Travels with Nick

Submitted by Nick Prewett, MASFAA Past President

Representing MASFAA on the state conference circuit has been a highlight of my service as president.  As you know, MASFAA consists of nine states and the MASFAA presidents split up the
states and visit three conferences per year.  I was even lucky enough to visit one state twice!  Through my travels, I drove 2,080 miles and flew 7,642 miles.  I had the distinct pleasure of attending four 50th anniversary parties and celebrating all things that are financial aid association related.  I thought I would share something that I will always treasure from my state visits.

Indiana (January 2017): I will recall Indiana as the first state that I visited.  The memory I will always treasure is cruising around greater Indy with Alex DeLonis in his sweet vanilla smelling car as fluffy flakes of snow fell from the sky.

Illinois (April 2017): This was an exciting conference in the suburbs of Chicago.  By far, Illinois had a unique set-up for snacks at a conference with different types of beef jerky.  A shout out to Michelle Trame for letting me ride in the third row (or torture row) of her SUV.  I am sure that my back and I will always remember that.

Minnesota (May 2017): When I think of Minnesota I think of lakes, so of course this was held at Madden’s on Gull Lake.  I am not sure you could get much more stereotypical Minnesota than having a conference on a lake, with pontoon boats, fried walleye, glow in the dark golf, bingo, and a buffet of hot dishes.

West Virginia (November 2017): Any visit to West Virginia is not complete without listening to some John Denver.  I will never forget attending the board meeting and someone saying that the board is just like Mayberry, where everyone has different hats and they trade them around the table each year.  What a fun place to visit is Charleston.  Who doesn’t love Karaoke at a conference?

Missouri (November 2017): This was by far the largest state conference that I attended and had pomp and circumstance associated more with the Academy Awards than a conference.  There was a red carpet walk, photographers, tuxedos, and stars of the past, present, and future.

Michigan (January 2018): The Henry Hotel in Dearborn overlooks the Ford offices and is in a great location.  This was the 2nd 50th that I was able to attend.  Professional casino games, great charities, and cool sessions.  I could even see Canada from my hotel room.

Iowa (April 2018): Iowa stands out for their 50th, not because they brought back their past presidents, but because they also brought back their first IASFAA president.  Dueling pianos led by the son of a former financial aid director lead you to one heck of a celebration.  I also learned that in Iowa adding a lime to Busch Light was a way to “make it a classy beer.”

Ohio (October 2018): 50th parties and casino themes seem to be a thing.  OASFAA threw a formal night and had their past presidents share some inspirational quotes and inside jokes that made a number of people blush.  As a first, the entertainment crew had so much fun that they stayed late at no charge.

Wisconsin (April 2019): When I heard that WASFAA was going to be held in Green Bay, I hoped there was one activity that we’d have, so of course, we were able to tour Lambeau field!  Financial aid folks at a football stadium is one heck of a party.  WASFAA had a number of new attendees and the future of their association looks bright.  If you were curious, there was a lot of cheese to be found at the conference.   

Iowa (April 2019): IASFAA was worth a second trip to discuss the finer points of financial aid.  I learned a great deal about Bacon, the maple kind, or as most people call it Bacon.

It was a great pleasure to serve MASFAA and meet so many great people throughout the MASFAA region.  I would encourage everyone to take the opportunity and become active in our association and you too may have a once in a lifetime experience.

MSFAA Visits OASFAA

Submitted by Ryan Rafko – Current MSFAA President and Michigan’s Representative on MASFAA Executive Council

I recently had the opportunity to travel to the Ohio Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (OASFAA) Spring Conference which was held at the Sheraton Columbus Hotel at Capitol Square in Columbus from April 25^th to 27^th. The reason for my travel was due to my involvement on the MASFAA Executive Council and its State Exchange Program. This program allows each state president or representative the opportunity to visit another state association conference to see how they execute a conference and conduct business but also to network with all of the wonderful Financial Aid Professionals from across the state!

One of the highlights was the opportunity to present on a panel with I believe the longest title on the agenda: Protecting Student Data: Discussing Institutional Responsibility for Cybersecurity, Data Protection, and Security Risk Management. This presentation covered a lot of information within a short time frame and led to plenty of questions and discussion. My biggest takeaway from this presentation and discussion was the impact that this has had at schools of all shapes and sizes. We had representation from schools in a variety of sectors not only on the panel but also in the audience. Hearing what other schools have done and utilizing this information to create and develop our own "best practices" is why the Financial Aid profession is such a welcoming and collaborative group. I’m glad to say I was a part of this team effort and will be adapting it for use at my Summer Conference in June!

From the updates on MASFAA by President Elect Marvin Smith, to the NASFAA Federal Update by Karen McCarty, the offering of a NASFAA credentialing opportunity, and of course the Federal Updates provided by US Department of Education Trainer Zack Goodwin this conference was packed with valuable information and professional development opportunities.

I would like to thank everyone from the OASFAA Board and all of the registrants who welcomed me with open arms even though I am from that state up north. It was truly a rewarding experience that allowed me the chance to increase my Financial Aid network while providing me with access to a quality program and knowledgeable speakers and presenters throughout my attendance.