President's Welcome

Dear VASFAA Colleague:

Welcome to the 2006 VASFAA Conference Web site.

The theme of our 38th conference is “Be a Financial Aid Survivor,” which is done by focusing on our 3 C’s, Communication, Commitment, and Continuity. Once again, our conference will be held at the beautiful Virginia Beach Hilton Oceanfront Hotel in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The Conference Committee, Training Committee, and Diversity Committee are putting together a great program. Whether an experienced financial aid administrator, or someone who has been in the profession for a number of years, you will find that opportunities abound for your professional development.
General session speakers include Tom DeLuca, Corporate Hypnotist, Stephen Bargatze, “Magician with a Message,” and Harvey Alston. These sessions promise to be fun and motivational. We will also receive and update from the Department of Education, which is very timely based on the recent signing of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (S. 1932). By the time the conference takes place, the Department should have guidance available for how to implement the changes that take affect on July 1, 2006. This will be a great opportunity to hear first hand from a Department of Education official regarding this guidance. And, of course, there are many concurrent sessions being planned to help you continue your growth in this profession.

I appreciate the hard work of all the individuals working on this conference, and am looking forward this wonderful professional development opportunity. I look forward to seeing each of you at the Virginia Beach Hilton Oceanfront Hotel in Virginia Beach, Virginia May 7-10, 2006. We are going to have a great time!

        Brad Barnett
                VASFAA President