons present: Mike
Hawkes, Agency, and Paul Mittelhammer, Lender.
Special guest Rose Mary
Stelma from
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
ACTION: Brent Tener moved to accept the minutes of the
June 10, 2005 Board meeting held at the Don CeSar,
REPORTS FROM THE OFFICERS
SEE ATTACHMENT A
Report from Vice President, Tolly Tollefson
ACTION: Tolly presented Bob Godfrey as the Mid-level Workshop Chair. The Motion,
seconded by Dana Kelly was approved.
Report from Secretary, Sandy Neel presented by Brent
Tener
ACTION: Brent
Tener made a motion to accept the By-laws committee consisting of Susan Little,
Ray Tripp, Cleo Martin, and Dee Talley. The motion, seconded by Tolly was
approved.
Report from Treasurer, Heather Boutell
ACTION: Heather made a motion to accept Susan Little,
Clark Aldridge, Sharon Oliver, Randy Craig, Lester McKenzie, and Jody Darby as
the Review of Financial Issues Committee. The motion, seconded by Dana Kelly
was approved.
Heather reported that the
mileage rate has been updated to the current IRS rate of .405 cents per mile.
The Treasurer’s report will be filed for review.
STATE PRESIDENT REPORT-SEE ATTACHMENT B
COMMITTEE REPORTS- SEE ATTACHMENTS C
Report from Budget/Finance Chair, Clark Aldridge
ACTION: Brent Tener made a motion to accept the
Budget and Finance committee as presented by
ACTION: Brent Tener made a motion to accept the
Budget as presented by
Discussion occurred regarding
the budget.
ACTION: Dana Kelly made a motion to table the budget.
The motion, seconded by Ruth Strum was approved.
Report from Conference Chair, Lisanne Masterson
ACTION: Brent Tener made a motion to accept the
Conference Committee as presented by Lisanne. The motion, seconded by Soraya
Welden was approved.
Lisanne will get the ballot
boxes to Ron Gambill who agreed to house them.
Report from Membership Chair, Juanita Russell
ACTION: Heather Boutell made a motion to accept
the Membership Committee as presented by Juanita. The motion, seconded by Brad
Barnett was approved.
Report from Vendor/Sponsor Chair, Keith Reeves
ACTION: Dana Kelly made a motion to accept the
Vendor/Sponsor Committee as presented by Keith. The motion, seconded by Tolly
Tollefson was approved.
Report from Diversity Chair, Crusie Lucero
ACTION: Ruth Strum made a motion to accept the Diversity
Committee as presented by Crusie. The motion, seconded by Dana Kelly was
approved.
Report from Electronic Services
ACTION: Dana Kelly made a motion to accept the
Electronic Services Committee as presented by Crusie. The motion, seconded by Heather
Boutell was approved.
Report from Newslettter Editor, April Kendrick
ACTION: Soraya Welden made a motion to accept the
Newsletter Committee as presented by April. The motion, seconded by Forrest
Stuart was approved.
Report from Site Selection Chair, Ron Gambill
ACTION: Brad Barnett made a motion to accept the Site
Selection Committee as presented by Ron. The motion, seconded by Dana Kelly was
approved.
Report from
ACTION: Dana Kelly
made a motion to accept the
LIASON REPORTS- SEE ATTACHMENT D
Meeting Recessed until Sunday
Morning.
Meeting reconvened at 8:38on
Sunday morning by President Guy Gibbs.
Janet Sain and Brad Barnett
were unable to return for the meeting.
Special Projects
ACTION: Nancy Garmroth made a motion to accept the
Foundation Committee as presented. The motion, seconded by Dana Kelly was
approved.
ACTION: Buddy
ACTION: Tolly Tollefson made a motion to accept Chip
Quisenberry as the New Aid Officers Summer Workshop curriculum coordinator. The
motion, seconded by Dana Kelly was approved.
Old Business
ACTION: Shelley Park made a motion to move the budget
from table. The motion, seconded by Dana Kelly was approved.
Budget Chair Clark Aldridge
provided updated recommendations for the budget.
ACTION: Forrest Stuart made a motion to approve the
budget as presented by
Discussion Occurred.
Brent Tener called the
question.
The motion carried.
New Business
None.
ACTION: Dana Kelly moved to adjourn the Executive
Board meeting. The motion, seconded by Suzanne Pittman was approved. The
meeting adjourned at ?
Respectfully submitted,
Sandra J. Neel
SASFAA Secretary 2005-2006
ATTACHMENT A
President Guy Gibbs’ Report
President’s Board Report
Sheraton Four Seasons,
July 22-24, 2005
Welcome to
Goals and Objectives
You are to be commended for
the work that you did in putting together your goals and objectives. I’ve had an opportunity to review them. You did exactly as I asked when we met in
As you will remember, the
format that I asked you to use in setting forth your goals and objectives is a
departure from the format employed in prior years. There were a number of reasons that this
request was made.
Committee Appointments
As committee chairs and
appointees, you are also to be commended for identifying individuals to serve a
role on committees in 2005-2006. We are
very fortunate to have had a great number of SASFAA members offer their time
and experience to serve this year.
Unfortunately, there are insufficient committee slots to find places for
everyone, but we must continue to encourage volunteerism and to involve new
members in the work of our committees. I
was encouraged to see that many new members will be involved this year.
I will provide the 2005-2006
volunteer lists to President-Elect Brent Tener.
Those who volunteered will be thanked in an appropriate way for offering
their service to SASFAA and encouraged to continue to volunteer in future
years. NASFAA has a process that places
volunteers in positions in subsequent years and perhaps this model can be
employed by SASFAA. We should never lose
sight of the important role our volunteers play in the success of this
association.
NASFAA Board Meeting
The NASFAA Board Meeting was
held at the New York Hilton earlier this month.
As President-Elect of SASFAA I attended the orientation for new board
members on June 30. The actual board
meeting was held on July 1-2. I
continued to sit in the “peanut gallery” along with my colleagues from the
other regional associations. Janet Sain
and Ron Day represented SASFAA as voting members. This was the final board meeting for Chair George
Chin as well as SASFAA Past President Ron Day.
Their leadership was recognized and they were thanked for their service
to NASFAA. SASFAA was well represented
by the work on Ron as he sat as a voting member for the last two years.
Action of the NASFAA Board
The following information has
been posted to the NASFAA web site; however, if you have not had a chance to
review the news from the board meeting, this will provide a brief summary of
action taken. This information was
posted to the NASFAA web site on July 8, 2005.
You can find more information at www.nasfaa.org.
The NASFAA Board acted on a
report from the NASFAA Reauthorization Task Force (RTF) on recent legislative
options concerning Title IV programs.
This included reaffirming the package of recommendations previously
approved by the 2002 NASFAA Board; revising the Board’s previous position
concerning School as Lender; and initiating new action on the provisions of the
Student Aid Rewards Act (STAR).
Summary of Board Actions
4th of July in
The NASFAA annual conference
was held from July 3rd through July 6th in
SASFAA Extends
Congratulations to
SASFAA member states have
done it again. Of the four state award winners
announced at the NASFAA annual conference, two of the winners were from the
SASFAA region. We extend SASFAA
congratulations to the
Department of Education
Liaison Update
We continue to work with the
U. S. Department of Education to find a solution to the issue of having a
Department Liaison attend SASFAA board meetings and assist with planning for
the annual conference. We are finding
that that the Department is not as supportive of these as in prior years. As a result, no one from the Department will
attend the meeting in
The leadership of the SASFAA
will continue to engage the Department in finding ways to bring updates at
board meeting, to provide some guidance in conference planning and or proposing
appropriate interest/general sessions for our annual conference. This issue is of vital important to the board
and to the general membership in ensuring up-to-date information from the
Department and in developing training program.
President Elect Brent Tener’s Report
President-Elect
Report
Brent
Tener
July,
2005
1. Reaffirm NASFAA recommendations
previously approved in 2002 and 2003 with one exception: the Board rescinded
its previous recommendation concerning School as Lender (SAL). The Board
approved a new recommendation concerning this topic. This revised package forms
the basis of NASFAA's platform for this reauthorization cycle.
2. Direct the NASFAA staff to
work with the lending community and other entities to find ways to move the
NASFAA reauthorization agenda forward, which includes making significant
increases in need based grant funding for all needy students.
3. Oppose the School as Lender
provisions and oppose the STAR bill in keeping with the guidelines of programs
being fair and equitable for all students.
Overall, the legislative
proposals adopted by NASFAA's Board seek to preserve both the FFEL and the
Direct Loan programs by equalizing and strengthening both programs. To that
end, NASFAA supports increasing loan limits, eliminating student fees, and
improving and expanding repayment options for all borrowers in each program.
The NASFAA Reauthorization
Tasforce originally opposed the School as Lender option because the program had
moved away from its original intent – to be the last point of loan access for students.
Now access is not an issue; all students have access to loan funds. In
addition, it appears that a few institutions may not hold the students'
interests as paramount. Institutions may be more concerned with increasing
institutional resources than with the concerns or choices of needy students.
Some non-financial aid school administrators may promote this option as a way
of diverting limited school resources away from student need-based assistance.
Some perceive that state governments are encouraging schools to become lenders
in order to reduce the state support needed for students and for schools. In
addition, some believe that retaining or expanding the provision would
destabilize the current loan system.
In November 2002, NASFAA's
Board position approved a position to maintain the School as Lender provision
and clarify that proceeds beyond administrative expenses would be used only for
need-based student aid at the school.
Until the latest discussion
on STAR and SAL, this position felt appropriate. In light of the comments
recently received, the Board determined that the previous position is no longer
tenable. After discussion at the July 2005 meeting, the NASFAA Board voted to
oppose the existing School as Lender provision because the provision does not
support the premise of equal benefits for all students.
The comments NASFAA members
provided on the STAR Act led the NASFAA Board to vote to oppose this
legislation. This was done in light of the fact that the STAR proposal, as
currently drafted, does not promote fairness and equity to all student
borrowers or to the schools that they attend. The NASFAA Board felt it was
necessary to clarify its position on this issue and believes this position is
in keeping with its guiding principles. “
Other items were discussed,
and as mentioned earlier, more details are available on the NASFAA website.
More to follow after the next meeting to be held in
Past President Janet Sain’s Report
SASFAA Past-President Report
July 23, 2005
Sheraton Four Seasons,
Responsibilities included:
Nominations and Elections
Committee, Recognition and Awards Committee and the GAP Committee.
Nominations and Elections Committee
The committee is comprised of
the immediate state past-presidents for 2004-2005. A tentative meeting has been
set for October in conjunction with the Conference Committee meeting in
Continuation of the items
brought forth by the task force will be reviewed and further items will be
discussed as to electronic voting and what other uses we can have made
available via ATAC.
Recognition and Awards Committee
This committee is comprised
of the current Executive Committee. Candidates for Honorary Membership and
Distinguished Service awards will be sought. Retirees from each state will be requested.
Thus far two candidates have been submitted for consideration for Honorary
Membership. Requests will be considered at the Fall board meeting.
A new item for consideration
is the formulation of a new award for SASFAA. NASFAA has its version of the
state awards. An idea for a SASFAA version has been discussed informally. I
would like to solicit approval to have a small task force research the
possibility of creating this award. So many wonderful awards are submitted, but
never really shared or acknowledged at NASFAA.
GAP Committee
This committee is comprised
of five SASFAA members to be chosen by the current President and the immediate
Past-President to work on the GAP report each year. Several of the members are
repeats from the previous year. Part of the Long Range Planning Retreat will
discuss the content, templates and possible change in reporting deadlines. Once
the retreat is completed, final decisions can be made.
Vice President Tolly Tollefson’s Report
SASFAA Board Meeting, July
23, 2005
Professional Development
Committee
The New Aid Officers Workshop
was held June 19 – 24, 2005 at the
Planning has begun on next
year’s event. The hope is to return to
UNC Asheville if additional large classrooms can be secured. There will be at least six returning
instructors. Chip Quisenberry from
Planning has also begun on
the Mid-Level workshop which SASFAA will host this year. Bob Godfrey from
Treasurer Heather Boutell’s Report
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jul '05 - Jun 06 |
|
Budget |
|
$ Over Budget |
|
% of Budget |
|
|
Income |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
01 · Membership Dues |
1,325.00 |
|
37,000.00 |
|
-35,675.00 |
|
3.58% |
|
|
|
02 · Professional Advancement |
625.00 |
|
103,000.00 |
|
-102,375.00 |
|
0.61% |
|
|
|
03 · Annual Meeting |
0.00 |
|
134,125.00 |
|
-134,125.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
04 · Vendors/Sponsors/Patrons |
5,254.82 |
|
155,508.00 |
|
-150,253.18 |
|
3.38% |
|
|
|
05 · Advertising |
385.63 |
|
17,000.00 |
|
-16,614.37 |
|
2.27% |
|
|
|
07 · Interest Income |
0.00 |
|
13,500.00 |
|
-13,500.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
08 · Miscellaneous Income |
120.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
09 · Balance Forward |
0.00 |
|
14,830.00 |
|
-14,830.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
Total Income |
7,710.45 |
|
474,963.00 |
|
-467,252.55 |
|
1.62% |
|
|
|
Expense |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101 · President |
0.00 |
|
10,000.00 |
|
-10,000.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
102 · President-Elect |
0.00 |
|
6,500.00 |
|
-6,500.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
103 · Vice President |
0.00 |
|
3,000.00 |
|
-3,000.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
104 · Secretary |
0.00 |
|
4,200.00 |
|
-4,200.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
105 · Treasurer |
210.78 |
|
7,374.00 |
|
-7,163.22 |
|
2.86% |
|
|
|
106 · Past President |
0.00 |
|
5,858.00 |
|
-5,858.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
201 · Membership/Directory |
0.00 |
|
6,000.00 |
|
-6,000.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
202 · Electronic Services |
525.00 |
|
7,200.00 |
|
-6,675.00 |
|
7.29% |
|
|
|
203 · Professional Adv |
4,193.42 |
|
114,500.00 |
|
-110,306.58 |
|
3.66% |
|
|
|
204 · Newsletter |
0.00 |
|
1,800.00 |
|
-1,800.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
205 · Finance and Audit |
0.00 |
|
2,200.00 |
|
-2,200.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
206 · Annual Meeting Program |
481.20 |
|
200,000.00 |
|
-199,518.80 |
|
0.24% |
|
|
|
207 · Site Selection |
0.00 |
|
1,500.00 |
|
-1,500.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
208 · Nominations and Elections |
0.00 |
|
4,000.00 |
|
-4,000.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
210 · Executive Board |
0.00 |
|
40,231.00 |
|
-40,231.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
211 · President's Contingency |
0.00 |
|
2,500.00 |
|
-2,500.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
213 · Advance Program Planning |
0.00 |
|
200.00 |
|
-200.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
214 · Diversity Issues |
0.00 |
|
7,500.00 |
|
-7,500.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
215 · Prior Administration Bills |
3,353.83 |
|
7,500.00 |
|
-4,146.17 |
|
44.72% |
|
|
|
216 · Legislative Relations |
0.00 |
|
3,000.00 |
|
-3,000.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
217 · |
0.00 |
|
27,500.00 |
|
-27,500.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
218 · Vendor/Sponsor/Patron |
0.00 |
|
3,000.00 |
|
-3,000.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
219 · Special Projects |
0.00 |
|
8,900.00 |
|
-8,900.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
221 · Computer Hardware/Software |
0.00 |
|
500.00 |
|
-500.00 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
Total Expense |
8,764.23 |
|
474,963.00 |
|
-466,198.77 |
|
1.85% |
|
|
Net Income |
-1,053.78 |
|
0.00 |
|
-1,053.78 |
|
100.0% |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Secretary Sandy Neel’s Report
SASFAA Board
July 23, 2005
Secretary’s and By-Laws committee Report
With President Gibbs charge
to review and update of the Policy and Procedure Manual for the 2005-2006 the
By-laws committee will have a very active year. The following people have
agreed to serve on the committee with Susan Little providing direction and
support.
Ray Tripp, formerly of
Dee Talley,
Cleo Martin,
Respectfully submitted,
Sandy Neel
2005-2006 SASFAA Secretary
ATTACHMENT B
STATE PRESIDENTS REPORTS
Report from
Report from
Buddy Jackson, President
With
the new year comes new faces and great expectations for AASFAA 2005/2006.
The
2005-06 elected officers of the Alabama Association of Student Financial Aid
Administrators,
Inc. are:
|
President |
Mr.
Buddy Jackson |
|
|
President-Elect |
Ms.
Jonna Moses |
Regions
Bank |
|
Past
President |
Dr.
Chip Quisenberry |
|
|
Vice
President |
Ben
Baker |
|
|
Secretary |
Donna
Bass |
|
|
Treasurer |
Charles
Markle |
|
|
Treasurer-Elect |
Lissa
Burleson |
|
In
addition to her duties as Treasurer-Elect, Lissa Burleson will also serve as
2005-06 Budget Committee Chair.
To
start my year, Chip Quisenberry and I attended the SASFAA Transition meeting
on
June 9th-12th in
extremely
proud to be part of the SASFAA’s executive board and look forward to
this
upcoming year. Also, it is an honor to be able to work the other eight state
presidents.
On
June 16-17th AASFAA had its annual transition meeting at The
Legends,
Capitol
Hill,
chair
in attendance reported the results of their individual areas of
responsibilities.
The
location provided us with the perfect atmosphere for the planning session,
shared
ideas
and relaxation.
AASFAA
local arrangement and program committees are making preparations for our Fall
2005 conference, which will be held in
Officer’s
Workshop under the leadership of our Vice President, Ben Baker.
Our
new membership committee chair, Linda Casey,
has already started working on a
means to increase membership and make sure
that all current membership information
is
accurate. Also, Dr. Bill Wall recommended a number of changes to our Policy
and
Procedures Manual and they were approved at the transition meeting. The changes
have
already been implemented and the new Policy and Procedures Manual is on
our
AASFAA website.
Report from
SASFAA Executive Board
Meeting
The
Sheraton Four Seasons
July 23, 2005
State
Report-Florida
The FASFAA Executive Board
Retreat was held on Longboat Key,
Tom Sharp from Texas
Guarantee presented a team-building session on “Whale Done”…the Power of
Positive Relationships. This session was
based on the book written by Ken
Blanchard which discusses ways to increase one’s effectiveness with managers,
team members and teams.
The following goals were set
by the Executive Board for 2005-2006.
Submitted by:
Ruth Strum
FASFAA President
Report from
SASFAA Executive Board Meeting
Report of the
Submitted by: Suzanne Pittman
GASFAA President
The GASFAA Transitional Board Meeting was held June
23-24 in Midtown,
GASFAA’s established Goals
for 2005-2006 include:
Report from
SASFAA Executive Board Meeting
The KASFAA Transition Board
Meeting was held in May in
In addition, the 2005-2006
KASFAA Board will help complete the extensive work that was begun last year to
update a 2005 policy and procedures manual.
The Executive Board Meeting
with new officers and committee chairs was held
Fall NASFAA training sites
and dates have been determined and the 11 high school counselor training sites
and dates have been confirmed for the fall.
KASFAA has secured outside funding from different agencies and because
of this generosity from our sponsors KASFAA is able to offer all training
events free to participants. In
addition, plans are proceeding with College Goal Sunday with
KASFAA was recognized at the
recent NASFAA conference and presented with a state award (one of five given)
for Service to Other Constituencies for the Shaughnessy Task Force. This task force was created by KASFAA to work
with Senator Tim Shaughnessy to make recommendations for any needed changes to
the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship program. The task force helped to move KEES
legislation from the administrative responsibility of the Council on
Postsecondary Education to the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance
Authority. In addition, the task force
helped to change the reporting requirements for student grades and these
recommendations were passed by the 2005 Kentucky General Assembly.
This is an example of how our
working together can improve our services to the students of
Shelley Park
KASFAA President
Shelley.Park@eku.edu
Report from
Soraya Welden, President
The MASFAA transitional board
meeting was held on
We have scheduled our first
board meeting via conference call for
MASFAA will participate in
the NASFAA Decentralized Training which will be the focus of our fall training
event, typically held in November. No
date has been set; however, our training committee is currently in the planning
stages for this event. A MASFAA board
meeting will be held in conjunction with the fall training event.
Report from
SASFAA Executive Board Meeting
The Sheraton Four Seasons
State Report –
NCASFAA held its annual
Transition Retreat June 21 and 21 at the Ashford Suites in
Other issues that were
discussed involved the utilization of volunteers. It was determined that all volunteers who
completed a volunteer form would be utilized in some fashion or will be
notified via email that the committee of their choice was full. Additionally, board members are required to
submit articles to the newsletter and to submit Executive Board Reports to the
Secretary one week prior to each scheduled meeting.
Report from
SCASFAA Report to SASFAA
July 22, 2005
The
transitional board meeting was held on June 27 and 28 at The Whitney Hotel in
The
theme for the 2005-2006 Board is “Make A
Difference”, and three goals were outlined:
(1) promote and encourage active participation by all members. Create an environment that results in an increase
number of volunteers and fosters the development of new leaders and networking,
(2) provide for professional development, training and knowledge about
financial aid by offering workshops, seminars, meetings and other training
opportunities to meet the needs of the membership, and (3) provide for and
ensure the future financial stability of the Association through careful and
regular planning and evaluation.
Because
there are several members on the Board who have never served previously,
several areas were covered including a review of parliamentary procedures, the
long range plan, policies & procedures, and budget preparation. A new planning calendar was reviewed and is
now posted on the website. To promote
better communication, a private listserv was established for Board
communications. Finally, a new
initiative to encourage participation was unveiled and discussed. This initiative involves each Board member
having a small list of new members to contact and mentor. To also foster leadership development, new
members will be used as Vice-Chairs on the counselor relations, diversity,
program, newsletter and vendor/sponsor committees.
President-Elect,
Kim Jenerette, will be working on reviewing and combining the P&P with the
Treasurer’s manuals. He will also review
and compare the P&P to other States’ P&P.
Vice
President, Tabatha McAllister, is already working diligently to set up training
workshops. New Aid Officers training
will be held in September, NASFAA Decentralized training will be held in
November and two leadership symposiums will be held, one in January and one in
February.
Treasurer,
Kim Ellisor, begins her first year as Treasurer and held a budget meeting on
Member-at-Large,
Past
President,
Other
Committees:
SCASFAA
is proud to have won a NASFAA 2005 State Award for Service to the Financial Aid
Profession! Many thanks to
Finally,
approval was given for equipment purchases for the Treasurer. Also, an ad hoc committee will be formed to
review giving scholarships to students for educational purposes and/or to
members for professional development.
NASFAA has also been contacted about SCASFAA’s participation in
LearnStudentAid.org.
Report from
July 2005 Board Meeting
Forrest M. Stuart
The 2005-06 TASFAA Executive
Board Transition Meeting occurred June 6, 7, and 8 at the
Here was the
chance of a lifetime; a chance to set the standard of an institution for all
time; a chance to go forth unhampered … and to launch an institution which was
as nearly ideal for its purpose as painstaking investigation and careful and
thorough planning could make it. Realizing that the good is ever the enemy
of the best, we did not seek merely the good, but the best. There was ever before
us the idea of excellence. It was our purpose to launch here an institution
which would endure for centuries, and which would command the respect and
quicken the pride of succeeding generations.
Dr. Charles E. Diehl, President of
December 1925
All district and committee
goals are based on TASFAA’s long range plan, and each goal is to be achieved
keeping Dr. Diehl’s statement in mind. We can do things for the state that are
simply good, or we can do things for the state that are the best. My challenge
to the board is always to keep this year’s theme in the forefront of planning.
Mr. Clyde Walker,
president-elect of TASFAA, is resigning his position at
Pending executive board
approval,
TASFAA finished the 2004-05
year on very sound financial footing. Because of the excellent fiscal
management of the previous board, TASFAA will carry-forward $19,406.41 into the
2005-06 year. Our current assets held in CDs are valued at $165,641.60.
Considering our liability for future contracts is $78,400. Our 2005-06
operating budget is $189,750.
2005-06 TASFAA Board
President: Forrest
Stuart,
President-Elect: Clyde
Past-President: Joanie
Walker,
Treasurer:
Secretary: Jan Lassiter, EdSouth
District 1: Torrence
McKnight,
District 2: Jacky
Gullett, First
District 3: Melanie
Webb,
District 4: Allison Snyder, College Loan Corporation (CLC)
District 5: Pat
Peace,
District 6: Magi
Arwood,
COMMITTEE CHAIRS:
Association Governance: Karen Gibson, EdAmerica
Conference:
Diversity: Robbie Snapp, MTSU
Outreach (F.A. Awareness): Jim Shannon,
Governmental Relations: Ron Gambill, EdSouth
Membership: Leslie McIntosh, Vanderbilt
Electronic Services: Jonathan Babcock, EdAmerica
Lender/Guarantor: Nancy Beverly, Regions Bank
Leadership Development: Todd Woodlee, NSLP
Nominations: Joanie Walker,
Training: Jo
Ann Bennett,
Sponsorship: Sandra
Rockett,
Newsletter/Public Relations: Sandy Neel, U.T. Martin
Site Selection/Historian: Karen Hauser, Vanderbilt
Report from
SASFAA Executive Board Meeting
Virginia Board Report
The VASFAA Transitional Board
Retreat took place from June 6-8th at Graves Mountain Lodge, and we
are off to a great start for 2005-06.
The theme for 2005-06 is to
“Be a Financial Aid Survivor,” which will be accomplished by focusing on three
main objectives. The objectives are
Communication, Continuity, and Commitment, or what we have affectionately
dubbed the 3 C’s.
I am proud to say that we
have committee chairs for all of the 27 VASFAA committees we will have in
2005-06, and only three of those chairs were unable to attend the retreat. That is a great turnout for a transition
retreat, and is part of the reason that we are off to such a wonderful
beginning. That sort of turnout
demonstrates a real “Commitment” by the VASFAA committee chairs.
VASFAA had a year of “firsts”
in 2004-05 and the new Board is going to carry over some of those “firsts” as
we strive towards meeting our “Continuity” objective. For example, we decided to have another
Leadership Symposium in 2005-06 and we have some junior chairs from 2004-05 who
are now serving as chairs.
Additionally, the VASFAA
standing committees are utilizing standardized goals that were developed by the
2004-05 Strategic Planning Committee and adopted as part of the VASFAA Policy
& Procedure Manual. As a result,
each standing committee only needs to develop objectives towards meeting those
goals, instead of “reinventing the wheel” by creating a new list of goals each
year. The standard goals are based on
the VASFAA Strategic Plan, which will help ensure each committee is working
towards the long range plans of the association. In fact, each goal is directly tied to a
specific section of the Strategic Plan.
The Board and committee
chairs are working on ways to improve “Communication” within the
association. As an example, at the May
2004 conference the 2004-05 Board adopted a new planning and reporting format
for committees which will be used in 2005-06.
This format will keep each committee’s plans and periodic reports in one
document that will streamline reporting and allow the membership to track a
particular committee’s work in one place.
The committees are also in
the process of developing an in-depth “Committee Description” for each of the
VASFAA committees. It is not uncommon
for a Board member or committee chair to be asked by a VASFAA member, “what
will I do if I volunteer for this committee.”
Currently, the only descriptions that exist for committees are in the
VASFAA Policy & Procedure Manual, and they are very brief in nature. Without a more detailed description, it can
be difficult to explain to someone interested in committee work exactly what
that work entails. The descriptions
being drafted will address questions like:
Lastly, we left the retreat
with a balanced budget for 2005-06! This
was critical because the vendor/sponsor lottery takes place a few weeks after
the retreat. Having a balanced budget this
early in the year allows each committee to know what they can afford to do, and
gives them time to develop an accurate list of items to be included in the
vendor/sponsor lottery process.
VASFAA
President
ATTACHMENT C
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Budget
and Finance Report, Clark Aldridge
SASFAA AUDIT and FINANCE REPORT
JULY 23, 2005
I have recommended the
following individuals to serve on the Audit and Finance Committee:
Randy Craig-Collegiate
Funding Services, VA
Lester McKenzie-ELM
Resources-TN
Ben Baker-University of North
Anne Rochester has agreed to
file the SASFAA Federal tax return for the upcoming year. Heather has made arrangements to send Anne the
information required to file the return.
I have reviewed the SASFAA
portfolio with Jim Mills, who has managed our portfolio for a number of
years. In that past we have utilized a
lattered approach to investing our assets in CDs. Under this concept we have CDs with varied
maturity dates. This provides for a more
constant revenue stream. However, Jim
Mills indicated that currently, there is very little difference in interest
rates for CDs at 24 months as opposed 60 months therefore he recommends that in
the near term we go with 24 month CDS.
Our next CD comes up for
renewal in September.
The final portion of my
report concerns the 05-06 SASFAA Budget.
I recommend that the Board adopt the attached budget for the 05-06 year.
Report from Conference Chair Lisanne Masterson
SASFAA Board Meeting
July 23-24, 2005
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT
Join us February 12-15, 2006,
here at the Sheraton Four Seasons in
I wish to recommend approval
of the following members to serve on the 2005-06 Conference Committee:
Alabama Representative Shannon Cross AmSouth Bank Student
Lending
Florida Representative Anna Zawisza First Horizon Student
Loans
Georgia Representative Deborah Clark
Kentucky Representative Michael Morgan Edamerica
Mississippi Representative Laura Diven-Brown
North Carolina Representative Rose Mary Stelma
South Carolina Representative Bill Whitlock
Tennessee Representative Janette Overton
Virginia Representative Patricia Kelly
Hotel Liaison Janet
Sain
Local Arrangements Co-Chair Bridget Ellis College Loan Corporation
Local Arrangements Co-Chair Tolly Tollefson
Lender Liaison Gary Mann SunTrust/Nelnet
Ex-Officio Members
SASFAA President Guy Gibbs
SASFAA Vice President Tolly Tollefson
SASFAA Vendor/Sponsor Chair Keith Reeves
SASFAA Diversity Chair Cruzie Lucero
Unfortunately, I have yet to
secure a Department of Education representative.
Now that SASFAA is voting
electronically, we should discuss the disposition of the SASFAA Ballot
Boxes.
Respectfully submitted,
Lisanne Masterson
SASFAA 2006 Conference Chair
Report from Diversity Chair Crusie Lucero
Diversity Committee Report
July 23, 2004
The following SASFAA
colleagues have agreed to serve as members of the 2005-2006 Diversity
Committee;
AASFAA Dee Talley,
FASFAA Anh Do,
GASFAA Tess Underwood, NellieMae
KASFAA Anthony Bowles, Fifth Third Bank
MASFAA Marilyn James, Mississippi State University-Meridian
NCASFAA Cynthia Grant,
SCASFAA Jeffrey Dennis, Southern
TASFAA
VASFAA
The following issues were
assigned to the Diversity Committee and will be considered in 2005-2006.
·
Review our
definition of “diversity.” It needs to
be more global, have a broader perspective and should promote awareness among
the membership and outside audiences on issues relevant to our culturally
diverse financial aid administrators and student populations.
·
Look at different
ways to lead the membership in understanding that diversity is not only a
racial issue but encompasses a myriad of other possibilities.
·
Seek avenues for
the association to examine old ideas but be open to new ideas and the
definition of diversity in today’s world.
The association must be willing to promote equal benefits and
representation of all groups of people from all types of schools and provide
accessibility for the involvement of all our members.
·
Consider
diversity from the standpoint of not only dealing with our peers but also in
learning how to deal with the diversity of the student bodies that we assist as
financial aid administrators.
·
Work as an ad-hoc
member of the conference committee to ensure that there is a valance in the type
of sessions selected that deal with the issues of diversity. Ensure that diversity is considered when
recommending /developing sessions but that this topic does not dominate the
agenda.
The following goals and
objectives are proposed for the Diversity Committee for 2005-2006:
Goal 1: Ensure
that committees be of sufficient size and number and represent the diversity of
the membership to
accomplish the goals of the Association and to develop future leadership while
being fiscally responsible.
In Response to: SASFAA’s Mission Statement, Professional
Development, Finance
Expected Outcome(s): Have a
committee with members willing to work together to promote awareness of
diversity among the membership and outside audiences on issues relevant to our
culturally diverse financial aid administrators and student populations as well
as to develop future leaders.
Strategies:
Goal 2: Promote and
encourage active participation by all members in activities of the Association.
In Response to: Communication and Collaboration
Expected Outcome(s): Have members
understand that diversity is not just a racial issue; that it is much more
global.
Strategies:
1. Look at different ways to lead the
membership in understanding that diversity is not only a racial
issue but encompasses a myriad of other
possibilities
2. Seek avenues for the association to examine
old ideas but be open to new ideas and the
definition of diversity in today’s world.
3. Plan activities that will promote and
encourage active participation by all members.
Goal 3: Disseminate information to enhance
communication among members in a timely and cost efficient manner.
In Response to:
Communication and Collaboration
Expected Outcome(s):
Provide timely
information useful to all sectors of our
membership.
Strategies:
1. Prepare
reports on the activities of the Diversity Committee to publish in the
newsletter.
Goal 4: Provide
for the professional growth and competencies of members by offering workshops,
seminars, meetings and other training opportunities to meet the needs of the
membership.
In Response to:
Professional Development
Expected Outcome(s):
Provide a wide variety of
Diversity Sessions at the conference that will meet the needs of our members.
Strategies:
Report from Electronic Service Chair Erik Melis
To: SASFAA Executive
Board
From: Erik
R. O. Melis, Chair, SASFAA Electronic Services Committee
Date: July 13, 2005
Subj: Electronic Services Committee Report for
July 2005 Board Meeting
The following updates have
been made to the web site, through coordination with ATAC and other SASFAA
committees and board members, since the June board report:
(1) SASFAA President’s
Welcome letter update submitted to ATAC and updated on web.
(2) Membership Welcome letter
update submitted to ATAC and updated on web.
(3) Submitted 2005-2006
Vendor/Sponsor information to ATAC. Not
yet updated on web.
(4) Submitted updates for
Executive Board and Committee Chair listings and photos to ATAC and updated on
web.
(5) Submitted updates to
state pages to ATAC. Not yet updated on
web.
(6) Late banner ad submitted
to ATAC for “First Aid for Financial Aid Administrators” and updated on web.
(7) 2004-2005 GAP report
submitted to ATAC and posted to web.
(8) Submitted updated
versions Miscellaneous Expense Form and Travel Expense Form and Travel
Guidelines to ATAC and updated on web including updates to Treasurer
information.
(9) Worked with ATAC to have
new e-mail address created, treasurer@sasfaa.org,
which has been mapped to treasurer’s generic e-mail address.
(10) New interactive Travel
Expense Form developed in conjunction with Treasurer and Lender Liaison. Submitted to ATAC for posting. Not updated on the web yet.
The following web-related
projects are planned, are in progress or will be continued by the 2005-2006
Electronic Services Committee.:
(1) Electronic Services
committee will work closely with Board Special Appointee to review the
functionality of the new SASFAA web site in order to recommend P&P changes
.
(2) Electronic Services
committee will evaluate the current web layout and navigation and determine
possible enhancements that should be made to facilitate easier access to
information on the web.
(3) Electronic Services
committee will work to finalize proposal for disposition processes for
obsolete/non-working electronic equipment within SASFAA
The following items related
to SASFAA Listserv maintenance are continuing for 2005-2006:
(1) Electronic Services
committee will work with ATAC to determine feasibility of having all members
being able to receive listserv messages but only having current, paid members
being able to post to the listserv. This
will be reviewed in order to make a recommendation to the board.
Throughout the course of the
upcoming year, the Electronic Services Committee will continue to work with the
elected Board, State Presidents, and Committee Chairs to get input on
improvements and updates for the SASFAA web site and to determine ways that the
Electronic Services Committee can assist in meting goals and objectives.
Report from Legislative Chair Bill Spiers
SASFAA Executive Board Meeting
Sheraton Four Seasons
July 22-24, 2005
Legislative Committee Report
Committee
The members of the
Legislative Committee have been established and are ready to being working
during an important year. I think we
have an outstanding committee ready to work and stay on top of reauthorization
and legislative issues.
Goals
Goals for the Legislative
Committee have been submitted, and if approved, we will be carried out during
the course of the year. The Legislative
Committee will have a conference call early in August to make committee
assignments and begin reviewing current trends in legislation. One of our goals is to provide the membership
with monthly legislative updates, with FLASH emails as is appropriate. FLASH emails are items that require the
membership to act quickly and need immediate attention.
Legislative News
The NASFAA Board, meeting in
The House Committee on
Education and Workforce’s Subcommittee on 21st Century
Competitiveness approved an amended version of HR 609, The College Access and
Opportunity Act of 2005, on July 14.
This is the reauthorization bill.
While not legislative in
nature, an interesting publication titled Private
Scholarships Count: Access to Higher Education and the Critical Role of the
Private Sector can be found at www.ihep.org. With nominal funds available for increases in
Federal grant aid, it is imperative for us to focus on other opportunities
available to our students and how those opportunities can be enhanced.
Report from Membership Chair Juanita Russell
Membership Committee Report
Juanita M.
Russell, Chair
The time is now to
renew your SASFAA membership for 2005-2006 or join for the first time. The Membership Committee will be working
diligently to increase membership by sending out the president’s letter no
later than July 31, 2005 to solicit membership dues. As of July 21, 2005, a total of 51 members
have paid membership dues. One hundred
forty (140) members have paid dues to attend the 2005 SASFAA Summer New Aid
Officers Workshop.
Membership has
plans to send letters to all institutions in the SASFAA region to solicit
membership. NASFAA was contacted
concerning mailing labels. Labels of
institutions for the SASFAA region are available for a cost of $95.00. Membership will continue to look at other
cost effective ways to produce mailing labels.
As required,
proposed committee members were selected from each state. State presidents submitted names, telephone
numbers and email addresses of their state membership chair. All nine state members were contacted and
invited to serve SASFAA as a member of the membership committee.
Proposed 2005-06 SASFAA Membership Committee members:
|
Amy Berrier |
UNC at |
NCASFAA |
|
Leslie McIntosh |
|
TASFAA |
|
Cassandra Brown |
|
MASFAA |
|
Tammy Taylor |
|
KASFAA |
|
Gina Repak |
Georgia Institute of
Technology |
GASFAA |
|
Jeff Holliday |
|
SCASFAA |
|
Linda Casey |
Nelnet |
AASFAA |
|
Peggy Myers |
|
FASFAA |
|
Michael Poma |
SunTrust |
VASFAA |
Let’s Have a Great Year and Promote SASFAA Membership!
Report from Newsletter Editor April Kendrick
July Board Report from Newsletter Editor, April
Kendrick
SASFAA Policy and
Procedure Manual, Newsletter, Section 8.1.1
Section 8.1.1 states, “The
primary purpose of the newsletter is to disseminate information that may be of
interest to the financial aid community. Generally the newsletter shall be
published in October, December, April and June. Each newsletter shall include
news of interest to student aid administrators including professional
development information and events pertaining to aid administrators in the
SASFAA region.”
*2005-2006 Proposed Newsletter Committee Members are:
*Proposed Committee Members are currently State
Newsletter Editors for 05-06.*
Each newsletter shall contain:
Quarterly
Newsletter Deadlines:
*All submissions should be provided to the Newsletter
Editor. Articles are to be submitted to April D. Kendrick, Bluegrass Community
and
Telephone number 859-257-4872 ext. 4235, fax number
859-257-6274. Materials should be sent as a Word attachment, New Times Roman
font, 10 pitch, and third person. Questions should be addressed to the Editor.
Report from Site Selection Chair Ron Gambill
SASFAA Executive Board Report
Site Selection
July 23, 2005
The Site Selection Chair has
contacted Soraya Welden, President of MASFAA, regarding
Currently, three additional
meetings are being worked for the Long Range Planning Committee, the Conference
Committee and the Long Range Planning Retreat.
The location is the Hilton Hotel in
September 17-19, 2005
October 7-9, 2005 Conference
Committee
November 10-12, 2005
Submitted by Ron Gambill
Report from Vendor/Sponsor Chair Keith Reeves
SASFAA Executive Board
Meeting
July 23, 2005 –
Report from Sponsorship,
Keith Reeves, Chair
Sponsorship for this joint
meeting of the Executive Board and the Conference Committee include the following:
Hospitality – National Education
Friday Dinner – EdAmerica/EdSouth
Saturday Breakfast – Regions Bank
Saturday Morning Break – SunTrust
Saturday Lunch – Wachovia
Saturday Afternoon Break – Nellie Mae
Saturday Dinner – Citibank
Sunday Breakfast – Regions Bank
Sunday Morning Break – SunTrust
Sunday Lunch – Education Finance Partners
Sunday Afternoon Break – Nellie Mae
Sunday Dinner – College Foundation, Inc.
Monday Breakfast – Regions Bank
Budget Goal
The 2005-06 budget goal for
sponsorship, including advertising, is $157,000, which represents a slight
increase over 2004-05 (assuming that no changes are made in the budget
presented for approval at the July Board meeting). Conference sponsorship in
Sponsorship Solicitation
Updates for the web form
soliciting support have been forwarded to Erik Melis for posting by ATAC. It is anticipated that this will be active by
August 1.
Note to Board
All Committee Chairs are
reminded that all requests for support for various meetings should be made through
the Sponsorship Chair in order for the sponsors to receive proper credit.
Proposed Committee Members
Dewey Knight –
Jackie Bell –
Report from Special Appointee Susan Little
July
24, 2005
To:
SASFAA Board
From:
Susan Little, Special Projects
Subject:
Work since June
Two
projects with which I will be involved, reviews of the By-Laws and Policy and
Procedures Manual and the Financial Management Guide, are chaired by our
secretary and treasurer. We have corresponded
about the committee members to involve and I will look to Sandy’s and Heather’s
lead for the meeting times. I will serve
in an active role on those committees to assist them accomplishing those tasks.
Proposed
names have been submitted for the committees which will work on two other
projects, consideration of SASFAA beginning a Foundation and a review and
report on the status of our paper and electronic archives.
The
most recent GAP report has been reviewed to insure that all areas listed in the
report are included in the work of the four committees listed above.
After the survey of the
archived materials has been completed, an appeal will be made to all SASFAA
members to submit copies of missing minutes, newsletter and annual conference
copies which will be added to the archives.
Report from
SASFAA Board of Directors Meeting
The
§
Contacted
the Hilton Hotel,
§
Contacted
a professional facilitator, Tara Telfair, The Leadership Development Center,
§
Coordinated
the invitation of Retreat participants.
§
Committee
membership has been recommended.
§
Committee
2005-2006 goals have been submitted.
ATTACHMENT D
LIAISON REPORTS
Report from Agency
Liaison Mike Hawkes
Agency Liaison Report
July 22, 2005
Reauthorization is far from
being a certainty in 2005, yet the prospects are probably better now than earlier
in the year. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce’s Subcommittee
on 21st Century Competitiveness has marked up H.R. 609, with the
full Committee mark up the next step.
The Subcommittee mark up
includes three items of particular interest to guaranty agencies:
The Senate is expected to
craft its own version of a reauthorization bill. At this point, a comprehensive Senate
reauthorization bill has not been introduced.
National Association of State
Student Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP)
NASSGAP is dedicated to the
promotion of high standards in the administration and operations of state
student grant and aid programs. As an association of states and
NASSGAP's
annual survey report is the most comprehensive look at state-sponsored aid of
all kinds: grants, scholarships, loan forgiveness, tuition waivers, etc. The
most recent report (2003-04 academic year) showed that states
provided 7.3 billion dollars of aid, an increase of 7 percent from 2002-03. Of
the $6.2 billion in grant aid, 74 percent was need-based, up slightly from the previous year.
NASSGAP continues to work with the Advisory
Committee on Student Financial Aid and the U.S. Department of
Education on issues of simplification and ways to close the gap for need
based students. Because we have recently established a Washington DC
office, we have been able to work closely with other higher education
associations and with the Congress, in particular, Senators Jack Reed (D-RI)
and Mike Enzi (R-WY), and Congressmen Ralph Regula (R-OH) and Rahm Emanuel
(D-IL), to ensure that the federal government continues its commitment to the
partnership with the states in providing access to higher education for
low-income students.
Submitted by: Theresa
Antworth, NASSGAP President
National Council of Higher
Education Loan Programs (NCHELP)
The
National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs (NCHELP) represents a
nationwide network of guaranty agencies, secondary markets, loan servicers,
collectors, schools and others involved in the administration of the Federal
Family Education Loan Program (FFELP).
Just
down the street the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee is
currently marking up its major Reauthorization bill, the College Access &
Opportunity Act (H.R. 609). The
reauthorization process is a lengthy one and few could have predicted the changes
we would face as a nation since the whole thing began a few years back. The
nation has changed forever through the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the
wars on terrorism and in
What
hasn’t changed over this period is the increasing desire of the American public
to pursue postsecondary education and training. Not just for their personal
benefit, but also for the “public good.”
And that is where financial aid administrators and the Federal Family Education
Loan Program (FFELP) community comes in – by providing the financial and
administrative support to make these educational dreams a reality. Over this period, annual borrowing levels
under the FFELP increased from $22.5 billion to $39.3 billion, with more than
five million borrowers receiving support.
Lenders
have provided unprecedented borrower benefits under the FFELP and established
creative non-federal loan programs to meet the needs of students who were not
eligible for federal loans, required funds in excess of federal loan levels or
were pursuing academic programs targeted to meet national or local shortages.
As
student debt levels substantially increased, default rates reached all time
lows. While borrowers took their
repayment obligations seriously, the counseling provided by financial aid
administrators, guarantors, lenders and collection agencies in large part led
to a record-low 5.2% percent default rate for FY2002, the last year published,
and a decline from 6.9% four years earlier.
Over
the next few years, the nation is expected to have its largest secondary school
graduating classes and in the collegiate sector, enrollments are expected to
reach record numbers between 2009 and 2011. The pressure on federal and state
budgets will assist in increasing tuition and fees and limit the availability
of grants and scholarships – therefore creating a greater dependence on student
loans.
While
the demand for student loans will grow, the programs under the Higher Education
Act have become more political. Not only
has the advocacy gone beyond students and families into school and student loan
groups but politics has entered the fray.
The focus of these efforts has been for all groups to portray themselves
as sole the advocates of students – when in fact we all represent
students. The discussions about federal
student aid policy have somewhat been replaced with two other words that begin
with the same first letter – politics and posturing. This vying for attention has created a
condition that plays into larger political circles and could partly be
responsible for the HEA not being reauthorized during the traditional timeframe
– thus resulting in two extensions.
In
the time lost, the economic climate has worsened and the promise last year of a
$5 billion contingency for Reauthorization has turned into a budget
reconciliation instruction of between $12-13 billion for the programs under the
jurisdiction of our House and Senate authorizing committees.
One
of the challenges in this process has been to act bipartisan in a partisan
world and to ensure that we have a seat at every table where student aid is
being discussed while at the same time continuing to foster cooperation between
the associations that represent students, schools and the higher education loan
community. We must change an age-old
saying of “agree to disagree” with “agree to agree.”
It appears there will be more challenges than
opportunities as this lengthy reauthorization process continues. NCHELP is
committed to acting as honest brokers and working alongside our financial aid
colleagues on behalf of the millions of students out there ready to enroll.
Submitted
by: Brett E. Lief, President
No reports received.
·
Legislative Issues:
·
12.9% overall increase to financial aid programs from $466.6 million to
$527 million
·
The merit program, Florida Bright Futures Scholarships, also increased by
12.9%
·
Comprehensively our need based programs increased by 8.4%
·
Both tuition assistance programs received increases for a total of 19.5%
·
Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) high school
courses and diploma recognized in the evaluation of the Florida Bright Futures
merit scholarship programs.
·
Community College Board of Trustees authorized to establish fees for
capital improvement, technology enhancements, and equipping student buildings
not to exceed $2 per credit hour per academic year for residents.
·
Clarification on lines of authority for the Florida Board of Governors
and the Florida Legislature, the latter to establish the state university
system tuition and fees as well as policy on merit/need financial aid issues.
·
Modified five year residency requirements for the children of qualifying
veterans to be aligned with other financial aid one year residency
requirements.
Submitted
by: Theresa Antworth, Director of Scholarship and Grant Programs
·
OSFA is
pleased to announce the completion and roll-out of a new web-enabled front
end. Institutions can now submit loan applications online via the Web and
receive a guarantee decision in a matter of seconds in real-time.
Additionally, schools now have web-based access to view detailed borrower
information. All information can be accessed via the user's web browser
with no software to download or install.
Submitted
by: Reitha Scott, Policy Manager
No report received.
Student Aid
Disbursements
In FY 2005, the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA)
disbursed over $164 million to nearly 121,000 students.
KAPT disbursed $623,000 on
behalf of 124 beneficiaries during FY 2005 (the program’s first full year of
benefits usage).
In FY 2005, KESPT
demonstrated solid account growth with 1,363 new accounts opened. This
represents a slight increase over FY 2004. The program fund balance grew to
$65.3 million, representing a $13 million increase over FY 2004. Qualified
disbursements totaled $1.2 million, a $200,000 increase over FY 2004.
For the first time, 100
percent of net proceeds from the Kentucky Lottery Corporation this fiscal year
will go directly to college grant and scholarship programs, excluding $3
million for adult and child literacy programs.
Loan Services
Guarantee Volume
KHEAA guarantee volume, including consolidation loans, increased 25.5
percent in FY 2005 to $1.2 billion. When consolidations are excluded, the
increase is 25.8 percent or $1.0 billion. This is the first time in KHEAA’s
history that the agency has reached $1 billion in guarantees.
Outreach
GoHigherKY.org
GoHigherKY.org, a central
point of contact for all information about postsecondary education in
Additional components of GHK
in development include the transcript exchange process to electronically send
transcripts along with admissions applications and the Individual Learning Plan
to track academic progress throughout high school.
2004 Outreach Report
KHEAA’s Outreach Report for FY2004 has been published
and is available at http://www.kheaa.com/serv_reports.html.
Submitted by: Crystal
Dempsey-Gillum, Information Officer
USA Funds, designated
guarantor for
USA Funds grant aids GEAR UP
A $50,000 grant from USA
FundsÒ is helping GEAR UP
GEAR UP
Ten graduating seniors from
USA Funds awards the
scholarships to seniors from high schools in
The USA Funds Scholars
program complements USA Funds’ multimillion-dollar scholarship program. USA
Funds will announce the recipients of the 2005-2006 USA Funds Access to
Education ScholarshipsÒ later this summer.
Submitted by: Louanne
Langston,
Vicky Keller,
Customer-relations Manager, USA Funds
The NC State Education Assistance Authority via College Foundation
administered grants in excess of $60,000,000 for 92,672 students during the
2004-05 academic year, a 30% increase in funding over the prior academic
year. A more comprehensive report will
follow in November after the final numbers are finalized.
College Foundation of North Carolina (www.CFNC.org) continues to attract high numbers
of students using the services provided. Over 860,000 user accounts have been
established to date and year end figures indicate that the 2004-05 year is set
new records for new accounts and students using the online application
feature. Currently, 115 colleges and
universities accept the electronic admissions application from CFNC.
The NC General Assembly is still in session and has
extended a the initial continuing budget resolution until the first week of
August as the two chambers work to find a compromise budget that both the House
and Senate can agree upon. The Senate
version of the budget contains a lottery to fund K-12 activities which was not
included in the House version. The House
of Representatives, however, passed a lottery bill which would be used in part
to fund scholarships for needy students.
The differences in the lottery are one of the issues that must be
resolved before a budget can be passed.
Finally, during the 2004-05 academic year, 812 school counselors and
financial aid administrators attended training sessions conducted by NCSEAA on
availability and administration of state financial aid programs for students.
Submitted by: Elizabeth
McDuffie, Director, Grants, Training and Outreach
The SC Tuition Grants
Commission submitted its 2005-2006 state budget request last fall requesting an
increase of $10.9 million to bring the award amount of all eligible applicants
to a program-wide maximum grant of $3,100. A minimum increase of $1.5 million
was requested to fund year #6 of the conversion to a program-wide maximum grant
of $2,200 at all 20 participating colleges. A request was also made to renew
the $4 million Lottery funds received by the SC Tuition Grants Program in
2004-2005 and to include again in 2005-2006 the proviso that exempts the SC
Tuition Grants Program from mid-year budget reductions.
The Governor’s recommendation
for funding of the SC Tuition Grants Program in 2005-2006
level-funded the base funding
of the SC Tuition Grants Program at $19.3 million, made a small reduction to
the Administration budget ($2,008), and recommended $4 million Lottery Funds to
the SC Tuition Grants Program. Both the House and the Senate made budget
recommendations similar to that of the Governor.
In 2004-2005, the SC Tuition
Grants Program received 18.3% of the funds going to the SC Commission on Higher
Education (CHE) Need-based Grants Program through two sources:
1)
Children’s
Endowment Fund ($2.159 million to SCTG) and,
2)
State Lottery
funds ($1.9 million to SCTG).
In the final 2005-2006 State
Budget, the Lottery Funds going to the CHE Need-based Grants Program were
increased by $807,666. As a result of this increase in Lottery Funds, the SC
Tuition Grants Program will net an increase of $147,803 to the SC Tuition
Grants Program through the 18.3% calculation.
In summary,
the total funding increase to the SC Tuition Grants Program for the 2005-2006
fiscal year is $147,803. The proviso exempting the SC Tuition Grants Program
from mid-year reductions is also included.
Although
State Lottery Funds by law must be re-allocated each year by the SC General
Assembly, the SCTG Commission decided in January, 2005, to commit the $4
million lottery funds to eligible students up front in 2005-2006 thereby
allowing the maximum grant at all 20 colleges to be increased to $2,600.
Submitted
by: Edward M. Shannon, Executive Director
South Carolina Student Loan
Corporation, designated guarantor for
The South Carolina Student
Loan Corporation is continuing its efforts to make higher education accessible
and affordable to all. The following are
some of the activities that we are involved with and which might be of interest
to the Board.
Submitted by: Chuck Sanders,
Executive Vice President
No report received.
State Council of Higher Education
for Virginia (SCHEV)
Submitted by: Lee
Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC),
designated guarantor for
Again in 2005, ECMC has
partnered with SCHEV and VASFAA to produce “Opportunities – Virginia Guide to
Education After High School.” This 48-page booklet highlights all of the
financial aid programs funded by the
ECMC is also actively
involved in the creation of the Commonwealth College Access Network. This
organization, currently in organization, will provide support for existing
college access programs and nurture new programs in underserved areas of
The ECMC Foundation recently
awarded grants to the first ECMC Scholars.
Ninety-nine of the 100
Two years ago, ECMC
Foundation partnered with the Virginia Department of Education to select 10
schools from throughout the
Fully funded for three years,
ECMC Scholars Program is envisioned as a five-year program, providing up to $3
million in scholarships to
Submitted by: Mike Hawkes, Director, Policy & Communications
Report from Lender
Liaison Paul Mittelhammer
Lender Liaison Report
Submitted by Paul Mittelhammer
Now that the 91-day Treasury
Bill auction of May 31, 2005 is completed the interest rates for Federal
Stafford, Federal PLUS and Federal Consolidation Interest rates for the period
of July 1, 2005- June 30, 2006 are set announced to the schools, students and parents.
In school, grace and deferment periods 4.70% (91-day
T-Bill + 1.70%)
In repayment 5.30% (91-day T-Bill + 2.30%)
PLUS Interest rate 6.20% (91-day T-Bill + 3.10%)
Consolidation Loan
The interest rate is the weighted average of the
interest rates on the loans being consolidated, rounded to the nearest higher
1/8th of one percent. The
interest rate may not exceed the maximum rate.
Recent announcements from the
Department of Education and the House Education and the Workforce Committee
Chairman John Boehner have called for Congress to end a provision that enabled
lenders to claim excessive special allowance payments for student loans. “ The
Secretary and Chairman Boehner called for a prospective end to the practice
known as recycling, which allows lenders to use the income from loans that
receive 9.5 percent subsidy to then make new loans that also receive the
benefit of 9.5 percent subsidy. At the
time the provision was created, access to loans was an issue for student loan
borrowers; however, today the market is highly competitive and the 9.5 percent
floor on special allowances is no longer necessary to ensure access for
students.”
House committee has started
the markup process of HR 609. Here is a
summary of student loan provisions and the proposed changes:
Guaranty Fee- The bill
requires that guaranty agencies collect and deposit in their Federal reserve
funds a 1.0 percent fee (a federal default fee), obtained by deduction from the
loan proceeds, for loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2006. Further the bill prohibits the Secretary of
Education from waiving this requirement as part of a Voluntary Flexible
Agreement.
Origination Fees – The bill
accelerates the reduction of the up front fees in FFEL and Direct Loan
Programs. Fees under the two programs
fall in tandem, with FFEL origination fees 1.0 percent below direct loan
fees. Taking into account the mandatory
1.0 percent federal default fee, total fees under the two programs are the same
at any point in time. FFEL origination
fees are phased out altogether, and direct loan fees are reduced to 1.0
percent, for loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2010.
For loans made on or after
July 1, 2006, the Secretary is prohibited from waiving any of the origination
fee as a repayment incentive for direct loans and from providing any such
incentive before the borrower enters repayment.
Consolidation – The bill
changes the requirements for reconsolidation to permit a borrower to receive a
direct consolidation loan for the purpose of refinancing a consolidation loan
(FFEL or Direct), provided the borrower agrees to repay the loan under an
income contingent repayment plan.
Revises the current requirements to provide that the Secretary must
offer a Direct Consolidation Loan to a FFEL borrower if a FFEL lender denies
the applicant’s consolidation loan application or denies an application for
such a loan with income sensitive repayment terms (under current law, a FFEL
borrower’s opportunity to consolidate in the Direct Loan Program is broader,
also covering situations where the borrower cannot get a FFEL consolidation
“acceptable to the borrower”). The bill
eliminates the ability of borrowers to consolidate their loans while they are
still in school.
Special Allowance payments –
Bill eliminates the payments for loans made or purchased after October 1, 2005.
Teacher loan forgiveness –
The Bill extends eligibility for loan forgiveness to private school teachers
who demonstrate that they are highly qualified by passing competency tests.
Consolidation of Defaulted
Loans – The bill requires guaranty agencies to establish procedures to preclude
consolidation from becoming an excessive proportion of their recoveries. Beginning October 1, 2006, the bill limits
collection costs on these loans to 18.5 percent and requires that 8.5 percent
be remitted to the Secretary. Beginning
October 1, 2009, it requires remitting the full amount of collection costs for
loans paid off with “excess consolidation proceeds” – those that exceed 45
percent of an agency’s total collections on defaulted loans.