To Join or Not to Join…There is No Question!

submitted by Matthew Kearney (MO) Chair of Membership Services

I originally became a member of MASFAA when I was at a large public institution.  While there were a number of benefits to joining this organization, what I found most helpful, was finding folks in other states at similar types of schools.  There weren’t many in my state that dealt with the pure number of students, which in its own way brings different challenges.  While resources were greater, the volume created more havoc. 

Currently, I am at a small private institution and while the number of students we work with is significantly less, there are similar challenges and some different from what I experienced at my previous institution.  While it is easier to find peers of similar institutions in my state, now that I’m at a smaller institution, I have found it very beneficial to reach out beyond my state to see what others are doing.  Schools in Indiana, Michigan, or West Virginia may face similar issues to what I see, but they may handle them differently than we’ve been doing in Missouri. 

Throughout my time in Financial Aid, I’ve realized the larger my network, the better I am at my job.  Different perspectives are truly important to getting the best outcomes, so I encourage those who either haven’t renewed their membership or have others in their office that may be interested in joining, to get on board and not only help yourselves, but the MASFAA organization as well.  We need more ideas and perspectives, and we welcome everyone who wants to be a part of this fantastic organization.