APRIL 2005

Management Institute Committee Report
Karen L Fooks, Chair

Management Institute A Huge Success
Presentations & Handouts Now On SASFAA Website

Approximately eighty SASFAA members attended a very successful SASFAA Management Institute that was held December 8-10, 2004 at the Grove Park Inn, in Asheville, NC.

The agenda included higher ed policy sessions with experts in the field of higher education (Dr.Sandy Baum, economist and faculty member at Skidmore University; Dr. Don Heller, faculty member at Penn State University; Dr. Jaci King, ACE; Dr. James Johnson, faculty member at UNC) and skill-based sessions in public speaking, dealing with media and persuasive writing (Linda Fierman, Speaking from Experience; Alex Slater, Group; Shirley Ort, UNC and Steve Brooks, NCSEAA).

The conference kicked off with a reception at the Biltmore mansion's Historic Horse Barn and some participants took advantage of the opportunity to take a tour of Biltmore in all its holiday glory.

Sunday morning included small group case study discussions that incorporated use of the information and skills learned the previous day.

All participants received a CD in early January that included copies of all the PowerPoint presentations, handouts, readings suggested by the presenters, as well as other resource materials. SASFAA members who did not have an opportunity to attend the conference can now download conference handouts and presentations from the Training section of the SASFAA website.

On a five-point scale, participants rated the quality of sessions as a 4.92 and the overall conference as 4.89.

Participant comments included:

"Outstanding."

"Fabulous."

"Very beneficial to me as a director. I saved money in budget to attend and boy am I glad I did. I will attend again!"

"Great combination of where we are (statistics and trends) and tools to strengthn our message. There was so much info, the closing session bringing a summary was essential."

"High-powered speakers."

"Engaging, informative, exciting."

"Same site ALWAYS. Too soon to ID topics [for next time]. SASFAA should book dates now for four years out even if the Grove Park can't give a room rate. Just get the dates reserved."

"Really appreciate the CD."

"I was truly overwhelmed by the quality of the programming at the event. I have mentioned to both my President and VP for Academic Affairs that much of the material presented would have been helpful for both of them. This thorough compilation [CD] will allow me to share some of the most pertinent information in a more accurate fashion."

"The best of all my years attending conferences at the state and regional level—absolutely wonderful!

"Great job! Best one I've been to."

SASFAA's vendors were generous in providing over $10,000 to help underwrite the costs of the conference.

The entire committee worked tirelessly for over a year to bring the conference to fruition. Thanks go to committee members:

Dave Cecil Transylvania University
Ron Day Birmingham Southern University
Joel Harrell Clark Atlanta University
Crusie Lucero Northeast State Community College
Carol Mowbray Northern Virginia Community College
Mike O'Grady College Loan Corporation
Shirley Ort University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Janet Sain ECPI

Thanks also to:

  • Bob Godfrey, Vendor Sponsor Chair
  • Lester McKenzie, Treasurer
  • Erik Melis, Webmaster
  • Ron Gambill, Site Selection and Local Arrangements


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