|
 VASFAA
has been busy in many different venues since our last chat.
Below are select activities.
We hope to see you all at the Spring Conference in
Virginia Beach May 11-14, 2003.
An important function will be 2003-04 elections (see
below). If you
are not able to attend, please be sure to submit your absentee
ballot.
Winter
Board Meeting
The
Winter Board Meeting was hosted by President-elect Sherwin
Hibbets at the Founders’ Inn on the Campus of Regent
University in Virginia Beach January 30-31.
Items of discussion included:
VASFAA
board members have again raised the issue of one meeting
versus two meetings. There
will be a called conference call meeting in the near future to
discuss this issue. (see below)
Task
force report on subsidizing committee chairs’ attendance at
VASFAA meeting was presented.
The Board felt it’s current policy of not subsidizing
attendance was appropriate.
The
renewal of the model agreement with the Virginia Department of
Rehabilitative Services was approved based on adjustments to
be made by President Simmons and Board Member Barnett.
Sharon
Clough, chair of the Strategic Planning Committee was
instructed to revise the strategic plan to include a diversity
element and a mechanism for planned review and revision.
Both of these elements will be incorporated into the
plan and presented at the Springboard meeting.
At our planning retreat this past June, we did add
common elements of goals and objectives to the strategic plan.
Evaluation of each committee’s progress toward
achieving those common elements may be useful in determining
the selection of committee of the year.
Nominations
for 2003-04 officers were presented.
Past President Freeman reported there was difficulty in
locating qualified candidates for all offices.
After extensive discussion, the nominations were held
open until there can be a full slate.
VASFAA
currently restricts the offices of president and
president-elect to practicing aid administrators.
Discussions will be held regarding a possible change in
the bylaw to be voted on in the Fall of 2003.
Advanced
Aid Officers’ Symposium
This
training opportunity for seasoned aid administrators,
originally scheduled for Spring 2003, has been postponed until
a later date.
VASFAA
Brochure
The
VASFAA Public Relations Committee, chaired by Joann Carreras,
has published a brochure that tells what VASFAA is all about.
This brochure will be used in membership drives,
legislative activities, fund raising as well as other
activities.
New
Century Award (Buddy Award)
VASFAA
maintains a competitive professional development fund that is
also available for improving professional services that VASFAA
members might provide. VASFAA
has awarded a grant to Linda Miller of James Madison
University to partially fund a one-stop student employment
center. Further
details on the Buddy Award competition are in our newsletter.
Treasurer-elect
Position Added to Board
VASFAA
will elect a “treasurer-elect” during its Spring 2003
Training Conference in Virginia Beach.
During the first year of office, the incumbent will
assist the elected treasurer with investments, insurance and
audit issues and assume full operational duties during their
second year of office.
Super
Saturday
Under
the leadership of Scott Morrison of VCU, VASFAA’s Early
Awareness efforts included Super Saturday activities at the
following locations.
Richmond:
Virginia Commonwealth University - 19 students / 39 in
attendance
Wise: University of Virginia at Wise - 16 students / 40
in attendance
Arlington: DeVry University - 1 student / 4 in
attendance
Lynchburg: Randolph Macon Woman’s College - 4 students
/ 6 in attendance
Hampton: Thomas Nelson Community College - 3 in attendance
Additionally,
there were 133 callers during the 90-minute NBC-12 financial
aid hotline on January 13
Board
Conference Call
The
Board did hold a called meeting via conference call for the
purpose of considering one versus two conferences each year.
By way of background, VASFAA bylaws state there must be
one business meeting a year.
There’s no mention of when that meeting should be
held. There’s
no mandate that there be two meetings…although the two
meeting model could be viewed as a holdover from the federal
workshops for the old tripartite federal application process.
It was moved, seconded, discussed and carried with all
aye votes that VASFAA have only one conference during the
2004-05 academic year. Discussion
included inclusion of convenient one-day drive in training
sessions as well as restructuring possibilities for
sponsor/vendor activities.
Spring
2003 Conference
Don't
forget about the VASFAA Spring 2003 Conference this May 11-14
at Virginia Beach! VASFAA is continuing its 35th
anniversary celebration at the Ramada Plaza Resort Oceanfront!
Conference Chair Lisa Tumer and Training Co-chair Pat Kelly
and Vern Fairchild are all putting together an exciting
conference full of learning opportunities.
Make sure to visit the VASFAA website for full
conference information.
There’ll
be sessions on the link between the financial aid office and
the development office, electronics in financial aid,
reasonable academic progress and Complicated Tax Returns.
An intriguing session will be “The 0 EFC Student –
An Endangered Species.”
We’ll of course have our federal update and Ms.
Phyllis Palmiero, Executive Director of the State Council For
Higher Education in Virginia will present Project Mentor.
We’ll have the ever popular “Roundtable Session”
and a panel of college presidents discussing the significance
of financial aid in the higher education world.
SASFAA president Karen “KK” Koonce will provide the
SASFAA update during the Wednesday closing session.
Respectfully
submitted, Barry W. Simmons Sr., Ed.D, VASFAA President
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