My experience as a MASFAA Exchange Participant by Gisella Baker

I had the privilege of attending the Minnesota State Conference at the Madden’s On Gull Lake in Brainerd, MN recently and I can only say “Wow!” to that experience.  Even before getting to the conference, Meredith Hauer and Dick Battig made sure I was ready to go and experience their awesome northern hospitalityJ  Then Gayle Yamry, as MAFAA President, and her association members made me feel very welcomed and not as an ‘outsider’ during my entire visit.  Thus to all of you, Thank you so much!

The MASFAA Exchange Program allows State Presidents (or state representatives) to experience how another MASFAA state conducts its conferences.  This is not just as a way to “spy” and “borrow” ideas on how to enhance our own state association conference programs, but also as a way to network with other fellow colleagues, absorb more financial aid knowledge, expand leadership relationships and have fun while at it!

I have to congratulate the MAFAA Program and Site committees for putting together a great conference!  The location was so beautiful, relaxed and made the conference flow so well.  The presenters did a great job, including those that did their first NASFAA Credential Course as the pre-conference agenda.  David Bartnicki, the federal trainer, made his presentations very unique and loved how personable, knowledgeable and funny he was.  He even sang and performed for us twice at the end of his general sessions (not to also mention he incorporated financial aid related jokes into his presentations).  A true southern personality!

This visit is another perk that I got to enjoy because once upon a time I had the courage to say “Yes!” to volunteering for my state association and then for MASFAA.  I strongly encourage you to consider volunteering first at whatever you feel comfortable with, and then taking a leap of faith and say “Yes!” when being asked to be put on an elected ballot.  What you receive in return far outweighs the additional time you spend fulfilling volunteering duties, especially the long lasting relationships and friendships near and far.

Thank you IASFAA for electing me as your 2017-18 president!  Thank you MASFAA for sponsoring me to participate in this Exchange Program!  It was a very memorable experience <3

Gisella Baker 

Hawkeye Community College, Waterloo, Iowa

2017-18 IASFAA President

2016-17 MASFAA Awards Chair

ILASFAA Gives Back!

Submitted by Laura Carrillo, St. Xavier University

ILASFAA Diversity Issues Chair 

 

This year, ILASFAA's hosted our annual Reality Store at John L. Marsh Elementary (on the southeast side of Chicago); the event took place on Friday, February 17^th. There was approximately 90 students in 7th grade who participated. The Reality Store, similar to MASFAA's Access Committee annual event, engaged the students and they were able to gain a better understanding of financial literacy, debt management and overall life skills through role playing. At each station the students learned the importance of budgeting, dealing with unexpected expenses, and the importance of education. ILASFAA members donated items for the students to take with them that each of the students were excited to receive and wear! We had over 10 institutions represented, and a few of our lending and servicing partners also showed up in order to support this awesome way to give back! We were also fortunate enough to have representatives from the office of Alderwoman Susan Sadlowski Garza of Chicago's 10^th Ward for the first group of students, each manning a station; neither of them had been to a Reality Store before but said they had a great time.

While the ILASFAA board generously provides some funding for the event, there will also be a wine raffle at the Illinois conference next month, the proceeds of which will also help defray the cost of putting on the reality store. Bottles will be available for viewing in the exhibition area, where you can also purchase your raffle tickets. Last year's wine raffle was a huge success! If you'll be attending the conference this year, members of the Facilities, Program, Registration and Diversity Committees will be available during the conference to collect your wine bottle donations as well as selling raffle tickets.

The Reality Store was a great experience. We learned that some of the kids want to be lawyers, electricians, narcotics cops, and many are still weighing their options. Seeing the reactions and hearing the students comments, it was reassuring that the students had fun but most importantly they were learning.

From Missouri to West Virginia: State Exchange Experience

Last week I had the privilege to travel to West Virginia for the WVASFAA Conference! Thank you, MASFAA and WVASFAA for making this a possibility through the state exchange program. I must say that West Virginia is gorgeous during this time of year. Many pretty fall colors and very fitting to the conference theme, Seasons of Change, something of which is all too familiar to a financial aid professional. 

The conference kicked off with a Financial Aid Trivia that incorporated many different game shows. I absolutely enjoyed the answer to the first question, ‘It Depends.’ So many times in our world, rightfully so, the first thought is it depends. Following this, Brian Weingart from the WV Higher Education Policy Commission gave the state update and I must admit that West Virginia has implemented a clever idea to encourage NASFAA Core training. Hey Missouri, they are making their way to the top in credentials! As of the conference, West Virginia was third however I know many of my new friends attended training two days prior to this conference. They may surprise us and take the lead soon.  

Many of the conference sessions were geared toward change. Working with Millennials, being the Gen Xer that I am, this is an ever important change for me. They also held a roundtable session for PPY and PJs. This is on the top of every financial aid professional’s mind currently and probably one of our biggest changes in recent history. Additionally many of us have seen an increase in veterans on our campuses. Sandy Corwin from Fairmont State University shared how their campus created a Green Zone for their veterans. Each faculty/staff person following training may post a Green Zone sticker outside their office door. This makes for a safe place for a veteran to go to someone for assistance or have someone to lean on or just talk with during tough times. I was in complete awe with how simple a program could be and yet make such a big impact for our veterans who are returning to a college campus.  

We heard from Special Agent, Erik Wolfson. He spoke about investigating student aid fraud and abuse and shared little things to be mindful of when processing student aid. We also had other sessions from which to choose regarding Student Loan Repayment Plans, Program Reviews, Title IX, and Easy Fixes to Crisis Proof Your Retirement to name a few.  

All in all, my visit was wonderful. I have many new ideas to take back to my state association. Being an introvert, it was difficult knowing that I was attending a conference and knew no one in advance. I thank you West Virginia for welcoming me and being very friendly. I have made many knew friends with whom I hope to see at future MASFAA conferences!  

Thank you! 

Kerry Hallahan 

2017 MASFAP President-Elect 

PS: I must share the awesome gift in which the WVASFAA Executive Board gave to me. Each of them signed about where their institution is located in West Virginia. This is going on the wall in my office and is such a great memory of my exchange to West Virginia!

Michigan All-Stars Win At NASFAA 2016

Michigan All-Stars Win at NASFAA 2016

Gold Star Award: Michigan State University

Regional Leadership Award (MASFAA):  Lori Vedder, University of Michigan Flint

Submitted by:

Krissy Bhaumik

MSFAA President

Michigan’s financial aid community could not be more proud of our colleagues who won national recognition at the 2016 NASFAA Conference for their outstanding and innovative work.  We enthusiastically congratulate them for these achievements and want to share this with our MASFAA friends and colleagues.

The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) recognizes innovative ideas in the world of financial aid through their Gold Star Award each year.  This year, Michigan State University’s Office of Financial Aid was recognized with this award.  MSU’s Gold Star Award winning program, “Utilizing Learning Management Systems for Financial Aid Training,” is an online training program “that offers many benefits including reaching learners from various geographical locations, allowing self-paced learning, and the ability to review training materials at any time.”  Congratulations to MSU’s Office of Financial Aid staff for this great achievement!

Also being recognized for her achievements and leadership in the financial aid profession was Lori Vedder, Director of Financial Aid at University of Michigan – Flint.  Lori has long provided leadership and guidance for the Michigan association and is a former president of MSFAA.  She is a former MASFAA VP and, in 2013, brought her passion, dedication and witty sense of humor to MASFAA’s president position.  Lori has led strategic planning committees, been an active mentor to young professionals and is frequently sought for her expertise on compliance and advocacy.  While still being active at the state and regional leadership levels, Lori has also served NASFAA on their Board of Directors and as their treasurer.   She is a 2015 NASFAA MVP (Most Valuable Professional) and a long-time shining star in MSFAA and MASFAA.  Lori, you are deserving of the NASFAA Regional Leadership Award for the Midwest Region and MSFAA and MASFAA share in celebrating this recognition with you!  Cheers!

MSFAA Early Awareness and Multicultural Outreach Activites

Michigan’s Early Awareness and Multicultural Outreach (EAMO) Committee –

Our Financial Literacy Warriors

Submitted on behalf of and with special thanks to:

Julia Delagarza and Ingrid Clover

MSFAA EAMO Committee Co-Chairs

Submitted by:

Krissy Bhaumik

MSFAA President

This is just a short note to update you on the Spring 2016 EAMO workshops at the Ojibwe Charter School (OCS).  Monday, April 11 was the kick-off day for the five workshop series that ran through May 20.  The series of workshops, conducted in partnership with Lake Superior State University (LSSU) GEAR UP program, addressed college financing and college success strategies as well as incorporating a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) component.  The workshops also included The Tiny Warrior: A Path to Personal Discovery, by DJ Eagle Bear Vanas.  The OCS students were familiar with Mr. Vanas and his work, as he has previously conducted workshops at their school.   The students were very excited to hear that Mr. Vanas would be evaluating their scholarship essays.  The Guardian of the Fire Scholarship recipient, Kara Pennington, was invited to MSFAA’s Summer Training Conference on beautiful Mackinac Island and recognized at a lunch session.

During the kick-off, students participated in a new, STEM-specific version of Extreme Reality, a financial literacy activity in which students are assigned a profession (in a STEM field), and then challenged to create budget strategies and balance a checkbook.  This activity was a great lead into an activity a few weeks later at LSSU’s  Exploration Sensation featuring the Michigan Technological University (MTU) STEM roadshow, Mind Trekkers (for more information, see http://mindtrekkers.mtu.edu/index.php)

While a commute up to Sault Ste Marie in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula did pose challenges for some volunteers, MSFAA members from around the state were encouraged to attend the OCS workshops.   This is the first outreach initiative where MSFAA has partnered with our tribal communities in Michigan.  We are hopeful that what was started this year will grow thrive like a a “Three Sisters Garden serving our tribal students and families for years to come.  (Hint: If you don’t know about the Three Sisters Garden, look it up! It’s a transformative metaphor for us all!)

Iowa Update

Submitted by Julie Haack, State Representative
 

Summer is here and even though the halls are quiet, we are plugging away preparing for fall and what early FAFSA may bring to our campuses! 

There has been a lot going on here in Iowa over the winter and spring.  Our Community Outreach committee organized Governor Terry Branstad’s signing of a proclamation making February Financial Aid Awareness Month.  Fourteen IASFAA members attended the signing ceremony which was held at the Capitol Building in Des Moines.

Jennifer Schroeder, Chair of Professional Development, organized the Director’s Drive-in Workshop, an event held each February.  This year’s event was held in Ames, Iowa on the campus of Iowa State University.  The event brings together Directors from around the state to discuss current events and issues.  

Elections were held in January and those slated to serve under new President Chris Ditter (Drake University) for the 16-17 term are:  Gisella Baker (Hawkeye Community College)– President-Elect; Ean Freels (DMACC)– Vice President; Jennifer Schroeder (Iowa State) – Secretary; Chad Peters (DMACC) – Treasurer Elect; and Tristan Lynn (Iowa College Aid Commission), Delegate at Large.  We thank each and every one that agreed to run for these elected positions and give their time to IASFAA!

Gisella Baker began her role as President-Elect by attending the NASFSAA Leadership conference in Washington D.C. at the end of February. Chris Ditter attended the Michigan state conference January 31-February 3 as part of the MASFAA State Exchange program.

Our spring conference was held in April in Johnston, Iowa and we hosted Thomas Ratliff, our MASFAA President-Elect, and had the benefit of having Megan McClean Coval representing NASFAA, and Zack Goodwin from the DOE as our spring federal trainer.  All three sat on a town hall panel and answered questions from our membership.  Zack Goodwin also held a one-on-one session that was very informative.  

Pre-conference programming was a NASFAA Credential Opportunity on Cost of Attendance.  Another NASFAA credential training was held on May 17^th on Direct Loans.  

In June, Chris Ditter will hold her Summer Retreat as incoming President.

Planning for our fall IASFAA conference is underway.  It will be held in Sioux City, Iowa October 26-28.

My two terms of representing Iowa as MASFAA State Rep will come to an end in October as Past President Kristi Fuller takes the reins.  I have enjoyed my time serving IASFAA and MASFAA as part of the Executive Council and will stay involved at the state level as current co-chair of our Program Committee.  

Have a great summer!

Ready, Set, Bid!!! MSFAA’s Silent Auction

Submitted by Krissy Bhaumik, MSFAA President

MSFAA has a tradition at our winter conference.  Each year we hold a silent auction benefiting a charity in the state.  This year, the charity selected was Fostering Futures.  The Fostering Futures program is administered through the State of Michigan’s Student Scholarships and Grants office and provides scholarships to young adults who have experienced foster care, who enroll at Michigan degree granting colleges and universities and who meet academic and need-based criteria.

At any given time, it is estimated that Michigan has approximately 13,000 children in the foster care system.  The program reports: “A growing number of Michigan youth reach adult age while in foster care, and in addition to their lack of stable family structure and their impending housing needs, they have no financial resources available to attend college.”  Seventy percent of teens who emancipate from foster care report a desire to attend college, but fewer than ten percent of those graduating from high school actually enroll and less than one percent persists to graduation.

With the belief that heartstrings are connected to purse strings, MSFAA invited Robin Lott, Director of Michigan Education Trust, and Dr. Lisa Feinics, Life Skills Coach in the Mpowering My Success program at the University of Michigan - Flint to speak at the conference.  Director Lott provided an update of the scholarship program and efforts to raise money to assist our foster youth before Dr. Feinics shared her compelling story.  Dr. Feinics was placed in foster care at age 8 and had numerous placements over the next 8 years before she ran away to the streets.  But that was not where her story ended.  Despite the hardships and challenges that faced her, and maybe because of those experiences and for her daughter, Lisa changed her life's path and went on to earn a PhD in Neurobiology and Behavior from the University of Washington in Seattle.  Dr. Feinics worked as a scientist and an educator in the US and abroad before her passion brought her into her current position, where she supports current and former foster youth attending college. Her emotional and inspiring story had many of us in tears.  Her message: With help, our youth who have experienced foster care can do great things.  The Michigan aid community helped!

MSFAA members, schools, sectors and private businesses donated well over 100 items for the silent auction.  Items included tickets to a screening of Wheel of Fortune, an Amazon Fire tablet, a signed Jim Harbaugh University of Michigan Football, weekends away at hotels and resorts across the state and much, much more.  Even our evening entertainment, the Dueling Pianos musicians, donated their tips to the cause!  A special thanks needs to go to Kelly Schneider, MSFAA president elect, and her team for orchestrating the event.  When all of the donations were counted, MSFAA raised $6,323.87 for Fostering Futures!  This was the largest single charitable event and donation on record for our association!  We are happy that it is going to support an incredible scholarship for some exceptional youth.

Connection, Collaboration and Compliance... with a dash of Congressional Spice

Submitted by Krissy Bhaumik, MSFAA President

Michigan's winter conference was held in our state's capital, Lansing, January 31-February 3. MSFAA President Val Meyers called upon the Michigan aid community to come together at the conference and "Share Solutions to Keep Students First through Connections, Collaborations and Compliance." We had over 175 aid professionals and partners answer that call.

The program was packed with sessions that rang true to the theme. We were pleased to welcome Kevin Campbell, a Department of Education Training Officer out of their Dallas office. Kevin presented five sessions, including a Federal Update, a One-on-All with the Federal Trainer and the always popular Gainful Employment Requirements. We were inspired by Paul Artale, a compelling speaker who was born "limb different" but perservered to play Canadian college football and "Hit Hard!" to overcome adversity. Breakout sessions offered topics on professional health and personal wellness. NASFAA President Justin Draeger spoke about work-life balance and 2015 Michigan State Leadership Award recipient Jim Eddy spoke about wellness and simplification strategy within our overly complex lives. The program also included sessions on collaborating across campus to remove barriers for unaccompanied homeless youth and advocating LGBT Inclusion in Higher Education and much much more.

We were pleased to host Chris Ditter, the President Elect of IASFAA, at the conference as part of the MASFAA State President's Exchange Program. Chris may have had to miss the Iowa Caucuses to be with us, but we tried to keep it exciting that Monday with a surprise guest.

Also a great addition to the conference, but in no way an expected one, was the appearance of Michigan's senior US Senator, Debbie Stabenow. Senator Stabenow was spotted in the hotel restaurant having breakfast. She graciously agreed to stop into our general session to say hello to our membership. Half-way through his "Inside the Beltway" update, Justin Draeger stepped aside for Senator Stabenow. As it turns out, she was having coffee with leaders from Michigan's real estate community and they had been discussing the pressure student loan repayment was placing on potential young homebuyers! We were provided with a true insider's "Inside the Beltway" update before Senator Stabenow, much to the pleasrue of her aide, continued with her morning plans and Justin continued on with his updates. Many of us were left asking, "did that just happen?"

The conference ended as a great success. Participants made new connections within the MSFAA family, they found new ways to collaborate on their campuses and around the state and they learned more deeply the expectations and responsibilities placed on us by the Department of Education. As the gavel passed to me, I challenged the membership to think about their own stories and the paths that brought them to financial aid. I asked them to share those diverse stories over the next year. It is that diversity that builds a strong association and a stronger profession. In 2016, MSFAA will be celebrating our Unity in Diversity and all of the ways that enables us to better help students and families!

MSFAA's summer conference is scheduled for June 26-29 on beautiful Mackinaw Island. We would welcome you there!

Missouri Update 2015

Amy Hager

The Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel (MASFAP) hosted their fall conference at the Lodge of Four Season, at Lake Ozark, Missouri, from November 9 - 11th. Fitting with the theme, “May the Funds Be With You,” there were sessions for all levels:  the Yodas (Directors/Seasoned Financial Aid Administrators); the Lukes (Mid-Level Personnel), and the Jedi Padawans (Financial Aid Newcomers). The conference was highlighted by many distinguished guest speakers holding a variety of positions throughout higher education. Keynote Speaker Anya Kamenetz, who is an Educational Futurist, Lead DIGITAL Education Reporter for NPR and an acclaimed author, shared her expertise and passion for understanding the complexities of how we learn, work, and live in the new millennium as well as her insightful views about the future of higher education.

-- More info about the conference can be found in November's MASFAP Monitor.

2015 was the first year MASFAP offered just one conference; in the past, we hosted a spring and a fall conference. Our Professional Development Committee stepped up to the task and offered numerous training opportunities throughout the year, which helped ease the transition from two to one conference. Among the PD events offered were Business Office Training, Registrar Office Training, You Be the Auditor/Program Review Panel Discussion, Director’s Roundtable, and a MASFAP Town Hall. Additionally, MASFAP offered several NASFAA Credentialing opportunities at no cost for members. The events were well attended and, to date, MASFAP members have earned 225 credentials in the following courses: Verification, Packaging, Federal Methodology, Professional Judgement, Direct Loans, Campus Based Programs, Federal Pell Grant Program, R2T4, Satisfactory Academic Progress, Cost of Attendance and Student Eligibility. We are very proud of our training programs which stimulate further professional growth for our members.