Virginia State Report
Brad Barnett, VASFAA President

March appears to have arrived rather quickly. It seems like only yesterday that the VASFAA Transition Board Retreat took place and we began our preparations for the year. As a child, I never believed the adults who said time seems to go by faster the older you get. However, I am certainly a believer now.

Several committees have been working extremely hard getting things prepared for our annual conference that will take place at the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront in Virginia Beach, Virginia from May 7-10, 2006. The conference promises to be a fun time filled with numerous sessions and activities to enhance the attendees’ professional development. In particular, the Membership Committee, Training Committee, Diversity Committee, Vendor/Sponsor Committee, and Conference Committee have spent countless hours planning the logistics of the conference.

General session speakers and entertainers have been scheduled and the concurrent session agenda is coming together. Tom DeLuca, Corporate Hypnotist, Stephen Bargatze, “Magic with a Message”, and Harvey Alston will be featured at the conference. The Diversity Committee is planning some hands-on activities at the conference to help the membership gain a better understanding of what it is like to live with a disability. The Conference Committee is planning several team-building activities using the Survivor television show as the guide for “tribes” and challenges. The philanthropic focus of the conference will be AASFAA and MASFAA.

Conference attendees will have the opportunity to hear from a Department of Education representative about the implementation of several financial aid items within the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (S. 1932) during the Federal Update session. This is definitely a “hot topic” item this year as many of the changes take effect on July 1, 2006. Additionally, on Sunday, May 7th, VASFAA will also hold an all-day New Aid Officer’s Workshop and an all-day Leadership Symposium at the conference hotel.

I am also pleased to say that several of the events and activities held this year have been very successful. For example, Super Saturday had the largest turnout that I believe we have ever seen with approximately 1,300 people attending the 27 sites. We have the Awareness Committee and our friends in the Commonwealth College Access Network (CCAN) to thank for helping us secure so many sites. Also, the Support Staff Training Workshops, fall New Aid Officer’s Workshop, High School Guidance Counselor Workshops, and fall Leadership Symposium already held this year were extremely successful.

We will be implementing on-line voting this year for our elected positions thanks to the hard work of our Electronic Services Committee. Additionally, the Public Relations Committee is continuing to gather testimonies from the membership about why people got involved in this profession, as well as within VASFAA, and what has kept them in both. These stories will be shared with the rest of the membership.

Our State Relations Committee and Federal Relations Committee continue to monitor the legislative activities occurring on both levels. We were also fortunate to be officially recognized by both sides of the Virginia General Assembly in February, and our State Relations Committee is attempting to schedule a meeting with the Virginia Secretary of Education and some of the VASFAA Board. The State Relations Committee is also planning to invite several state legislators to the President’s Reception at the conference.

The year brought on the retirement of four long-time VASFAA colleagues and friends. Estherine Harding, Gail Catron, JoAnn Carreras, and Michael Barree are retiring from the profession. They will be missed very much, and I wish them well in their retirement.

However, in the spirit of being a “Financial Aid Survivor,” the rest of us will continue to forge ahead in our profession to do our best to ensure equitable access for individuals desiring a post-secondary education. We will continue to demonstrate the 3 C’s (Communication, Commitment, and Continuity) necessary to being successful.

Sincerely,

Brad Barnett
VASFAA President
barnetbd@jmu.edu