SASFAA
Executive Board Transition Meeting
North Terrace,
June 9, 2006
CALL TO ORDER
President Guy Gibbs called
the meeting to order at 8:39 am at the Don CeSar Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach
Fl.
WELCOME
Guy opened the meeting by welcoming
everyone to
CHANGES TO THE AGENDA AND SUBSTITUTE VOTING
The following changes to the
agenda were noted: Buddy Jackson will not be at the meeting. Janet Sain and
Tolly Tollefson will not be at the meeting so Brent Tener will be present their
reports. The agenda stands as amended.
INTRODUCTIONS
The following elected board members
were present: Guy Gibbs, President; Brent Tener, President-Elect; Heather
Boutell, Treasurer and Sandy Neel, Secretary.
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; and Bill Spiers, Legislative Relations.
Liaisons present: Mike
Hawkes, Agency, and Paul Mittelhammer, Lender.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
ACTION: The minutes from the Executive Board meeting
of February 11, 2006 at the Sheraton Four Seasons,
REPORTS FROM THE OFFICERS
SEE ATTACHMENT A
Report from
President, Guy Gibbs
Guy reflected on his year as
President and thanked everyone for their hard work on the board.
Report from
President Elect, Brent Tener
Brent provided everyone with
a list of the new Board Members for 2006-07.
Report from Treasurer, Heather Boutell
Heather presented the new
SASFAA Travel Expense Voucher that we will discuss later in the meeting.
STATE PRESIDENT’S REPORTS
SEE ATTACHMENT B
COMMITTEE REPORTS
SEE ATTACHMENTS C
Report from Budget and Finance Chair, Clark Aldridge
The following Action was
presented by
ACTION: The Budget and Finance committee recommends
that the Association purchase $25,000 CD from cash on hand. The Motion being
seconded by Sandy Neel, was approved.
Discussion occurred about
bringing each line item in the budget in balance.
ACTION: Brent Tener made a motion to move $200 from
Special Projects line item 219 to Nominations and Elections line item 208
changing the budgeted amount to $4200 and to move $1500 from Special Projects
line item 219 to Diversity line item 214 changing the budgeted amount to $9000.
The Motion being seconded by Dana Kelly, was approved.
Discussion occurred regarding
the CD’s and how they should pay.
ACTION: Susan Little made a recommendation to have our
archived data stored on electronically and CD of the data be held by the
Secretary, President, and President-Elect. Motion Carried.
Report from
Carol presented several
recommendations from the Long Range Committee.
ACTION: On recommendation of the
ACTION: On recommendation of the
ACTION: On recommendation of the
Brent Tener presented the GAP
report
ACTION: Dana Kelly made a motion to table the GAP
report until further clarification could be made. The motion, being seconded by
Brent Tener carries.
Sandy Neel Presented the
recommended changes to the Policy and Procedure Manual by her committee.
3.3 Association Properties
3.3.1 Banners
The
banner bearing the Association’s logo is retained by the secretary and is
displayed at Association meetings. It is the responsibility of the secretary to
transfer the banner to the succeeding secretary.
The Committee suggests that the Banner stay with the Program Chair.
In the two years that I have
been secretary I have never had the Banner. Dee and Guy both confirmed that
they never had the Banner as the Secretary.
3.4.2 Ballot Boxes
The past president is
responsible for the ballot boxes to be used during Association elections and
transferring to the succeeding past president.
Change: The ballot boxes are stored at Edsouth in archive.
5.1 General Expectations of Board Members
It is expected that Board members will:
a. Attend all Board meetings and stay until the end of
the meeting. All
Board members unable to attend should notify the
president as soon as
possible;.
b. serve as
leaders in the financial aid profession and set an
example for other members of the Association and for
external
constituencies;
c. Recognize and uphold all fiduciary responsibility
vested in the Board.
d. Provide a
report at each Board meeting outlining the activities
and/or
issues of each Board member’s area of responsibility. Provide an electronic
copy
to the
secretary.
e. Adhere to the policies and procedures adopted by
the Association and
provide suggestions for change when appropriate.
f. Be an active participant in decisions made by the
Board on behalf of the
members.
5.6
Secretary
h. maintains the banner
Change: To
match the decision of 3.3.1
6.5
Electronic Services
h. Develop and monitor contingency plans to transfer
list serve and Web site management to other locations.
Change:
Delete h. because ATAC now houses the Web site and List Serve
6.16 Sponsorship
6.16.1 Sponsorship of SASFAA
Conferences
1)
SASFAA requests sponsorship for such items as refreshment breaks, meal functions,
conference program printing, entertainment and other costs associated with the
annual conference.
2) A sponsor of a SASFAA event
in the previous year shall have the right of first refusal for that same item
for the current year.
3) All sponsors will be recognized in the
conference program for their contributions. To receive such recognition, a
commitment for the sponsorship of the event must be made by the time the
program is prepared for printing.
4) All sponsors shall have an opportunity to
provide a brief description about their organization to be printed in the
conference programs.
Change #4:
instead of all. Keith suggests “Only Platinum”
And
12) SASFAA recognizes and provides incentives for
the following categories of sponsorship at conferences, based on the amount
contributed.
General: A contribution of less than
$1,185 provides no entitlement to the sponsor for complimentary exhibit space
or registration.
Bronze:
A contribution of $1,186 to $1,499
entitles the sponsor to one exhibit space. The Bronze Sponsor must pay for at
least one conference registration in order to be an exhibitor. This amount
includes the $25 membership fee.
Silver: A contribution of $1,500 to $2,399 entitles the
sponsor to one exhibit space and one complimentary registration that will
include the $25 membership fee.
Gold: A contribution of $2,400 to $4,199 entitles the
sponsor to one complimentary exhibit space plus two complimentary registrations
that will include the $25 membership fee and opportunity to participate in
Business Resource Network Seminars. Revised and Approved November 2002 38
Change:
Under Bronze delete: The Bronze Sponsor must pay for at least one conference
registration in order to be an exhibitor
8.1
Newsletter
8.1.1
A complimentary copy of each issue of the newsletter
should be
provided to all regional association presidents and
presidents-elect, the
NASFAA office, and the NASFAA National Chair and
National Chairelect.
Change:
Committee suggest- an email notice is sent to ……. informing them that the
SASFAA Newsletter is available at SASFAA.org
8.1.2
Membership Directory
The primary purpose of the
directory is to serve as a reference. The directory should list all members for
the most recent fiscal year.
The directory should include the following:
1) letter from the previous year’s president;
2) table of contents;
3) Articles of Incorporation;
4) listing of past presidents;
5) listing of honorary members;
6) special award recipients;
7) alphabetical listing of each active member
with address, institution, telephone number, e-mail address, and fax number;
8) alphabetical institutional
listing of active members;
9) Board, committee chairs and
liaisons, including persons for the previous year as well as newly elected
and/or appointed individuals; and
10) bylaws of the Association.
Change: Committee suggests leaving this section deleting everything but
this statement- The Membership Directory will be maintained on the SASFAA
website.
8.3 Electronic
Communications
SASFAA utilizes various forms
of communications to report information, programs, and services to the
membership and its affiliated institutions, agencies, and constituencies.
1. List Serve. The Board and
committee chairs shall use this type of communication to provide information to
Board members and other committee chairs included on the list serve. The chair
of the electronic services committee maintains the list serve. The ongoing
maintenance of this list serve should have as much continuity as possible and
movement of the responsibility should be kept to a minimum. There should be a
backup person assigned to assist or to assume responsibility for the
maintenance of the list.
2. Web Site. SASFAA shall maintain a Web site
to provide informational materials pertaining to the Association such as its
programs, activities, services, meetings, workshops, and conferences. Content
should reflect the Association’s mission and goals. The useful life span of the
content should be a maximum of two years and older materials should be archived
with the ability to retrieve them as needed.
Change: Erik suggest the following
for #1
"The primary purpose of the SASFAA Listserv is to facilitate
communication by and between SASFAA members regarding topics related to the
administration of student financial aid. When communicating through the
Listserv, ethical behavior should be observed at all times, and no behavior
should take place over the Listserv that would be considered inappropriate for
a face-to-face meeting. Failure to adhere to this standard of conduct may
result in loss of access to the Listserv or more severe action,
depending on the circumstances.
The SASFAA Listserv is not to be used to advertise, market, or to otherwise
promote products or services. For advertising and other marketing
opportunities, please follow the "Sponsorship" link on www.SASFAA.org .
The SASFAA Listserv may be used for announcements of job changes, but such
announcements must be informational only (e.g. new company, title, new
phone/fax number(s), new e-mail address) and should not include any additional
information, promotional or otherwise about the hiring entity.
The use of the SASFAA Listserv for announcement of employment opportunities
for financial aid professionals is permitted. Such postings
should be informational only, and should not include promotional information
about the institution or company.
Any Listserv communication that could lead to the unnecessary congestion of the
network or that might otherwise interfere with the work of others is not
permitted. Examples of such communications include virus warnings, email
scam warnings, and "chain" letters.
Exceptions to this policy can only be approved by the SASFAA Board."
8.4 Advertising
8.4.1
Content of
Ads
Corporate entities
serving the student aid profession are invited to advertise in the
Association’s newsletter, membership directory, and annual conference programs.
Editors of
publications (i.e., newsletter, directory, and the conference program) should
use discretion in evaluating the suitability of ads provided for publication as
well as the reputation of the advertisers by giving preference to members
whenever possible.
Change: Corporate entities …………………are invited to advertise in the
Association’s annual conference programs and on the SASFAA Website.
Remove the tern “Directory” in second paragraph.
8.4.4 Specifications for Ads
The sponsorship
chair shall be responsible for ensuring that camera-ready ads meet the
appropriate dimensions of the intended publication.
1)
Annual Membership
Directory
Size of advertisements is limited to the following options:
·
Full page ad – 7
3/4 inch x 10 inch
·
Half page ad:
·
Horizontal – 7
3/4 inch x 4 7/8 inch
·
Vertical – 3 3/4
inch x 10 inch
Change: Remove #1 totally
8.4.5.2
Membership Directory
The sponsorship chair solicits ads no later than December 1 and instructs
the advertiser to send payment to the treasurer. The ad should be sent directly to the
membership chair. Ad payment should be
sent to the treasurer.
Change: Membership Directory is now on
the SASFAA Website.
8.4.5
Establishing
Advertising Rates
In coordination with
the finance and audit committee, the sponsorship chair recommends advertising
rates to the Board. Rates are subject to
change at any time by the Board. Any
rate agreements already made for the year by the sponsorship chair will be honored.
8.4.6.1
Newsletter
Rates
To encourage newsletter ads, SASFAA offers a reduced rate for annual
ads as opposed to single-issue commitments.
For less than full-year purchases, charges will be prorated for
remaining issues.
● Per Issue
Full page $400
Half page $250
Quarter page $150
● Four (4) Issues Paid in Full
Full page $1480
Half page $900
Quarter page $550
For the first
edition, if just the logo is used, the charge should be $250.
A late fee of 10% will be assessed if payment is received after the
first day of the month of scheduled publication (October, December, April and
June) unless actual publication is delayed into the following month.
8.4.6.2
Directory
Rates
First full page ad $1,500
Advertiser’s Section
·
Full page $750
·
Half page $400
A late fee of 10% will be assessed if payment is received after the
first day of the month of scheduled publication (July) unless actual
publication is delayed into the following month.
Change: There are no longer
advertisement opportunities in the Directory since it is now housed on the
SASFAA website.
8.4.6.3
Annual
Conference Program Rates
Back cover $600
Full page $175
Half page $100
1/4 page $ 50
A late free of 10% will be assessed if payment is received thirty (30)
days after the end of the annual conference.
The conference chair will coordinate with the sponsorship chair the
number and placement of ads for the annual conference program.
8.4.7
Multiple
Advertisements
The sponsorship
chair, the newsletter editor, and the membership chair should propose multiple
advertisement discount rates to the Board as needed and before any discounts
are granted.
9.1.1
Service
Pins
A person who has
been an active member for 20, 25 or 30 years shall be given a pin. The membership chair maintains a record of
pin recipients as part of the membership database.
Question: Are there service pins being
awarded? Leave
11.1
Conferences
and Conference Planning
The host state association shall not be required to provide any
financial assistance to the conference but shall be expected to provide
staffing assistance to conference functions.
Election of SASFAA officers shall take place during the annual
conference.
Change: Election of ………shall commence 10
calendar days prior to the beginning business meeting of the annual conference
and close at 3 pm on the last full day of the annual conference.
- The addition of 2006,
- The addition of 2006
under
- Update section
6.15.1(1) to read: Have the
capability of committing 600 rooms for lodging on peak nights (Sunday,
Monday, Tuesday) or 500 rooms for lodging with an overflow hotel nearby
for another 100 rooms;
- Update section
6.15.1(2) to read: Have ten (10) or
more breakout rooms for group meetings capable of a seating capacity of
1,000;
- Update section
6.15.1(5) to read: Have display
space for 85 vendors with 10 feet by 10 feet booths.
- Reword the first
paragraph in 6.15 to read as follows:
The site selection committee evaluates and recommends locations and
hotels for future annual conferences, Executive Board meetings and other
meetings as may be requested by the President, other officers or committee
chairs. Checklists for the meetings
are included in Appendix of the
manual.
- Include the checklists
developed by the Site Selection Committee in an Appendix in the back of
the manual and specify the individual checklists in the Table of Contents.
ACTION: Dana Kelly seconded the
recommendations of the Policy and Procedures Committee and the Motion Carries.
Heather
Boutell Presented the changes to the Treasures section of the Policy and
Procedures Manual and the SASFAA Guide to Financial Management recommended by
her committee.
ACTION: Brad Barnett made a motion to
accept the changes to the Policy and Procedure’s Manual recommended by Heather
Boutell’s Committee. The motion, being seconded by Dana Kelly carries.
ACTION: Heather Made a motion to make
the previous motion effective July 1, 2006. The Motion being seconded by Brad
Barnett, carries.
LIASON REPORTS
SEE ATTACHMENT D
Old Business:
Brent asked everyone to read
the GAP report again and it will be discussed with the new Board for 2006-2007.
New Business:
None
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Dinner tonight is sponsored
by Chase and will be at Hurricanes.
ACTION: Brent
Tener moved to adjourn the Executive Board meeting. The motion seconded by
Shelly Park, was approved. The meeting adjourned at 3:38 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Sandra J. Neel, SASFAA
Secretary
ATTACHMENT A
Report from President Guy
Gibbs
Report from President Elect
Brent Tener
President-Elect
Report
Brent
Tener
June,
2006
SASFAA 2006-2007 Executive Board
The President-Elect is happy to report the
following individuals will serve as the SASFAA board next year:
President Brent
Tener,
Vice
President Sandy
Neel,
Past
President Guy
Gibbs, Northern
President
Elect Lisanne
Masterson,
Secretary Deborah
Byrd,
Treasurer Heather
Boutell,
Alabama
President Jonna
Gibson, Regions Bank
Florida
President Thomas
Judge,
Kentucky
President Runan
Pendergrast, Bluegrass Community and
Mississippi
President Garry
Jones,
North
Carolina President Rance
South
Carolina President Kim
Jenerette,
Tennessee
President Janette
Overton,
Agency
Liaison Mike
Hawkes, Educational Credit Management Company
Budget
and Finance Clark
Aldridge, Chase Manhattan Bank
Conference
Chair Michael
Morgan, Edamerica
USDE
Liaison Gregory
Diversity
Chair Janet
Sain, SunTrust Bank
Electronic
Services Chair Leonard
Gude,
Legislative
Relations Chair
Lender
Liaison Paul
Mittelhammer, Citibank
Membership
Chair Soraya
Welden,
Newsletter
Editor Sharon
Oliver,
Site
Selection Ron
Gambill, edsouth
Special
Appointee Janet
Sain, SunTrust
Special
Appointee Barry
Simmons, Virginia Tech
Vendor/Sponsor
Chair Keith Reeves,
Volunteer
for Service to SASFAA
The volunteer form
will remain active on the Web site. To
date we have received 80 volunteer requests.
Priority will be given to those who volunteered last year but were not
selected.
NASFAA
The
2006 NASFAA conference will be held in
Report from Vice President
Tolly Tollefson
Report from the Vice
President
Deborah “Tolly” Tollefson
The 2006 SASFAA New Aid
Officer’s Workshop was be held June 18 – 23 (Sunday through Friday) on the
beautiful campus of
The faculty and staff for the
New Aid Officers Workshop and the Mid-Level Workshop comprise the Professional
Advancement Committee.
Curriculum Coordinator:
Henry “Chip” Quisenberry, Jr.
Enterprise-Ozark Community College, AL
Local Arrangements:
Beth Bartlett –
Instructors:
Pat Arauz –
Bruce Crain –
Leonard Gude –
Brent Tener –
Deborah Byrd –
Erik Melis –
Searcy Taylor –
Bill Zahn –
Sandy Neel –
Andy Weaver –
Ahn Do –
Lender Assistants:
Jackie Bell –
Todd Woodlee – South
Education Finance Partners
Zita Barree –
The New Aid Officers Workshop
received strong positive feedback on the event, especially for the knowledge
level of instructors and the quality of the curriculum. There were some issues with the foodservice.
There was also a One-Day New
Aid Officers Workshop at the SASFAA 2006 conference on Sunday, February 12,
2006. It began at 8 am with registration
and a continental brunch and will concluded at 3 pm. Registration for the workshop was part of the
conference registration process. There
were approximately 65 participants in attendance and 10 instructors.
I recommend that the new
incoming SASFAA Vice President consider adding an additional instructor pair
and classroom to the summer New Aid Officers Workshop. The registration closed in mid-April and
after taking 15 – 20 names on a waiting list I stopped adding to the wait
list. There is a growing demand for
training, especially at the very beginning levels. I had several Directors plead for me to let
their new hires into the workshop. I
could not increase the number of participants as the class size is very
critical to delivering a quality training experience.
SASFAA also hosted the
SASFAA/SWASFAA Mid-Level workshop this year.
Bob Godfrey from
Since this is an event that we
sponsor in conjunction with SWASFAA, the committee included both SASFAA and
SWASFAA members. Taina Savoit is SWASFAA
representative. SWASFAA sending 4 folks
to this year's meeting in preparation for next year when they host. The SASFAA members are, Bob Godfrey,
Because we were at Furman and
somewhat removed from events, we arranged entertainment for both nights. For
Sunday there was a picnic supper and then a DJ for dancers and Karaoke. We had planned for this to happen in the
amphitheater adjacent to there beautiful lake, but due to rain had to be held
indoors.
On Monday, we had a banquet with a
humorous hypnotist as the entertainment.
Bob was able to raise over $6000 in
sponsorship. And, our vendors donated
door prizes
All participants received a
SASFAA/SWASFAA certificate.
Report from
Past-President Janet Sain
SASFAA Past-President
Newsletter and Final Report, submitted by Janet Sain
The 2005-2006 year was a very
productive and challenging one for the Past-President. Ms. Sain was tasked with accomplishing three
major responsibilities this year. 1) The Nominations and Elections process, 2)
the Professional Recognitions awarding; and finally, 3) the compilation of the
annual Governance and Associational Planning document.
First, the Nominations and
Elections process for 2005-2006. Ms.
Sain and her committee were extremely pleased to be able to offer the
membership a dual slate of candidates for their consideration for the offices
of President-Elect, Vice President and Secretary. The committee was able to offer candidates
which were from five of the nine SASFAA states, were male and female and also
covered minority representation. Many
thanks go to those nominees who were willing to serve SASFAA in this capacity
and permit their names to be offered as candidates. Congratulations go to Lisanne Masterson from
Second, the Professional
Recognition awards were presented during the annual conference in
Honorary Lifetime Membership-recipient was Curtis
Whalen, formerly of UNC at
SASFAA
Distinguished Service Award-recipients were Dave Gelinas from
Special
Appreciation Award-recipients were William “Bill” Mackie and Lynda Sayer both
from
NASFAA
Distinguished Service Award-a nominee was presented to the NASFAA Awards
Committee for their consideration and the award will be presented during their
annual meeting in
Third was the task of
compiling the GAP report for presentation and review at the transitional board
meeting in June. Returning committee members were
In closing, Ms. Sain would
like to thank everyone who made her three years as SASFAA President one of the
most rewarding experiences of her life, both personally and
professionally. The many colleagues she
met and the friendships that she developed over the years will be cherished
forever!
Report from Treasurer Heather Boutell
Treasurer’s Report
June 9, 2006
Total Cash on Hand:
Fifth Third Checking:
$137,415.34
Fifth Third Savings: $93,487.89
BB&T Savings: $95,485.11
Total: $326,388.34
The individuals designated to
revise the financial pieces of the P&P and the Guide to Financial
Management met in April in
Funds continue to come in for
Mid-level Workshop and New Aid Officers Workshop. Tolly Tollefson and Bob Godfrey have assisted
with those attendees who still owe, so that number is very low.
SASFAA received a thank you
card from Anne Rochester. We purchased a
gift certificate for her in appreciation of her work with the 990.
ATTACHMENT B
STATE PRESIDENTS REPORTS
Report from Florida President Ruth Strum
Report from
Tennessee President Forrest Stuart
SASFAA Executive Board Meeting
June 6, 2006
President’s Report
The 2005-2006 year in TASFAA has
been an incredible and rewarding journey. The honor of leading such a talented,
hard working board has allowed me to grow individually and professionally. A
president can not say “thank you” enough to those who have spent countless
hours giving their energy to TASFAA. Because of the board’s work, financial aid
professionals across the state of
We started the year with a
benchmark of success – one borrowed from a former college president.
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
In accomplishing our goals,
we sought not only to be good, but to be the best. Evidenced in this spirit
were the following:
§
Membership dues
were set to zero for the foreseeable future
§
The TASFAA
membership process utilizing ATAC has been updated to accommodate this
structural change. TASFAA is the first client of ATAC to have moved to this
structure.
§
Membership has
increased to 698, an increase of 181 members over 2004-05
§
TASFAA
participated in
§
Annual aggregate
sponsorship funding is collected now, not just that for conferences.
o
2004-05
sponsorship amounted to $184,999.
o
2005-06
sponsorship funding has not been totaled. Conference sponsorship has reached
$125,000.
§
Training
opportunities expanded beyond the norm. This includes new opportunities in
research, leadership within the institution, national trends in college pricing
and higher education, and benchmarks for evaluating student debt.
§
The TASFAA
Policies and Procedures has been revised and updated.
§
Guidance
counselor training and internship opportunities for the summer have been
reviewed; possible enhancements will be made in the next associational year.
§
The Governmental
Relations Committee released several updates on the Higher Education
Reconciliation Act as well as Reauthorization.
§
New TASFAA
members have been incorporated into the work of the association to a degree that
is better than in prior years. President-elect Janette Overton is expanding
this for her presidential year.
While in no way
comprehensive, the above demonstrates the passion TASFAA has for financial aid
professionals and the work that is done by all. Supporting financial aid
officers is vital, and our hope is that higher education, and financial aid
specifically, as a career will become a more attractive option for college
graduates.
Report from
Alabama President Buddy Jackson
Buddy
Jackson, AASFAA President
The
AASFAA Spring 2006 Conference was held April 11-14, 2006 at the
beautiful
Perdido Beach Resort,
theme
was “ How’s Your Financial Aid DNA?”
Dedication
kNowledge
Attitude
I
was fortunate to have Shannon Cross, AmSouth Bank and Jonna Gibson,
Regions
Bank as my Spring 2006 conference chairs. Shannon and Jonna,
along
with her committee members, did an outstanding job planning
a
very educational array of concurrent sessions, as well as, three general
sessions.
The
Department of Education provided us with Ms. Deborah Tarpley, Denver, CO.
and
Yolanda Adams,
and
a third general session on Friday morning “Q and A Session—Ask
A
Fed.” Also, they agreed to present a
concurrent session on “Understanding NSLDS.”
Two-hundred
Two AASFAA members came to the beach and enjoyed the perfect
combination
of networking, personal development and beach activities. Thanks to
our
Spring Local Arrangements Chair, Linda Calvanese,
for
an excellent job making our stay very enjoyable.
As
a part of the Spring 2006 Conference, AASFAA members elected the officers for
the
2006-2007 year. The members that will led us during the coming year are:
President Jonna Gibson, Regions Bank
President-Elect Ben Baker,
Vice
President Charles Markle,
Treasurer Lissa Burleson,
Treasurer-Elect Phillip Nelson,
Secretary Suzanne Bush,
A
highlight of the conference was when we presented your SASFAA President,
Guy
Gibbs with an “Honorary Admiral of the Alabama Navy” framed certificate
signed
by Governor Bob Riley. It was one of the few times that Guy was speechless.
Thank
you Guy for a very enjoyable year as a member of your SASFAA Board.
The
AASFAA Transition meeting will be held June 15 & 16th, 2006 at
the Marriott
Lastly,
I want to thank every member of the SASFAA Board for your friendships
and
making my year as AASFAA President one that I will never forget.
Thank
you!!!!!!
Report from Mississippi President Soraya Weldon
SASFAA Executive Board Meeting
June 9, 2006
MASFAA’s annual conference
will be held June 21-23 in
MASFAA’s 6th
annual “Financial Aid 101” was a success again this year. Vice President LaShanda Chamberlain and the
Training Committee provided a quality workshop for 29 participants at the
LaShanda, President-Elect
As of June, MASFAA has
received over $47,000 in donations to assist students and aid administrators
affected by Hurricane Katrina. These
funds have helped over 70 students with scholarships and 12 aid administrators
with travel related expenses to training events and conferences.
The Nominations Committee,
chaired by Past President Laura Diven-Brown, has provided the following dual
slate of candidates for our upcoming election to be held during the annual
conference in June:
President-Elect: Teresa Bost,
Peggy
Shoemake,
Vice
President: Debbi
Braswell,
Marilyn
James,
Treasurer: Steve Greenough,
American Student Assistance
Levis
Hughes, III, Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation
Director: Robert
Givens,
Ann
Hendrick, Education Services Foundation
The Newsletter Committee provided
the association with three informative online newsletters this year.
Donna O’Quinn, chair of the
High School Relations Committee has coordinated efforts with
Report from North Carolina
President Dana Kelly
SASFAA Executive Board Meeting
St. Pete’s Beach, FL
The Don
June 9, 2006
State Report –
I can’t believe how fast my
time as President has flown. I have
enjoyed this opportunity beyond measure.
To date, NCASFAA has had a very successful New Aid Officer Workshop and
enjoyed record attendance at the 2005 Fall Conference in
As I have said many times
before, NCASFAA is the outstanding organization it is because of its
membership. I want to sincerely thank
everyone in
Report from Georgia
President Suzanne Pittman
Report from Kentucky
President Shelley Park
Shelley Park
Spring Conference
KASFAA’s Spring Conference
was held
Election Results
The spring conference made history
with the implementation of online voting.
A big thanks to Heather Boutell and the staff from KHEAA – without their
diligence KASFAA would still be voting by paper ballot. KASFAA newest elected officers are as
follows: Bryan Erslan, President-Elect; Rick Wilson, Vice President; Secretary,
Karyn Yates; Kathy Hodges, Two Year Public Representative; and Laura Geiser,
Proprietary Representative. These new
leaders will serve
Transition Meeting
President –Elect Runan
Pendergrast conducted the KASFAA’s annual transition meeting on June 2, in
New board members and
committee chairs were charged with encouraging
member involvement and getting everyone on board the train of financial
aid awareness in the state of
Report from South Carolina
President Nancy Garmroth
Nancy T. Garmroth – President
SCASFAA Report to SASFAA
June 9, 2006
The
theme for the year was “Make A Difference”. Goals were to promote and encourage active
participation by all members; provide for professional development, training
and knowledge about financial aid and provide for and ensure the future
financial stability of the Association.
A
lot was accomplished. In addition to two
great conferences and several training workshops, a planning calendar was
posted on the web; a listserv was set up for the Executive Board; the diversity
committee presented workshops that focused on the diversity of the students
served; many updates were made to the policies and procedures manual and the
ByLaws were updated; the Treasurer manuals were combined and updated; the high
school counselors internship program was evaluated; a new membership and
financial aid brochure were designed and printed; contributions were made to
AASFAA, MASFAA, Dee Norton Lowcountry Children’s Center and Sea Haven, Inc.; a
contract was signed for LearnStudentAid; we hosted “Paying for College” and
published “Face the Facts”; contracts
were signed for the fall 2007 and spring 2008 conferences; a site was selected
for SASFAA in 2009; preparations began for the joint conference with NCASFAA in
fall 2006; computer equipment for the Treasurer and a new camera for the
Newsletter Editor were purchased; the Distinguished Service Award was presented
to Mr.
The
Executive Board and the many members who volunteered to serve on committees
worked hard to achieve these accomplishments.
The record setting year will end with an all time high in memberships,
spring conference attendees and vendor support.
Captain
Jackie Bell and her shipmates on the program committee did a fantastic job at
the spring conference. The port of call
–
And
speaking of fantastic – the dual slate of candidates presented at the spring
conference was just that!
FANTASTIC! Congratulations to
Thank
you to all who served on the SASFAA Executive Board. It has been my privilege to work with each of
you. To the State Presidents – what
fun?? I love each of you!!
Report from Virginia
President Brad Barnett
SASFAA Executive Board Meeting
June 9, 2006
Virginia Board Report
It’s hard to believe that the
2005-06 year is over. It has been an
absolutely incredible year and I have thoroughly enjoyed serving you on the
SASFAA Executive Board as VASFAA’s 2005-06 President.
When I look back at this year
I will have fond memories that I will carry with me for the rest of my
life. Professionally, VASFAA
accomplished a lot and I believe the association is in great shape due to the
hard work of the Board, committee chairs, and committee members. I am proud to say that VASFAA is over 500
members strong, we stayed within our overall association budget, and we saw a
lot of firsts this year.
The new committee reporting
format seems to have worked well. This
made reporting easier for committee chairs and provided a single document
summary of the committee activities throughout the year. The last of the Committee Descriptions are
being finalized following the Transition Retreat. Completion of this project will enable VASFAA
to more effectively advertise our committees.
While all of the committees
did an excellent job this year, I think it’s worth highlighting in my final
report a few of the firsts and/or exceptional services that were provided.
The Awareness Committee set a
SuperSaturday record with 27 sites, 1,298 people in attendance and 233
volunteers. That’s a lot of
FAFSA’s! Several of the additional sites
were secured with the help of our friends at the Commonwealth College Access
Network (CCAN).
The Electronic Services
Committee implemented electronic voting for the very first time at this year’s
conference and the New Century Fund President’s Council awarded professional
development grants to three VASFAA members.
The Diversity committee was
extremely active in planning and outreach, resulting in the fabulous events you
saw at the annual conference. They
coordinated the Leadership Symposium held on Sunday at the conference, secured
the wonderful general session speaker Mr. Harvey Alston, and implemented one of
the best “diversity experiences” we have ever seen at a conference with their
program for people to use disability devices throughout the conference.
We saw an increase in our
High School Guidance Counselor Workshop sites because of the diligent work of
our Secondary School Relations Committee, and the Research Committee has been
gathering data in response to one of the concerns brought up at the sector
meetings at the 2005 annual conference.
I am happy to say that President Melis is keeping the Research Committee
in 2006-07 to continue the work they started this year.
The Public Relations
committee enacted two new projects that had a positive impact on the
membership. The “thank you” letters to
the supervisors of VASFAA volunteers gave the volunteers recognition with their
employers that was long overdue, and the “VASFAA Survivor Vignettes” were a
great way to learn more about our colleagues around the state. I have heard several positive comments about
both of these projects.
In response to requests from
the membership, the
VASFAA would not be where we
are today without the contributions and support of our vendors and
sponsors. As of the conference,
vendor/sponsor contributions reached $93,750, with 5 Platinum sponsors, 3 Gold,
10 Silver, 10 Bronze, and 9 sponsors at the Vendor level, for a total of 37
vendors and sponsors. This, along with
their continued involvement on VASFAA committees, shows a clear dedication to
our association’s goals and mission.
The year culminated with a
conference that will be remembered for years to come. I heard several comments from people like,
“this is the best conference I ever attended” and “that old VASFAA feeling is
back again.” The Conference, Membership,
Diversity, Training, Electronic Services, Vendor/Sponsor, Photography, and
Public Relations committees worked seamlessly to pull off a fabulous
event. All of the committees did an
exceptional job staying within our “Survivor” theme and in creating an
atmosphere were members could network, receive training, and have fun. While the Yellow Team won the Survivor
Challenge, I think it’s fair to say that everyone who participated in these
events had a great time and probably met someone they might not have otherwise
had the chance to meet. I am extremely
grateful to everyone who worked so hard to pull off this conference.
I am also happy to say that
we raised $3,972 through the silent auction at the conference for our friends
and colleagues in Alabama (AASFAA) and Mississippi (MASFAA) who were affected by
Hurricane Katrina. I will be presenting
a check for $1,986 to each of those two state presidents at the SASFAA Board
Transition Retreat in June.
The association held its annual election of
officers during the conference. I would
like to thank everyone who ran for office this year and am looking forward to
working on the Board with those who were elected. The results of the election are as follows:
|
President
Elect: |
|
|
Treasurer
Elect: |
|
|
Representative
at Large: |
Melissa
Barnes, |
|
Representative
at Large: |
Michael
Poma, SunTrust |
Personally, I will never
forget the support that was given to me by the VASFAA membership throughout the
year. Additionally, my family was
forever touched by the kindness and generosity of the membership at the
conference by the $250 in food pantry donations my children received and the
300 people who sang them happy birthday at the Tuesday night event. We may not have been able to hold the annual
Barnett Boys Birthday Bash this year because of the conference, but the boys
got even more out of their birthday this year than in years past. In prior years they have only been the
couriers in dropping off the food they collected at their birthday party;
however, this year they also got to buy it due to your donations. They had the best time shopping for the food
when Sara and I took them grocery shopping.
It takes a certain amount of
Communication, Commitment, and Continuity to be a “
Thank you to VASFAA for
having faith enough in me to give me the opportunity to serve as your 2005-06
President. It has been a pleasure
representing VASFAA on the SASFAA Executive Board. I am looking forward to working with
President Melis and the 2006-07 VASFAA Executive Board as we “Trek Boldly Into
New Frontiers.”
Sincerely,
Brad Barnett
VASFAA President (2005-06)
ATTACHMENT C
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Report
from Membership Chair Juanita Russell
Membership Committee
Juanita McKenzie Russell, Chair
The
Membership Committee had a very rewarding and successful year. Some of the many successes were continuing
friendly competition between states to encourage SASFA membership, providing
labels and badges for the conference committee,
providing badges for the Long Range Planning Committee Retreat, emailing membership statistics to SASFAA
President and State Presidents, offering assistance to members with completing
the membership application online, and communicating with the Treasurer
concerning various membership issues.
SASFAA
current membership as of May 31, 2006 is 1,573. The membership committee would like to
encourage members to renew membership in SASFAA for the 2006-2007 year and
continue to enjoy the many benefits available to members.
|
SASFAA Membership
Statistics |
|
|
Current Membership |
|
|
Total |
1573 |
|
Members by Ending Membership Date |
|
|
6/30/2006 |
1468 |
|
6/30/2007 |
105 |
|
Membership by State |
|
|
|
85 |
|
|
290 |
|
|
189 |
|
|
96 |
|
|
71 |
|
|
234 |
|
|
119 |
|
|
144 |
|
|
193 |
|
Out of Region |
152 |
Suggestions
for the 2006-2007 Membership Committee are to continue to encourage membership
by providing membership statistics to State Presidents and to continue to work
on a brochure for SASFAA to inform Presidents/Chancellors of the many benefits
of SASFAA.
Thanks
to the 2005-2006 Membership Committee for its dedication and hard work. Thanks to Guy Gibbs for giving me the
opportunity to serve as Membership Chair.
It has been a wonderful and rewarding experience working with the entire
2005-2006 SASFAA Board.
June Board Report from Newsletter Editor, April
Kendrick
Since the last
board meeting in
The third quarterly edition
of the newsletter, SASFAA Spring 2006 Newsletter, was
placed to the SASFAA Web site and accessible May 1st, 2006. A special thanks to the elected board, state
presidents, committee chairs and liaisons for providing their reports for the
Spring SASFAA Newsletter. In addition,
SASFAA members provided other articles for publication, and the newsletter
editor was able to add additional information pertinent to financial aid and
the mission of the association. The
SASFAA sponsors came through again with advertisements. Also, thanks to Keith Reeves for working
with the sponsors and obtaining a commitment for newsletter
advertisements.
June Quarterly Newsletter
The June Newsletter will
include reports from the Elected Officers, State Presidents, Committee Chairs,
Liaisons and articles from the SASFAA membership. The editor is happy to report that the June
Newsletter will have reports from all Elected Officers, State Presidents and
Committee Chairs. The SASFAA sponsors will come through once again and will provide 22 advertisements.
The newsletter
editor would like to thank each elected board member, state president,
committee chair and liaisons for their assistance given this year. Also thanks to those individuals not on the board
and/or serving as chairs of committees for the submission of articles for
publication.
The editor would also like to
thank President Guy Gibbs for his guidance and assistance during the year and
for inviting her to serve as newsletter editor 2005-2006.
Report
from Site Selection Ron Gambill
SASFAA Transition Meeting
Site Selection Report
June 9, 2006
The
contract for the February 7-11, 2009 annual meeting has been completed in
addition to the contract for the
The
location adjoins “Broadway at the Beach” which has many shops, restaurants and
entertainment for after hours.
Rates
for the supporting hotels will be lower and each provides at least a
continental breakfast which is included in the room rate.
The
Policy and Procedures Manual needs to be updated as follows:
- The addition of 2006,
- The addition of 2006
under
- Update section
6.15.1(1) to read: Have the
capability of committing 600 rooms for lodging on peak nights (Sunday,
Monday, Tuesday) or 500 rooms for lodging with an overflow hotel nearby
for another 100 rooms;
- Update section
6.15.1(2) to read: Have ten (10) or
more breakout rooms for group meetings capable of a seating capacity of
1,000;
- Update section
6.15.1(5) to read: Have display
space for 85 vendors with 10 feet by 10 feet booths.
- Reword the first
paragraph in 6.15 to read as follows:
The site selection committee evaluates and recommends locations and
hotels for future annual conferences, Executive Board meetings and other
meetings as may be requested by the President, other officers or committee
chairs. Checklists for the meetings
are included in Appendix ? of the manual.
- Include the checklists
developed by the Site Selection Committee in an Appendix in the back of
the manual and specify the individual checklists in the Table of Contents.
Submitted by:
Report from
Electronic Services Chair Erik Melis
To: SASFAA Executive
Board
From: Erik
R. O. Melis, Chair, SASFAA Electronic Services Committee
Date: May 30, 2006
Subj: Electronic Services Committee Report for
June 2006 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 February 2006 board report:
(1) Update to banner ads for existing sponsors
added to the web.
(2) Worked with ATAC to modify listserv to new
ListLock format which allows non-active members to opt to receive listserv
messages but still retains posting messages as a benefit of active SASFAA
membership..
(3) Worked with Conference Committee to get 2006
Conference presentations out on the web site for download..
(4) Worked with SASFAA Vice-President and
committee members to get information our on the web for the SASFAA/SWASFAA
Mid-Level Workshop including testing and activation of on-line registration
form.
(5) Worked with Board to develop and post a new
SASFAA Listserv posting policy.
(6) Posted most current version of SASFAA
Policies and Procedures manual to the web.
The following web-related
projects were planned or are still in progress 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. (In-progress)
.
(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. (In-progress … committee members are reviewing the current layout to
try to determine where improvements and/or changes are warranted)
(3) Electronic Services
committee will work to finalize proposal for disposition processes for
obsolete/non-working electronic equipment within SASFAA. (In-progress)
(4) Have been discussing with ATAC options for
making the handling of complimentary membership fees and registration fees and
the handling of registration cancellations/transfers more manageable. (New payment section functionality, due to
become available sometime in June, should help alleviate this by providing
direct access to the payments database for the Treasurer.)
The following possible
web-related projects were identified by the 2005-2006 Electronic Services
Committee but will be passed to the 2006-2007 committee for action:
(1) Work with Treasurer and ATAC to set up
permanent credit-payment option for SASFAA web forms either through PayPal or
another e-merchant.
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 Vendor/Sponsor Keith Reeves
SASFAA Executive Board Meeting
June 9-11, 2006
St Pete Beach, FL
2005-06 Sponsorship End-of-Year Report (as of June 6,
2006)
Sponsorship information is
broken down into five components:
1 -
Newsletter Advertising:
·
25 organizations
·
$23,175 ($450
outstanding)
2 -
Banner Advertising
·
23 organizations
·
$26,650 ($0
outstanding)
3 -
Conference Sponsorship
·
67 organizations
·
$154,058.57 ($0
outstanding)
4 -
Miscellaneous Sponsorship
·
22 organizations
·
$20,996.83
($5,200 outstanding – primarily Mid-level and New-aid support)
|
Miscellaneous Sponsorship Designations |
|||
|
Board Meetings |
$6,850.00 |
|
$6,581.25 |
|
Mid Level |
$4,900.00 |
New Aid |
$1,095.13 |
|
Conference Committee |
$1,570.00 |
|
|
5 -
Non-Revenue Sponsorship
·
15 organizations
·
Amount unknown,
estimate exceeds $30,000
·
This includes
meals paid directly by sponsors as well as items paid directly for Mid-Level
and New-Aid (such as shirts, backpacks, notebooks, etc) that do not flow
through SASFAA books.
Total Sponsorship and Advertising (excluding non-revenue)
·
69 organizations
·
$224,879.95
It
has been a banner year for sponsorship and advertising revenue for the association. In addition to thanking all of our vendors
and sponsors for their contributions this year, the Sponsorship Chair also
would like to recognize the contributions of other SASFAA members in this
effort: Heather Boutell, Juanita
Russell, Sandy Neel, Dewey Knight, Jackie Bell, and Gary Mann assisted in
making this a great year.
The
Sponsor Chair would also like to add a personal note to thank Guy Gibbs for
giving the opportunity to serve the association in this capacity. Many new friends have been acquired and
valuable knowledge has been gained along the way. The Chair looks forward to working with Brent
Tenor and the 2006-07 Board over the next year.
Sponsorship
for the Transition Board Meeting:
SASFAA
is grateful to the following sponsors who have contributed to the success of
this meeting. Please take the time to
let them know of your appreciation:
Friday
Morning Continental Breakfast: Wachovia
Petrena Taylor - petrena.taylor@wachovia.com
Friday
Refreshment Breaks: ELM Resources
Jo Bennett - jbennett@elmresources.com
Friday Lunch:
Suntrust
Janet Sain – janet.sain@suntrust.com
And Academic
Finance Corporation
Allison Hall – Allison.hall@bhec.org
Friday Dinner – Chase
ET
Winzer – et.r.winzer@chase.com
Saturday Morning Continental Breakfast: Education Finance Partners
Todd Woodlee – twoodlee@educationfinancepartners.com
Saturday Dinner – edamerica/edsouth
Ron Gambill - rgambill@edsouth.org
Karen Gibson - kgibson@edamerica.net
Hospitality
– College Loan Corporation
Mike O’Grady – asnyder@collegeloan.com
Respectfully
Submitted,
Keith
Reeves
Sponsor
Chair
Report
from Budget ands Finance Chair Clark Aldridge
BUDGET and FINANCE
REPORT
June 10, 2006
In April Clark met with an ad
hoc committee chaired by Heather Boutell that was charged with revising the
Policy and Procedures Manuel and the Guide to Financial Management. The committee was composed of Heather
Boutell, Lester McKenzie, Susan Little, Randy Craig and Clark Aldridge.
Under Heather’s leadership
the committee undertook a page by page review of the Manual with the intention
of bring it into compliance with the Association’s current electronic processes
and clarifying and revising, as needed, other sections of the document.
These revisions will be
submitted to the SASFAA Board at a future meeting.
In consultation with President-Elect
Brent Tener and Treasurer Heather Boutell a draft of the 2006-2007 SASFAA has
been prepared and forwarded to the 2006-2007 Board.
A certificate of deposit in
the amount of $25,000 bearing an interest rate of 4.30% will mature on
6-12-06. I have been in discussion with
Jim Mills at Suntrust concerning the reinvestment of this CD. Based on my discussion with Mr. Mills I
recommend to the Board that we reinvest this CD for a 12 month period as there
is little difference in the rate of a 12 month and a 24 month CD. Based on today rate we can expect a rate in
the neighborhood of 5.10%-5.15%.
After an analysis of our
2005-2006 income and expenses to date I am recommending that an additional CD
in the amount of $25,000 be purchased.
In addition, we will review our end of year balance with the idea of
purchasing an additional CD in early 2006-2007.
Clark anticipates that our
revenue for investment to increase nicely in the next several years as we have
several low yield CDs maturing that will be reinvested at significantly higher
rates.
Clark Aldridge
Chair, Budget and Finance
Committee
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Report
from Conference Chair Lisanne Masterson
SASFAA Board Meeting
June 9, 2006
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT
The 43rd Annual
SASFAA Conferen
The
Copies of the generi
On a fis
A
personal goal for the year was to
RECOMMENDATION:
In
order to properly manage the Conferen
Submitted,
2005-06 SASFAA Conferen
Report
from Diversity Chair Crusie Lucero
SASFAA Executive Board Report
Diversity Committee
June 9, 2006
The Diversity Committee did a
great job this past year. Most of the
work of the committee was to plan sessions and activities for the annual
conference. The objectives that were
assigned for the year were:
·
Review the
definition of “diversity” to make it more global; to have a broader perspective
that will 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 Diversity Committee’s main goal was not to have
all of our sessions be about racial issues but to encompass other
diversities. The speakers and sessions
that were selected for the annual conference were well received. Stephen
Bargatze, Student Services Program from Hermitage, TN, and the diversity
general session speaker had an entertaining presentation that was both funny
and sad. Zeb Davenport’s presentation
at The Pathways to Leadership Luncheon was very informative and
meaningful. Both the general session and
the luncheon were well attended.
·
General session
speaker was entertaining and relayed an important message about how perceptions
can get misconstrued.
·
The committee
planned a leadership luncheon to encourage all members to become more active in
our association.
·
The committee
contacted presenters and was able to promote seven interest sessions for the
conference. We encouraged presenters not
to use the word “Diversity” in their titles to encourage more attendance in the
sessions.
Recommendations and
suggestions for next year’s committee:
·
Increase the
budget to cover speakers and any other activities planned by the committee.
·
Work with
Vendor/Sponsor Chair to solicit sponsorship for any planned activities.
·
Plan fewer
diversity sessions for the conference.
Many members are not attending any sessions that they feel are about
diversity.
·
Diversity is here
to stay but many members seem to think that our association goes overboard on
planning activities that cover some form of diversity. Explore ways to deliver diversity
information and activities that are more palatable to our members!
·
Have fewer
interest sessions for the conference.
The sessions should never be called “Diversity” Sessions.
·
The Diversity
General session should not be advertised as such—another name for the session would
be much better.
Diversity
Committee Chair and Members 2005-2006
AL – Dee
Talley,
FL - Anh
Do,
GA - Tess
Underwood, NellieMae – Lender
KY -
Anthony Bowles, AmSouth – Lender
MS –
Marilyn James,
NC –
Cynthia Grant,
SC – Jeff
Dennis, Southern Wesleyan University – Private 4-year
TN – Joy
Goldberg,
VA –
Elizabeth “Liza” Bruce, Educational Credit Mgmt. Corp. – Lender
Chair –
Cruzita “Crusie” Lucero,
Report from Long Range Planning Carol Mowbray
Report from Special Projects Susan Little
Report from Legislative Relations Chair Bill Spiers
SASFAA Board Meeting
June 9, 2006
Legislative Affairs Committee
The Legislative Committee has
had a good year. We instituted reading
digest, composed letters on Reauthorization and monitored Federal legislative
activity. While we had hoped to close
our year with a report on Reauthorization, that wasn’t in the cards, and it
appears no closer today than when we started a year ago. We are, however, gaining more information on
the new programs created by the Feds. I
will give that portion of the report orally as I will be arriving from a
meeting where I will obtain additional information.
In addition to the above,
early next year we will have a Legislative Advocacy Link. This will allow members to log onto the
SASFAA website and send out their responses to legislators on various
issues. While this is a product of this
years committee, it will be finished next year.
At the Florida Conference Kay
Jacks reported that regs for HERA should be out shortly. She could not give a specific date as there
are issues that still need to be resolved.
It has been a great year to
serve SASFAA. I want to than Guy for his
leadership and his contributions to a successful year.
ATTACHMENT D
LIAISON REPORTS
Report from Lender
Liaison Paul Mittlehammer
Lender Liaison Report
Submitted by Paul Mittelhammer
With the changes in the Loan
programs starting July 1, 2006 here are the current interest rates for
Stafford, PLUS and Consolidation loans.
The index for the variable rate loans uses the 91 day T-Bill rate plus
and index. The 91 day T-Bill rate at the
end of May was 4.84%.
Loan Interest Rates:
Stafford Variable Rate (Loans
made between 7/1/1998 to 6/30/2006)
In school, grace or deferment period the interest
rate is 6.54 %, interest rate cap is 8.25%
Repayment,
forbearance or not in grace, or in school status the interest rate is 7.14%,
interest rate cap is 8.25%.
PLUS – increases the fixed
interest rate for FFELP PLUS from 7.9% to 8.5% for loans first disbursed on or
after July 1, 2006.
Plus Variable Rate (Loans made
between 7/1/1998 to 6/30/2006), the interest rate is 7.94%, interest rate cap
of 9.0%
Consolidation – fixed
interest rate is weighted average of interest rate on loans consolidated
rounded up to nearest 1/8%.
And this just in from
Congress:
An
amendment to repeal the single holder rule was adopted to the Emergency
Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2006, H.R. 4939, as negotiators in the House
and Senate worked overtime to hash out the differences between the two
chambers' versions of the bill.
Still
no decision on the difference in PLUS loan rates between FFELP and Direct Loan.
Report from Agency
Liaison Mike Hawkes
Agency Liaison Report
June 8, 2006
Implementation
of the Higher Education Reconciliation
Act of 2005 has the attention of state agencies and guarantors.
The Academic Competitiveness
Grant program requires student recipients to have completed a rigorous
secondary school program. While there are four paths to having a secondary
school program deemed rigorous, the U.S. Secretary of Education has recognized
programs in four SASFAA states –
Guarantors have been making
decisions on payment of the Federal default fee. For loans guaranteed on or
after July 1, 2006 guarantors are required to pay a 1% Federal default fee into
the agency’s Federal Reserve Fund. The law authorizes guarantors to deduct this
fee from the borrower’s
Some guarantors are paying
the fee from their Operating Fund, and in some cases lenders are subsidizing
the fee. Most guaranty agency reports that follow contain information
describing how the designated guarantor for the state is handling this fee.
Guarantors have been meeting
since February to discuss implementation of the College Access Initiative, a
new section added to the Higher Education
Act by the HERA amendments. This new
section requires guarantors to promote college access, a role all guarantors
had been filling on a voluntary basis. Guarantors are coordinating these
activities through the National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs
(NCHELP), and will be working with Mapping Your Future to create state-specific
college access web pages.
Guarantors have decided to
delay publication of the Common Manual
from the traditional July date until September. This will allow the manual to
contain new policies relating to the HERA
amendments. Development work is also underway on a Common Manual web site, and the launch date is targeted for
September-October.
The entire agency community
is keeping an eye on possible reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. While the House has passed a reauthorization
bill (HR 609), the Senate is not likely to address reauthorization until
September at the earliest. It is likely Congress will have to pass at least one
short-term extension of the HEA given the looming June 30 expiration date.
Submitted by: Mike Hawkes,
Director,
National Association of State
Student Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP)
No report submitted.
National Council of Higher
Education Loan Programs (NCHELP)
A
little more than 12 years have elapsed since President Clinton and the
Congress, facing large budget deficits, took $4.8 billion from the Federal
Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) and deeded the funds to the federal
Treasury to reduce the federal deficit and attempt to restore confidence in the
nation’s economy. Just a few months ago,
President Bush and the Congress took almost $12 billion from the student loan
programs, again dedicating the funds to reduction of the federal deficit. While Presidents and Congresses change,
challenges to the FFELP seem to be a constant.
There’s
another similarity to the student loan world of the early 1990s: a general
uneasiness among financial aid professionals who find themselves in the crossfire
between institutional missions; an abundance of federal and state regulations;
parents and students (who first besiege them with requests for aid decisions
and then question those decisions); and external disruptions. As one long-time
friend and colleague recently mumbled, “just give me a few days without
marketing calls.”
Yet,
over the past 12 years, new student loan volume has increased from $12.5
billion to more than $50 billion. Three
widely accepted reasons for this increase in loan volume are: the increasing
demand for postsecondary education and training; an increase in costs for this
education and training; and lagging federal and state grant and scholarship
support.
There
is much for the FFELP community and our school colleagues to be proud of: a
default rate of 4.5% percent compared to 17.8% 12 years ago; and an era of
simplification and standardization that has produced products and services such
as CommonLine, Common Record, Mapping Your Future, Meteor, ELM, Common Manual and
the National Student Clearinghouse.
Even
with the dramatic growth of the past decade, the demand for student loans is
sure to increase at an accelerated rate.
Between 1996-97 and 2004-05, the number of students graduating each year
from secondary school increased 14 percent from 2.6 million to more than three
million students. The number of graduates is expected to increase an additional
10 percent over the next few years. As a
result, postsecondary full-time enrollment is expected to increase by 16
percent over the next 10 years. Digging
a bit deeper, these postsecondary students will be more ethnically diverse and
economically disadvantaged than the graduates that preceded them. For example, it is expected that between 2005
and 2013, the number of Hispanics graduating from secondary schools will
increase by 41 percent.
These
are staggering figures that -- when coupled with continued increases in
educational costs, the expectation that grants and scholarships will be funded
at insufficient levels, and other demands on families due to higher costs of
living -- will result in an increased need for student loans.
There
is little doubt that the higher education loan community will be able to meet
this future borrowing demand and continue to provide superb services to
borrowers and schools. In fact, there
will be startling improvements. There will be an accelerated commitment to
offer college outreach and financial literacy services and debt management
counseling. For schools, there will be
an equally strong commitment to provide services that take advantage of
emerging technology to process loans in a more efficient and highly secure
manner.
However,
despite providing almost $1 billion in timely, virtually error-free loan funds each
week, FFELP’s future seems never to be safe. The current political divisiveness
in
First,
the similarities to the situation 12 years ago should give the FFELP
community pause. Without question, the federal deficit and attempts to
rein it in will be a unifying objective for both parties – the differences
between the parties will be in the order of magnitude. The purpose of budget reconciliation is to
“grab” cash, and at that point logical thinking leaves the building. Twelve
years ago there was a Democratic-controlled Congress and White House and this
past year Republicans controlled the legislative and executive branches. This
points out that the FFEL Program is at risk regardless of which party is in
control.
One of FFELP's challenges is to overcome
the current budget scoring methodology that unfairly favors Direct Lending. The
higher education loan community continues to wage an extensive public
information campaign about the factors that determine the costs of the FFEL and
Direct Loan programs.
Second,
a growing number of financial aid professionals are openly concerned about
aggressive marketing, whether directed at them, their students (or the parents
of their students), or senior college officials such as their President or Vice
President of Finance. The marketing of
both FFELP and non-Title IV loans and attempts to “lock up” school volume for
lenders and guarantors is resulting in some erosion of support for the entire
FFEL program. Financial aid officials
have always had strong views about entities that come between them and their
students.
The
last of my observations is that FFELP is beginning to lose its common
face. We’ve come a long way in making
FFELP loans a seamless way to borrow for students and schools. However, as some
loan marketing is being conducted outside of traditional channels, some of the
benefits of commonality could be lost. As a result, some may view the FFELP as
being more complicated then the Direct Loan Program.
In
conclusion, back to the positives. The higher education loan community provides
a superior set of affordable loan services to meet what will be a growing
demand. Yet, it will be tested. The higher education loan community met the
challenges of the past 12 years through hard work and a commitment to the
students and schools it serves. FFELP providers will need to reinforce that
hard work and commitment as we continue to work in challenging times.
Submitted
by: Brett E. Lief, President
No report submitted.
Kentucky Higher
Education Assistance Authority, designated guarantor for
New
Alabama College
A special low-cost student
loan program from the Alabama Higher Education Loan Corporation (AHELC) will
help
Under an agreement with The
Student Loan Peoplesm, which will administer the program for AHELC,
students receiving Federal Stafford Loans through the Alabama College Loan
Program will not pay an origination fee or a default fee. Parents and graduate
students who receive Federal PLUS Loans through the program will not pay a
default fee. The federal government requires lenders to charge the origination
fee on PLUS Loans, but Alabama College Loan Program borrowers will receive an
immediate 1 percent interest rate reduction.
Borrowers of Stafford and PLUS
Loans from the Alabama College Loan Program will receive a 5 percent reduction
to the original loan principal after making the first 30 monthly, on-time
payments. Borrowers will also qualify for a 0.25 percent interest rate
reduction for automatic payments.
Alabama
Jody Lewis has relocated to
Submitted by: Crystal
Dempsey-Gillum, Information Officer
2005-06 Academic Year
State-funded financial aid
programs expect to disburse 97% of the appropriation of $527 million for 20
programs during the 2005-06 academic year.
Our largest merit program, Florida Bright Futures Scholarships, expects
to fund over 139,000 students; the largest need-based program, Florida Student
Assistance Grants (FSAG), expects to serve over 100,000 students.
2006-07 Legislative and
Budget Issues
The 2006 Florida Legislative
Session has ended and the Governor has signed the new year budget allocating
$604 million to student financial aid programs.
This represents a 14.6% increase in program funds over last year.
Several programs were
enhanced to include additional benefits for students:
Children of Deceased and
Disabled Veterans will now also serve spouses.
The Bright Futures Medallion
Scholarship award pays 75% of tuition and fees, and will now pay 100% of
tuition and fees to those students who choose to attend a public community
college for their first two years.
New programs include:
First Generation in College
Matching Grant Program to fund first generation, resident, undergraduate
students with need at public universities.
Institutions have been
authorized to include in a student’s Cost of Attendance any disability testing
fees required for placement in additional services at their institution.
Web Applications at
www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org
Our customer friendly web homepage
invites students to apply online for all programs. We have accepted and evaluated over 90,000
initial applicants. Postsecondary
institutions participating in financial aid programs continue to appreciate the
web processing of state financial aid and comprehensive reporting capabilities.
Submitted by: Theresa
Antworth, Director of Scholarship and Grant
Programs
Florida
OSFA Moves to TERP:
On April, 13, 2006, OSFA announced its participation and implementation
of TERP (Total Enrollment Reporting Process) with the Clearinghouse.
Web Enhancements:
On June 7,
2006, OSFA will unveil several new enhancements to the web services we provide
our customers. These enhancements
include:
·
A new, user-friendly web
site
·
Online reporting function
for institutions
·
Pre-guarantee changes via
the web.
Default Prevention News:
The latest
additions to our Default Prevention program are as follows:
·
All of the various Default
Prevention brochures are now available in Spanish
·
A Spanish version of the
Default Prevention web site (Navigating Your Financial Future) will be released
on June 16, 2006.
Federal Default Fee:
OSFA will
charge the federally mandated 1% Default Fee on all loans guaranteed on or
after July 1, 2006; however, there are several lenders in
Submitted by: Kelly Harrison,
Director, Training and Development
Georgia
Student Finance Commission
GSFC military awards
This spring, Georgia Student
Finance Commission (GSFC) participated in special events focusing on two
GSFC-administered aid programs that encourage and reward service in the
military.
Georgia HERO Scholarship
On April 17, GSFC President
On April 26, GSFC staff were
among those who honored 35 high school seniors who have been awarded North
Georgia College & State University Military Scholarships. This is the 26th
year of the program, which to date has benefited more than 600
Final 2006 legislative wrap
up
The following bills, passed
by the Georgia General Assembly, have been signed into law by Governor Sonny
Perdue.
SB 415 expands the HERO
Scholarship program for wounded soldiers. (See related item above.) SB 415
expands eligibility to Georgia National Guard members who were wounded and
evacuated from a combat zone prior to 181 consecutive days of service.
The FY 2007 budget (HB 1027)
for the Georgia Student Finance Commission dedicates agency funds to increase
the Tuition Equalization Grant award amount for Georgia students enrolled in
Georgia’s private colleges from $900 to $1,000 per student per year. The budget also appropriates funds for the
HERO Scholarship, which awards $2,000 per academic year per student. In
addition, the General Assembly committed $200,000 of the Commission’s agency funds
toward service cancelable loans for students in nurse faculty programs.
Federal default fee
The Georgia Higher Education
Assistance Corporation, GSFC’s guaranty agency, has begun charging the Federal
default fee as required by law. GSFC’s lending agency, Georgia Student Finance
Authority, will pay that fee as a benefit to our borrowers.
GSFC President
Submitted
by:
Introducing Jane Roig and Jim
Ackinson
Jane L. Roig was selected by the
Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA)/Student Loan People
Board of Directors to serve as Interim Executive Director and Management
Consultant while a permanent Executive Director is being sought. Her first day
in the office was March 28. Jane previously
served in several management capacities at KHEAA from 1981 to 2001, including
Director of Program Administration and Director of Federal Relations and Loan
Policy Services. In 2001, Jane retired from KHEAA and joined Southwest Student
Services Corporation,
The Board Search Committee recently
adopted a process to fill the Executive Director position and placed
advertisements in national publications to solicit resumes. The Search
Committee hopes to fill the position by July.
The Board of Directors also
selected Jim Ackinson as Financial Consultant. He served 20 years as Chief
Financial Officer of the Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) until he retired
earlier this year. His first day in the office was March 20.
Jim has extensive on-the-job
experience with tax-exempt and taxable bond issuance and management; bond
resolution fund management; federal tax code knowledge and compliance; short-
and long-term financial planning; operating budget development and management;
procurement of bond underwriting, bond counsel, auditing, trustee, and outside
quantitative services; and other financial duties common to both KHC and The
Student Loan People.
Loan Operations
The USDE Guarantee Agency
Ranking Report, published in March 2006, lists KHEAA as 10th out of 35 for its
debt recovery rate, which is up from 17 as of January 2006! The debt recovery
rate is measured by dividing the amount of collections by the beginning
inventory of defaulted loans.
USDE has designated The
Student Loan Peoplesm as an Exceptional Performer for its compliance
in servicing Federal Family Education Loans. To qualify for this distinction,
USDE requires lenders and servicers to comply with servicing requirements set
by USDE at a rate of 97 percent or higher. As an Exceptional Performer, The
Student Loan People will have its student loans insured at the highest level by
USDE beginning June 1, resulting in savings that can be used to provide
additional services to help students and families plan and pay for higher
education. For many years, The Student Loan People has converted student loan
revenues into state student financial aid awards, free college planning and
financial aid publications, and innovative borrower benefit programs.
KHEAA began making Zip Access
Loan Processing services available to groups of schools on May 8. Zip Access
Loan Processing will help schools manage the loan process with:
Application/certification
processing (including extensive template management).
Extensive search capability
(based on any combination of 16 separate search criteria).
View/change loan and
disbursement information.
Reports (including
significant ad-hoc ability and customization for schools).
Administrative functions
(including user security).
Post office for files
(including the ability to view/resubmit CommonLine files, upload files for
processing, and download files or reports).
Significant online help.
KHEAA and KHESLC chose
Priority Technologies, Inc., (PTI), a leader in student loan technology
solutions, to develop the customized, comprehensive software product which will
provide schools with the ability to manage all portions of the student loan
process. PTI’s products are in use by over 500 schools nationwide and are
widely praised by those schools.
Borrower Benefits
For new Stafford Loans
disbursed after June 30, 2006, The Student Loan Peoplesm will pay
the 1% default fee on behalf of its borrowers.
For new PLUS Loans disbursed
after June 30, 2006, The Student Loan Peoplesm will:
Pay the 1% default fee on
behalf of its borrowers.
Provide a 1% interest rate reduction
immediately after full disbursement. (Monthly on-time payments required to
retain the benefit.)
Provide a 3.5% principal
reduction after 30 consecutive on-time payments.
Continue .25% interest rate
reduction for ACH payments.
The maximum principal
cancellation benefit in all Student Loan Peoplesm specialty programs
(Best in Class, Best in Care, and Best in Law) will be limited to $10,000
annually.
Student Aid
KHEAA disbursed $175.3
million in state student aid through the third quarter of FY 2006 and is on
track to disburse a total of $180 million for the fiscal year.
A Circuit Court judge made a
ruling in the
The Kentucky Education
Savings Plan Trust (KESPT) launched the KESPT Futuretrust® cash rebate program
on April 17. KESPT account owners may now:
Receive cash rebates for
purchases at more than 500 online stores, including Apple, Target,
Apply for a KESPT/Futuretrust
MasterCard®, which can be used at millions of retail outlets to receive a
minimum 1% cash rebate on all card purchases.
When rebates total $25, the
money will be automatically swept into an investment in the KESPT account.
Electronic Award Notice and
Payment Planner
KHEAA and The Student Loan
People contracted with Overture Technology to produce an electronic award
notice and payment planner for use by schools. These services are being
provided to schools at no cost and are available for the 2006-2007 award year.
GoHigherKY
The Kentucky Department of
Education (KDE) has issued a contract and work has begun on the Individual
Learning Plan (ILP) component of GoHigherKY.org (GHK). KDE anticipates an
August 2006 go-live date. All students in
Xap Corporation, which
designed and operates GHK, is working with a third party to set up the
electronic transcript process with school districts and STI, a company that
manages Kentucky’s K-12 school data software, to develop a process
to load and transmit data to colleges. Staff hopes to have some pilot
schools using the process by this fall.
Submitted by: Crystal
Dempsey-Gillum, Information Officer
USA Funds, designated
guarantor for
Report explores benefits of
enhancing education access in
A new report underwritten by
USA FundsÒ indicates that, by enhancing access to higher
education,
Disaster-relief fund assists
additional
Three
USA Funds Scholars to receive
scholarships
USA Funds will award $28,500
in postsecondary-school scholarships to 19 graduating seniors at
Two
Two
USA Funds announces plans for Federal Default Fee
USA Funds currently offers a zero guarantee fee on
Federal Stafford and PLUS loans that it guarantees. Pursuant to the Deficit
Reduction Act of 2005, which President Bush signed into law, USA Funds will
collect a 1-percent Federal Default Fee on all Federal Stafford and PLUS loans
that USA Funds guarantees beginning July 1, 2006. Lenders may opt to pay the
fee on the borrower’s behalf. For lenders that subsidize the Federal Default
Fee on all
Submitted by: Louanne
Langston,
Vicky Keller,
Customer-relations Manager, USA Funds
No report submitted.
The SC Tuition Grants Program
was enacted in 1970 by the SC General Assembly as a “need-based” program for South
Carolina residents attending in-state, independent colleges on a full-time
basis. In the current 2005-2006 school year, approximately $29.6 million will
be awarded to 11,940 students attending the 20 eligible SC independent
colleges. The maximum award for 2005-2006 is $2,600 and the average award is
approximately $2,400.
The 2006-2007 budget process
began on a very positive note with Governor Mark Sanford recommending in
January, 2006, that SC Tuition Grant Lottery funds be increased from $4 million
to $10.1 million, a $6.1 million increase.
The momentum of Governor
Sanford’s budget recommendation carried forward into the
The state of
Submitted by: Edward M.
Shannon, Executive Director
South Carolina Student Loan
Corporation, designated guarantor for
Loan Volume
SCSLC’s loan volume continues
to grow at a healthy rate with a FFELP application rate increase of 3.88% over
this time last year. Meanwhile, the
fastest growing segment of our portfolio is our private loan program. Applications are up 57.66% from last year’s
record volume.
Customer Service
Our customer service division
is second to none! Even while processing
record number of applications and answering consolidation questions, we were
able to maintain a hold time of less than 2 minutes!
Financial Aid Outreach
It has been a busy
Spring! Our outreach counselors visited
over 67 high schools made 12 presentations to Teacher Cadet high school
students and conducted 21 Financial Aid Nights for high schools. In addition to the normal entrance and exit
counseling services provided to our colleges, we also conducted several Money
Management seminars and Consolidation Counseling sessions at several colleges,
and participated in South Carolina Jump$tart’s conference on financial literacy
that was attended by over 120 school teachers.
Finally, the Kuder Career Assessment program has continued to be widely
used. During this past year, over 36,000
students have used the system to help guide their career and higher education
decisions.
Submitted by: David Roupe,
Vice President of Guaranty Services
Tennessee Student Assistance
Corporation
TSAC Road Show
During the month of May, training workshops were taken
on the road across the state. Six
workshops were held beginning in East Tennessee on May 16 and ending May 25 in
The Tennessee Education
Lottery Scholarship was successful in awarding scholarships to over 40,000
students at a value of $93.4 million in 2004-2005. In the second year of the program, the menu
of awards was expanded to include HOPE Foster Care Grants and Dual Enrollment
Grants. As we approach the end of
another successful year; 54,446 students have been awarded $133.5 million.
The Tennessee Education
Lottery Scholarship program expects to see legislative additions to the
program; including raising the HOPE scholarship award amount for the 2006-2007
year and creating a new advanced degree scholarship award for math and science
teachers.
Loan Division
TSAC has nearly completed programming efforts toward
implementing its Federal Default Fee requirements. In March, TSAC's board voted to charge this
fee directly to borrowers. Fortunately
for TSAC, the majority of our lenders have graciously volunteered to pay this
fee on behalf of
Compliance Division
TSAC is continuing its partnership with the Tennessee
Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (TASFAA) to provide an
opportunity for high school counselors to participate in the High School
Counselor Internship Program. This program, offered during the summer, provides
a training workshop for the counselors prior to their participation in an
internship at local institutions in their areas. This NASFAA award-winning program continues
to be well received by everyone involved.
Communication Services Division
TSAC has seen a wealth of organizational growth and
change in the last several months, much of which was through the creation of
the Communication Services Division. In
continued support of our goal to provide greater assistance to our
constituents, the Outreach Specialists and Call Center Counselors will be
joined by a Web, Publications and Graphic Arts Specialist in the coming
month. Additionally, continued efforts
are being made to streamline the information process with regard to call center
activities, including but not limited to; the creation of specific ‘Parent and
Student’ Hotlines and unique ‘Administrators Only’ lines, removal of the
automated attendant, financial aid cross-training activities, and customer
service trainings. Efforts are
continually being made to meet our marketing and outreach responsibilities
through strategic planning, analysis of existing programs, and on-going
partnering and collaboration efforts on the local, regional, state and national
levels.
Submitted by: Robert Ruble,
Executive Director
State Council of Higher
Education for Virginia (SCHEV)
No report
submitted.
Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC),
designated guarantor for
In March and April ECMC provided Higher Education Reconciliation Act training for over 250 financial
aid professionals in seven workshops in Virginia, North Carolina and Oregon.
The training covered the entire range of changes from need analysis, Academic
Competitiveness Grants to loan program issues.
ECMC has committed to paying
the Federal default fee for the 2006-2007 academic year rather than deducting
this fee from borrowers’ proceeds. This policy applies regardless of the lender
the borrower selects.
The ECMC Foundation is developing a guide for
postsecondary student services and financial aid professionals to use as a
resource to retain students from first generation college-going, low income
backgrounds. This guide will be in the form of a toolkit containing both
reference materials and strategies to encourage and support the success of
these students to complete their courses of study and receive higher education
degrees. We anticipate this project to be ready sometime in the fall of 2006
and it will be available for download free of charge
The Commonwealth College Access Network, an
organization to support and nurture college access providers in
Submitted by: Mike Hawkes, Director, Policy & Communications