Reach for the Stars

I don't know about you, but the 2009-10 academic year has started off with a bang. During July and August our office was humming with more verifications, more professional judgments and more alternative loans than I can ever remember in my two and a half decades in this profession. The demands placed on financial aid officers come not only from our students, but also from our institutional administration and the federal and state governments. We have a challenging year ahead as we face unknowns about the FFEL Program and perhaps, for some of us, the involuntary conversion to the DL Program. We are again experiencing budget cuts across the state that will affect travel and, ultimately, training for many of our members. One thing that remains constant for you is your professional association, VASFAA. I want to assure you that VASFAA is in a good position to face the challenges of the year to come and will offer many opportunities for you to receive the training that is necessary for you to conduct the day to day and long-term business of serving students.

The theme this year is "Reach for the Stars". My vision is that each of us will make a commitment in the coming year to stretch a little further, do a little more. I'm not just talking about taking the extra step when working with a student, parent or colleague, but committing to yourself that you will do that extra thing that will improve you personally. Whether it be committing to work out twice a week, taking the stairs, changing your attitude, stopping smoking, taking piano lessons or going back to school, find the thing that you want to do for yourself and commit to it. Reach for the Stars! You can do it and you will be a better person for it.

When the Board and Committee Chairs met June 22-23 at the Wintergreen Resort, we discussed the importance of volunteerism and increased membership. Membership dues for the current year are $35. If you have not already paid your dues, please do so promptly so that you will not miss out on any of our upcoming training opportunities. In addition, I have challenged the Executive Board and Committee Chairs to identify "rising stars" so that they can become an active part of VASFAA! If you feel that you are a rising star, please feel free to contact me and I'll help you to shine!

At the NASFAA Conference in July in San Antonio, I was so proud to accept the NASFAA State Award for Service to the Financial Aid Profession. Congratulations to the 2008-09 Non-Conference Training Committee who developed and implemented a webinar series that was presented throughout the year.

Some committee highlights are below:

This year, I have included Conference Training as part of the Conference Committee. The Conference Committee takes on a huge task of preparing for our annual conference. This year will be no exception. Zita Barree and Biz Daniel can use your help on this important venture. Please contact Biz, Zita or me to get involved in shaping the spring conference which will be held at the Embassy Suites in Hampton, VA from May 23-26, 2010. Mark your calendars - more details to come!

The Non-Conference Training Committee, under the leadership of Pam Rambo and Renee Peterson, is busy planning a new webinar series for the fall. Stay tuned to the conference site for updated information.

The Awareness Committee, lead by Linda Woodley, is busy planning for Super Saturday, which will be held on February 13, 2010. We anticipate that we will once again be awarded a College Access Challenge Grant (CACGP) to help with our Super Saturday efforts. The CACGP will allow VASFAA to promote financial aid awareness in new and exciting ways. Awareness has partnered with Secondary School Relations, Public Relations, VCAN, and SCHEV to work on the "You Can Go" project that will help us increase awareness of college and financial aid opportunities for middle school students. A preliminary meeting was held in early August and more information will be coming soon!

We have a great year ahead and together we can "Reach for the Stars" for our membership and the constituents we represent!