June 17 is the deadline for NASFAA Conference hotel reservations and for releasing individual rooms. After June 17, there is a $150 charge for each room cancelled unless the room is resold. (An earlier cancellation deadline of May 17 applied to rooms blocks of 10 or more.) You can cancel (or modify or view) your reservation on-line at https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=10435 If you need to book a room for the Conference, you can download a housing form from the same page. Rooms will be confirmed as they become available. Please allow up to one week to receive a confirmation. If you have not yet registered to attend the Conference, you may want to do so now at http://www.nasfaa.org/subhomes/AnnualConference2004/registration.html. The registration fee increases by $100 after June 25. Only your form must be received by the June 25 deadline. Payment of your fee can be made at any point up until the time you pick up your registration packet in Minneapolis.

At each NASFAA Conference, Association Members help support children in the host city through donations of books and videos (http://www.nasfaa.org/SubHomes/annualconference2004/special_events.html). Borders Books makes it easier than ever this year to support two needy Minnesota schools serving children from low-income families. NASFAA Members can purchase a Borders gift card on-line at http://www.nasfaa.org/SubHomes/annualconference2004/book%20drive.html or at the NASFAA Conference July 18 to 21 in Minneapolis. Borders will add 20% to all gift card donations, so this is a great option even for those who cannot attend the Conference. Donations will benefit the urban Earle Brown Elementary School and rural St. James Armstrong Middle School. Last year, NASFAA Conferees donated over 500 books in Salt Lake City, so please donate generously again this year!

Lumina Foundation for Education has teamed up with NASFAA to expand College Goal Sunday, a successful program that helps low-income families apply for college financial aid. The Foundation will expand the program to 15 more states by the end of 2007 for a total of 35 states and D.C. NASFAA will manage the daily operations of the programs so it can be effectively expanded at a rapid pace.

"We are very pleased to have been selected by the Foundation to help run and expand this program," said NASFAA President Dallas Martin. "This project truly strengthens NASFAA's theme of opening doors of educational opportunity. In an era of steadily increasing college costs, we must continue to spread the word that financial aid is available, and we must do everything we can to help students through the sometimes overwhelming financial aid application process." NASFAA is an ideal partner, according to Lumina Foundation President and CEO Martha D. Lamkin. "We are delighted that NASFAA...stepped up and agreed to take on this challenge." The full article is below.

College Goal Sunday to expand to 35 states in next three years

INDIANAPOLIS – Lumina Foundation for Education has teamed up with the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) to expand a successful program that helps low-income families apply for college financial aid.

Lumina Foundation’s Board of Directors has approved an allocation of $3.5 million, which will pave the way for College Goal Sunday to expand to 15 more states, broadening the reach of the popular program to a total of 35 states and the District of Columbia by the end of 2007.

The $3.5 million investment will support a series of grants to bring on the 15 new states and support a national partnership to manage the daily operations of the program so that it can be effectively expanded at a more rapid pace.

NASFAA is an ideal partner, according to Lumina Foundation President and CEO Martha D. Lamkin. “We are delighted that NASFAA, whose members help students with college financial aid, stepped up and agreed to take on this challenge,” said Lamkin.

"We are very pleased to have been selected by the Foundation to help run and expand this program," said NASFAA President Dallas Martin. "This project truly strengthens NASFAA's theme of opening doors of educational opportunity. In an era of steadily increasing college costs, we must continue to spread the word that financial aid is available, and we must do everything we can to help students through the sometimes overwhelming financial aid application process."

“Together, we hope to make College Goal Sunday an effective, national initiative that will help thousands of low-income students achieve their dream of a college education,” said Lamkin.

Over the past 15 years, College Goal Sunday has already helped more than 100,000 low-income students clear the paperwork hurdle when applying for college financial aid. One day each year, traditionally a week or two after Super Bowl Sunday, financial aid administrators and other qualified volunteers fan out to selected community sites across a state to help families fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the universally required financial aid form.

“College Goal Sunday provides an important service for many qualified, low-income students who need more information about the availability of financial aid and expert assistance in filling out the required paperwork,” said Lamkin. “This assistance may sound simple, but without additional help, many students miss this necessary first step to an education beyond high school.”

“At a time when college costs are a national concern, we looked at this as an opportunity to broaden the reach of a program with a proven track record for helping low-income students,” said Lamkin.

As a prelude to College Goal Sunday, the organizers of each state’s program launch an extensive public information campaign to reach low-income students. Campaigns use the news media, direct mail and celebrity appearances at key high schools to inform the public about the importance of an education beyond high school, the availability of financial aid and the existence of College Goal Sunday to help them complete the FAFSA.

The Foundation provides three forms of aid to College Goal Sunday programs: technical assistance, exploratory grants and implementation grants. Interested organizations begin with an exploratory grant of up to $7,500 to investigate the feasibility of hosting College Goal Sunday in their states. After a successful planning phase, organizations may apply for an implementation grant. Lumina Foundation contributes up to $250,000 over a three-year period to eligible groups working to establish the College Goal Sunday program in their states.

The amount of each grant depends on the size of the population to be served, the scope of the proposed program, and the availability of local funding to supplement the Lumina Foundation grant. NAFSAA’s role has been critical in the individual states to bring together the financial aid community to help families apply for financial aid.

By the end of 2004, the College Goal Sunday program will have committed $7 million to fund planning and implementation grants in 35 states and the District of Columbia. The program is currently operating in the following states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, plus the District of Columbia.

College Goal Sunday has proven effective in Indiana for more than a decade. The program began in 1989 as a joint project of the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association (ISFAA) and the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI) with funding from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. Over the past 20 years, Lumina Foundation and its predecessor organizations have co-funded the Indiana programs and led the expansion in other states.

Washington, D.C. (May 5, 2004) – The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) has announced the results of its 2004 election for the NASFAA Board of Directors and Nominating Committee. All terms of service will begin July 1, 2004.

NASFAA members elected David Gelinas to the position of National Chair-Elect for the coming year. Mr. Gelinas is the Director of Financial Aid at the University of the South in Tennessee and has been an active member of NASFAA, serving on committees and the Board, for almost 15 years. He will assume the position of National Chair beginning July 1, 2005.

Four members were elected to three-year terms as Representatives-at-Large to the Board.

§ Karen Fooks, Director, Student Financial Affairs, University of Florida

§ Dean Obenauer, Associate Director of Financial Aid, Creighton University, NE

§ Elaine Rivera, Assistant Vice President, Enrollment Services Management/Financial Aid, Tulane University, LA

§ Michael Rodriguez, Director of Financial Aid, St John's College, NM

Three members were elected to two-year terms on the Nominations and Elections Committee.

§ Robert “Bob” P. Godfrey, Associate Director, Student Financial Aid & Scholarships, University of South Carolina, will represent the Southern (SASFAA) region.

§ Maureen McRae Levy, Director of Financial Aid, Occidental College, CA, will represent the Western (WASFAA) region.

§ Susan Weinreis, Assistant Director of Financial Aid & Operations, Montana State University-Billings, will represent the Rocky Mountain (RMASFAA) region.

Randy Judkins, motivational speaker, facilitator, and performer, will open the conference Sunday, July 18, 1:00 p.m. Judkins began his career in 1975 as a performance artist specializing in circus and theater skills combined with original characters. He’s currently a faculty member of the Connecticut Assets Network dedicated to building healthy schools and communities. Judkins will share with conference attendees his recipe for “Laughing in the Face of Change.”

Dr. Benjamin Carson, Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, will be the luncheon speaker on Monday, July 19, 12:15 p.m. Dr. Carson will share the story of his remarkable life's journey from frustrated, bad tempered inner-city youth to a world-renowned surgeon who revolutionized pediatric surgery and saved countless lives.

Officials from the U.S. Department of Education will provide conference attendees with an official update during the closing breakfast, Wednesday, July 21, 9:00 a.m. NOTE: This event will take place at the Hilton Minneapolis.

A complete schedule of events, including pre-conference activities, can be found on NASFAA’s Web site at www.NASFAA.org/Conference.asp.

The cost to attend the conference is $375 ($475 after June 16) for NASFAA members and $475 ($575 after June 16) for nonmembers. For more information or to register, email ask@NASFAA.org or visit www.NASFAA.org/Conference.asp.

Submitted by Mindy Kaplan Eline, NASFAA