Mississippi State Report
Soraya B. Welden, MASFAA President

MASFAA’s annual conference will be held June 21-23 in Jackson, MS. The theme of this year’s conference: “You’re Hired—Financial Aid Reality”. Brenda Paganelli and the Conference Committee have been working diligently for months to bring our members a conference filled with training and professional development, networking and entertaining events. As part of the charity drive, MASFAA will sponsor a cookbook, MASFAA Recipes and Remembrances which will include recipes from MASFAA members and pictures from past conferences and events. There will also be a silent auction that will benefit the charity. On Wednesday evening, attendees will hear from Bertice Berry, Ph. D., one of the most sought-after lecturers in the country. Visit the conference link at the MASFAA web site for more details.

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 Duncan Gray Center in Canton. Thank you to the 19 sponsors who helped to make this workshop possible.

LaShanda, President-Elect Garry Jones, Member-at-Large Nancy Gault, and Secretary Jackie Boone attended the NASFAA Leadership Conference in Washington, DC this past March. Each attendee commented on how worthwhile this conference was and recommended it for future MASFAA leaders.

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, Mississippi State University
	Peggy Shoemake, Pearl River Community College
Vice President:	Debbi Braswell, Millsaps College
	Marilyn James, Mississippi State University, Meridian Campus
Treasurer	Steve Greenough, American Student Assistance
	Levis Hughes, III, Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation
Director	Robert Givens, University of Mississippi
	Ann Hendrick, Education Services Foundation

The Newsletter Committee provided the association with three informative online newsletters this year. Garry Jones, chair of the Newsletter Committee and President-Elect, did an outstanding job putting this project into motion. MASFAA has been pleased with the quality of the newsletters, not to mention the large cost savings.

Donna O’Quinn, Chair of the High School Relations Committee, has coordinated efforts with Gulf Coast high schools to assist students in applying for federal aid. Donna also submitted an article for the High School Counselor’s Newsletter which described the term “special circumstances” to students and families affected by Katrina and whose financial status drastically changed in the past year. The committee continues to communicate with school administrators, counselors and other community professionals to promote the support MASFAA can provide to students and their families.

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