Greetings! Welcome to the Fall 2006 edition of the MASFAA Moments Newsletter. The newsletter is designed to keep you updated on activities of MASFAA, our state associations, and our individual members as well as provide information that is useful to each of us as financial aid administrators. I hope that you will take time to review this edition that highlights the 2005-06 MASFAA year. Please review the enclosed articles that contain reports from our elected officers and committee chairs on our activities and accomplishments this past year.

Over the past two months, I have talked with several of you and know that far too many of us have felt stressed, overwhelmed, frustrated and challenged as we implemented the new ACG and SMART Grant programs as well as the new Graduate PLUS program. I hope that you and your campuses have found a way to successfully meet the challenges of implementing these new programs and that you enjoyed a good fall start-up.

On August 1-2, the Association Governance and Planning Committee held a retreat in Elkhart Lake, WI to gather input and ideas related to updating the MASFAA strategic long range plan. Howard Thomas, our Past President, chairs the AGPC and has led our strategic planning team. This plan will serve as a blueprint for our Association and leadership for the next few years. The Executive Council plans to review the long range plan at our next meeting on October 14.

On September 20, the MASFAA Family Educational Concerns Committee held our annual early awareness activity at Harding Middle School in Des Moines, IA. Arnold Woods and his committee (Denise Coleman, Gina Heard, Brandi Stone-Miller, Margaret Richards, La Toya Sykes, and Delegate-at-Large Al Pinckney) conducted the “Reality Store” for 200 eight graders from Harding and 50 eight graders from Goodrell Middle School as well as a separate program for their parents that evening. Harding Middle School has 92% of their students on the free or reduced lunch program and students from 33 different countries make up the current student population. For those of us that participated, we were touched by the students, their teachers, and their principal and hope that we have planted the seed that a college education is possible. Special thanks to 35 of our financial aid colleagues (mostly from the state of Iowa) who volunteered their time and service to conduct the Reality Store and to Steve Loven of the College Planning Center for making the presentation for the parent’s session.

As I complete my year of service, I want to thank you for the opportunity to serve as your MASFAA President this past year. It has been a wonderful personal and professional experience that has left me with many fond memories and friendships that I will never forget and will always treasure. Also, I would like to thank everyone who has served MASFAA and/or supported me this past year. Thanks to the members of the Executive Council for their leadership and work on behalf of the Association. Thanks to everyone who has served MASFAA in any way (committee members, presenters, moderators, volunteers, sponsors, exhibitors) and contributed to our many successful events and activities. Thanks to our state presidents and those who so graciously welcomed me at your state conferences. Thanks to those of you who provided guidance, counsel and encouragement. And finally, thanks to my boss and my staff at the University of Illinois for supporting me and for taking care of business when I was out of the office. To all of you, thanks from the bottom of my heart. You have made this another successful MASFAA year!

I look forward to seeing many of you at our annual MASFAA Conference in Des Moines on October 15-18. On October 18, I will have the honor of passing the gavel to my friend and colleague, Vickie Crupper. Vickie has served MASFAA in many ways over the years. She has many good ideas and will provide strong leadership to our Association during the upcoming year. Please join me in supporting and serving Vickie as she becomes the 45th MASFAA President.

See you in Des Moines!

Dan Mann
MASFAA President

  

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