MASFAA in MN

By: Katie Kraemer, Wisconsin Representative

Not even Mother Nature could prevent (after a few delays for some…) a meeting of MASFAA minds at the winter board meeting in Minnesota on February 12^th and 13^th!  The Executive Council gathered at the Marriott in downtown Minneapolis – site of 2018’s MASFAA Conference.  Members of the Program Committee met the day before the board meeting and worked hard to start developing an exciting, impactful, and informative conference.  Mark your calendars now for October 14-17^th as you will not want to miss it!

Executive Council discussed many topics, all centered around our members – how best to serve them, what added benefits MASFAA can provide, and most importantly, how to ensure they are getting the greatest value out of their membership!  Details were shared about Summer Institute, the MASFAA Leadership Conference, and the annual MASFAA Conference regarding content, goals, and costs.  Summer Institute and the leadership conference will be held concurrently, June 4-8, at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.  Stay tuned for details regarding an updated format to the Leadership Conference, with new tracks being offered this year!   

The meeting resulted in many action items.  Some were immediate, like the list serve for members, which was resurrected mere hours after our meeting!  Other items will take more time and additional work.  One hot topic was the membership fee structure.  MASFAA is going to review and research the differences between individual and institutional memberships.  A task force will need to consider how our budget would be impacted by both models and what will best serve MASFAA and its schools.  The board meeting was also a wonderful opportunity for representatives from each state to share what is going on in their states and gain ideas from one another.

As someone who is newly involved in MASFAA and new to Executive Council, it was awesome to experience working with such a welcoming and ambitious group!  I cannot stress enough how much the Executive Council cares about the association and the needs of its members.  I encourage you all to get involved, whether it be joining a committee or running for a position.  Which brings me to my last reminder and plug – elections will take place soon.  Please take the time to vote!  And consider throwing your hat in the ring for a position when nominations occur next year!!  You will gain invaluable leadership experience and I promise it will be rewarding to serve your peers.