North Carolina State Report (NCASFAA)

North Carolina Association for Student Financial Aid Administrators’ Fall 2004 Conference was a huge success with over 300 participants in attendance! The average number of attendees for the fall and spring conferences on last year was 260 members.

The theme for the Fall Conference was Spotlight on NCASFAA: Premiere of the NCASFAA Fall Conference to applaud the work done by Financial Aid Professionals.

Ms. Mary Ann Decton of Seattle, Washington conducted the pre-Conference workshop, Return of Title IV Aid, Analyzing Data and Conflicting Information, sponsored by the Department of Education. The attendance was excellent.

The Conference’s Keynote Speaker was Mr. Hallerin Hilton Hill who shared tips from his upcoming book, Make ‘em Say Wow, which challenged the audience to achieve the very best in their jobs as well as their personal lives.

Fans roared as the stream of stars flooded into the Banquet on Monday evening. Ms. Janet Sain, President of SASFAA introduced the celebrities, such as, Serena Williams, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, Morgan Freeman, Snow White & the Wicked Witch, characters from Monsters, Inc., Ray Charles, Whitney Houston, Carolina Panther’s own Julius Pepper with his mom, and last but not least, yes – Oprah! If that wasn’t enough the historic Carolina Theatre graciously presented North by Northwest at Cinema 1 and Remember the Titans at Cinema 2.

The workshops provided during the Conference were just as diverse and exciting as the entertainment. Financial Aid Professionals had their choice of attending dynamic sessions. Some of the sessions provided, to name a few, were Datatel; PowerFaids; Banner; Customer Services Strategies for the 21st Century; Campus 2000: Now Showing: In limited Areas Only; Ombudsman; NASFAA Training: Federal Stafford and Direct Loans; COD and Pell; Distance Education; Around the IRS 1040 in 80 Minutes(a.k.a Verification & In-Depth Tax Analysis); Resolving C-Codes; Creative Emails-Going ‘E’ and Lovin’ it;UNC Need-Based Methodology.

Not only did the Fall Conference benefit those in attendance, but members also lent their hearts and hands to the Ronald McDonald House of Durham, NC with monetary contributions amounting to $2,048.00 and $1,003.49 in merchandise. Way to Go!

NCASFAA was pleased to present a $500.00 scholarship to Western Piedmont Community College. We are also excited to announce a Summer Enrichment Scholarship for Middle School Students. The commitment for each year is anticipated to be between $1,500.00 and $3,000.00.

In addition, NCASFAA also held Support Staff Workshops this Fall at Winston-Salem State University and North Carolina Central University an effort to remain connected, informed, and current on numerous professional development issues like time management and diversity. Attending were approximately thirty financial aid professionals at each of the workshops.

Alabama State Report (AASFAA)
Chip Quisenberry, President

Dear Colleagues:

AASFAA held its annual Fall Conference October 12-15, 2004 at the historic Tutwiler Hotel in downtown Birmingham with approximately 185 participants. Highlights of the conference included the presentation of the Federal Update by Yolanda Adams and a visit and general session presentation on Thursday by David Bartnicki and the new head of Case Management, Chuck Engstrom. Ron Gambill gave a solid presentation on Reauthorization issues during the second Thursday morning general session, and SASFAA President Janet Sain delivered a very upbeat SASFAA update at the Thursday luncheon. AASFAA Vice-President Ellen Canada led 30+ new financial aid professionals in the New Aid Officers Workshop on Wednesday morning.

Program content in the concurrent sessions ran in three tracks: New Aid Officers, Mid-Level, and Experienced, and covered a multitude of pertinent topics. A “Conference In Review” session chaired by AASFAA President Chip Quisenberry on Friday morning was well-attended. This session was offered to give the conferees an opportunity to share concerns and compliments. The reflections shared by the conferees will hopefully make future conferences even better.

Both conferee attendance and Vendor-Sponsor support levels at the Fall Conference exceeded our expectations, so we look forward to the remainder of the year with our finances intact.

Singled out for special recognition were the Program (chaired by Dan Miller and President-Elect Buddy Jackson), Local Arrangements (chaired by Cindy Massey), and Vendor-Sponsor (chaired by Lora Kiser) committees, as well as AASFAA Treasurer Ben Baker for his work in smoothing the registration process and revamping our method of keeping up with projected meal costs. The Executive Board adopted the final 2004-05 budget and recommended passage of the budget to the membership at the Business meeting, and the 2004-05 budget was unanimously adopted by the membership. If AASFAA’s mission is to provide great training opportunities to the membership in a collegial atmosphere, then the Fall conference at the Tutwiler was a resounding success!

Next on AASFAA’s training agenda is the NASFAA Fall Training session on student loan issues to be held at the RSA Building in Montgomery on December 15, 2004. AASFAA members are strongly encouraged to attend.

Dr. Quisenberry joined SASFAA President Janet Sain in encouraging AASFAA members to plan to attend the annual SASFAA conference next February 13-16 at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta.

Respectfully submitted,
Chip Quisenberry
2004-05 AASFAA President