Pre-Conference Sessions at the 2019 Annual Conference

Submitted by the Conference Program Committee

Greetings!

The MASFAA Conference Program committee is looking forward to a great MASFAA Conference in October 2019 at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center. Our committee has worked hard to build a conference program that offers the training you need to keep up on financial aid regulations and more.

This year we have a couple of great pre-conference sessions that we know you will enjoy.

“Financial Wellness Programs” is one of our sessions. This session is presented by our MASFAA Financial Literacy Task Force and will provide not only resources and advice for those looking to start a financial literacy program on their campus but will also discuss current research that can be used to solicit support for this initiative on your campus.

The other pre-conference session is “Women Leadership in the Financial Aid Profession: Success in the Face of Resistance and Challenge.” Come to this session to hear a panel of female Chief Financial Aid Officers from diverse backgrounds and institutions talk about how they have worked toward overcoming obstacles and used their leadership and management styles to succeed.

Registration will be open soon! Please check your email and the MASFAA website for updates on registration.

We hope that each of you will attend the conference and walk away with newly acquired knowledge to perform your jobs. But more importantly, we hope that each of you will meet a new MASFAA colleague.


MASFAA Conference Program Committee:

Betsy Johnson (Chair),  Bowling Green State University
Susan Teerink (Chair), Marquette University
Terri Hare, Western Illinois
Donette Cassman, Sallie Mae
Renae Armentrout, Southeastern Community College
Antonio Junior-Robins, University of Michigan
Anne Dahlen, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
Charles "Buddy" Mayfield, Northwest Missouri State
Melissa Van Meter, Ohio University
James Buchanan, West Virginia State
Sue Minzlaff, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Hello MASFAA! I had the honor and privilege of representing MASFAA as the president-elect-in-training at the NASFAA Leadership Conference a couple weeks ago. As many of you may know, NASFAA coordinates an annual leadership conference every February with a variety of training tracks. My training track was Association Governance. Nearly all of the 9 MASFAA states had representation at this training track or one of the three other training tracks. I had a great time interacting with so many great MASFAA colleagues throughout the conference.

While I have been a state president in Indiana, this conference made me realize how long ago that really was (2001!). Let’s just say that I feel younger than I really am, but my hairline says something else. Here I am about 17 years later with three grown boys out of the house taking on a new role with MASFAA. I get to work with financial aid colleagues that don’t remember things like Y2K, FFELP, or a world before the financial aid application was FREE. That all said, interacting with new financial aid colleagues helps ignite my passion for our profession and my MASFAA colleagues. In DC I was able to visit with dear MASFAA friends and make some new friends that I hope will get involved in MASFAA efforts.  

I almost feel qualified to lead MASFAA—but I am so glad I’ve got some more time to plan. This conference made me realize I’ve got a lot of work to do between now and October when Nick Prewett will be passing me a gavel. By the way, I am predicting a great Minneapolis conference and a humorous, inspirational farewell speech from Nick. 

I was able to spend some quality time at the conference sitting next to Kathy Bialk, the newest Director of Financial Aid at the University of Iowa and our MASFAA treasurer-elect-in-training. Kathy and I took copious notes and often whispered at each other…”Is that in the P and P? Is that on the website? Who does our bonding? When is our audit?” Needless to say, we each have a lot of follow up planned.

On the final day of the conference I was able to visit three congressional offices with some of my Hoosier colleagues (Leo Hertling from Purdue and Alex DeLonis and Ben Burton from Ivy Tech). If you have never done a hill visit, I can tell you it never gets old—I think I’ve done about six separate hill visits now. Seeing Capitol Hill, Senate and House buildings, the Supreme Court—and then talking to our representatives is really a cool experience as we petition our government to invest in the students we serve.

Left to Right: Leo Hertling, Ben Burton, Alex DeLonis, Marvin Smith

In closing, I would like to sincerely thank MASFAA and the membership for sending me to Washington. It was a great time and I am thankful for the opportunity. I am inspired to serve the membership and hope I can ensure our organization continues to prosper.

Marvin Smith, Director of Student Financial Services, IUPUI and MASFAA President-Elect

Firsthand accounts of how awesome Summer Institute and the Leadership Symposium are!

MASFAA Summer Institute gave me an experience beyond my expectations. It was like a Financial Aid 101 Intensive and I LOVED every minute of it. My goals were to meet as many people as possible, collect as many business cards as I could and to leave without any of my own. I wanted to learn and generate as many relationships as possible AND I did! I also unexpectedly received the Haywood Legacy Scholarship as a result of my goals to learn, connect and have fun which paid for my attendance at the 2016 Fall MASFAA Conference. I was speechless. The Summer Institute expanded my understanding of the Financial Aid world on the local, state and national levels. My mind was blown to realize the various ways you can have an impact on the future of financial aid through your participation in our local, state and national financial aid associations.

The things I learned…

I learned that though there are concretes and certain non-negotiables within the realm of financial aid, there are also so many ways to come up with the same result to best serve our students. I learned that depending on the school and population that processes and procedures may be different from another school.

I learned that I can always reach out to a colleague from another institution because we’re not in competition, we’re in partnership for the greater good of financial aid as a whole.

How much fun I had…

I am truly thankful for the thoughtful evening events that made me step out and enjoy the company of my peers after a long day of learning. I had so much fun not only experiencing this new place, but new experiences with people I would’ve otherwise never had such an experience with. It was like experiencing the best parts of college all over again; learning, growth and friendships.

People I met/relationships made…

I have at least 30 business cards from people I’ve emailed at least once. When events come up, I reach out to them to see if they’ll be there so we can catch up with one another. The great thing is…now if I’m anywhere in the Midwest other than Michigan, I have a colleague in the area I can reach out to.

Credentials I earned…

I walked away with the knowledge to achieve all 12 credentials and managed to complete two more! Now I have 14 credentials and a year ago, I didn’t even know there were such a thing.

 This post was submitted by Felicia Drayton, Senior Financial Aid Administrator, University of Michigan 

I had the pleasure of attending the MASFAA Leadership Symposium this past year at Illinois State. From start to finish, it was a great event. This year was the first time that the leadership symposium and summer institute began simultaneously, which allowed those on both tracks to get to know one another and interact. (That will continue this year, too!) I learned so much from the faculty at the LS, from mission development to getting a seat at the table and making sure the voice of the financial aid office is heard on campus. Each day was filled with intense learning (followed by a lot of fun in the evening!). Every state in our region was represented, as well as every sector, which I was really thankful for since it provided insight into issues that I don’t always have to think about. Our group really bonded during the week and I now have a cadre of highly skilled friends and professionals whom I can call on when I need advice or a sounding board. Having a great group to learn from and with was the icing on the cake that was the MASFAA leadership symposium! I’m excited to return to the symposium this year as a summer institute faculty member, and I hope to see MASFAA take over the Illinois State campus this summer!

This post was submitted by Aesha Williams, Assistant Director, Illinois Institute of Technology

 More information will be available soon for the 2017 Summer Institute and Leadership Symposium! Please consider participating!

Leadership Spotlight - Gisella Baker

Name, title, school, role in MASFAA: 

Gisella Baker, Financial Aid Director, Hawkeye Community College.  Awards Committee Chair

How did you get started in financial aid? 

After working for one year in a EOC-TRIO program for the University of Northern Iowa

How did you first become involved in your state and regional associations? 

After one of our Directors (Lois Mulbrook) volunteered my name to be in the MASFAA Program Committee many years ago; and then suggested I did the same for our state J

What advice do you have for someone new to financial aid, and may be interested in becoming more involved in state and regional associations? 

To first talk to their immediate supervisors about their career aspirations and wish to be involved in either or both associations.  Chances are that they have volunteered in the past or at least know who to connect that person with to get more information.

What financial aid issue is keeping you from falling asleep at night? 

What if I have missed something that we need to be tracking or doing, and are not??!!

What do you enjoy doing when you are outside the aid office? 

Spending time with my family and outdoors.

If you had to describe yourself in only three words, what would those words be and why? Adventurous; Faithful; Caring

Seeking Candidates

MASFAA Members, 

As we wind down the year and head into next year, it’s that time of year where the MASFAA Nominations and Elections Committee is seeking officer nominations for the 2017-18 year.  Available positions include President-Elect, Vice President, Treasurer-Elect and two Delegate At Large positions.  Please consider nominating yourself or fellow colleagues to serve MASFAA.  Additional details about each position and the Nominations and Elections form can be found on the MASFAA website at http://www.masfaaweb.org/docs/forms/pdf/2017-2018BoardNominationForm.pdf.  You may also complete an online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/39QKKRR.

The nomination process is open until January 27.  Once nominations close, the Nominations and Elections Committee will assemble the ballot with the goal of having it posted by March 1^st.  Once the ballot is posted, current MASFAA members will have fourteen days to vote.

Questions regarding the process or any of the open positions can be directed to a member of the Nominations and Elections Committee.  Members include Kathy Bialk (WV), Triena Bodart (WI), Cheryl Willard (OH), Nick Prewett (MO), Thomas Ratliff (IN), Val Meyers (MI), Aaron Steffens (IA), Susan Swisher (IL), and Dick Battig (MN).

We look forward to hearing from you. 

Susan Swisher

MASFAA Nominations and Elections Committee Chair

Leadership Symposium Testimonial - #MASFAAMEUP

#MASFAAMEUP

When the ISFAA Executive Board asked me if I would like to participate in the MASFAA Leadership Symposium I really had no idea what to expect.  I thought I would just be going to an event that would be a great place to network with other leaders in the financial aid world.  What I took away from the Leadership Symposium was much more!

I went in to this thinking, “What can I learn, I have been in a leadership role in financial aid for nearly seven years?” I learned that you can never stop learning to be a good leader.  From the very first project I began understanding this was going to be more useful than I gave it credit. On Tuesday morning when we worked on “Building the Leadership Foundation” I learned that almost everyone in the room had the same worries, hopes, fears, and desire to accomplish their dreams.  Learning how to incorporate social media into networking, and continuously educating myself in the financial aid world was something new for me.

I gained valuable resources from this experience.  The connections I have made through this symposium have already helped me answer questions back at the office.  Questions like how are other offices gearing up for prior/prior, and how are other colleges/universities preparing for new overtime rules that go into effect December 1, 2016. 

What I gained most though was invaluable insight.  I learned just as much if not more from my experience from those individuals who were aspiring to be leaders in the financial aid field.  I was able to take away what those who I lead may be thinking but afraid to share.  I took away what those aspiring leaders had to say and asked my employees their thoughts on the issues.  I would recommend anyone whether they have been in financial aid for a year or a decade, if they aspire to be leader or have been a leader for years to attend these types of symposiums because the take away is priceless. 

This post was submitted by Ron Herrell, Director of Financial Aid, Ivy Tech Community College North Central/Northwest

MASFAA Leadership Spotlight

Submitted by Faith Phillips, OASFAA President

1. What is your name, job title, school, state, and MASFAA position (please provide a description of your position)

Faith Phillips, Director of Financial Aid at Central Ohio Technical College and The Ohio State University at Newark.  I am the current President-Elect of the Ohio Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. While the gavel was passed to me by our current President at our state conference the first week of May, I assume full responsibility as President July 1^st.

2. How did you get started in financial aid?

I got started in financial like many of you, by working as a Federal Work Study student. Little did I know that not only was I earning money to help pay for college, I was developing what would become a lifelong career.

3. How did you first become involved in your state and regional associations?

Shortly after I moved back to Ohio and took my current position, I attended my first OASFAA conference. Following that conference, the OASFAA President asked me to chair the Need Analysis Committee.  From that point I have always been involved in OASFAA in a variety of roles.  While I have attended many MASFAA conference, serving as the State Representative for Ohio this year is my first direct involvement with MASFAA.

4. Why were you interested in a MASFAA leadership role?

I am glad that a ‘benefit’ of being a state representative is serving on the MASFAA Board. I am not sure I would have taken what felt like a big leap to become involved otherwise.  I learned more about the management of MASFAA and am not as ‘afraid’ of becoming more involved.  I learned so much and am looking forward to getting more involved with the MASFAA Leadership a few years down the road. Not to mention, all the great people I got to meet and the friendships I made during this past year.

5. What advice do you have for someone new to financial aid?

As soon as you are comfortable in your new role in financial aid, (attend state and regional conferences to enhance your training) find a committee you have an interest in becoming involved with. When you feel you are ready, volunteer to chair that committee.  The more you get involved the more comfortable you will become. One day you may be surprised to find you are ready to run for an elected position.

6. What are you looking forward to learning during your leadership term?

(Or what did you learn during your leadership term?)

I learned more about association management and how useful all connections made can be whether in my office or as I serve as the OASFAA President.  I have to say the State Exchange program was one of my favorite activities while serving this year. What a great opportunity I had to attend not only the West Virginia conference but also participate in one of their board meetings. It was good to see how other organizations run their meetings and hold their conferences.  In addition, we had fun hosting Amy Hager, MASFAP President-Elect from Moberly Area Community College at our spring conference the first week of May!

7. What do you enjoy doing outside the aid office?

In the spring and summer, when not working, you can usually find me at the baseball or softball fields watching my 13 year old son and my 16 year old daughter play ball.  When the weather is colder, you are likely going to find me scrapbooking!

8. Any final thoughts?

I am excited to begin my year as the OASFAA President.  We have a lot of decisions to be made while also preparing for MASFAA in Ohio in 2017.  OASFAA will celebrate 50 years in 2018 so the celebration planning has begun with the involvement of our past presidents.  It is going to be a fun filled challenging and educational year for me. It’s all good!