Newsletter Summer 2012 President s Report 2011-2012 Vickie Adams, Jacksonville State University The program committee members met and put together a great agenda for our Spring 2012 conference. The theme this year was Information to Inspiration: Gaining Knowledge for the Future. This conference included David Bartnicki, our favorite Fed, giving us the most updated information from the Department of Education, Brad Barnett, SASFAA 2011-2012 President, Yessyka (pronounced Jessica) Santana from the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Education, presenting Mitigating Risks of Fraud in the Title IV Program, and Micah Jordan, training specialist from NASFAA. Our NAOW trainers, Kevin Ammons and Lisa Powell, put together a wonderful training workshop that was held on Wednesday, April 11. United Student Aid Funds printed the materials this year for our New Aid Officers Workshop. There were 20 new aid officers that attended this year. Our overall numbers attending the conference were 144 registrants with 9 vendor sponsors and 1 contributing sponsor to the Association. The 2011-2012 nominations chair, Past President Amanda Sharp, put together a full slate of candidates for the AASFAA elected offices. A special thanks to Dr. Chip Quisenberry who graciously stepped up as the elections chair as Amanda had been selected as a candidate for office. Those candidates were: President-Elect Kevin Ammons Susan Green Vice President Phillip Nelson Betty Edwards Secretary Stephanie Miller Ann Little Treasurer-Elect Amanda Sharp Holly Williams 2012-2013 Officers are: Enterprise Community College Troy University Auburn University - Montgomery Trenholm State College Jacksonville State University University of Alabama - Birmingham University of North Alabama Northeast State Community College In This Issue... President s Report 2011-2012 1 Vice President s Report 2 Past President s Report 3 Treasurer s Report 3 ACHE Liaison Year-End Report 4 By-Laws Committee Report 4 Fall Local Arrangements Committee Report 4 Financial Review Committee Report 4 Legislative Relations Committee Report 4 Policy and Procedure Manual Report 5 Public Relations/Photography Report 5 Policy and Procedure Manual Report 5 AASFAA Scholarship Program Report 5 Site Selection Committee Report 6 AASFAA Special Projects Committee 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 6 Spring Local Arrangements Committee Report 9 Two Year Concerns Committee Report 9 Impact Alabama Report 10 Tips for Getting Students Thinking About Repayment While They re Still in School 11 President President-Elect Vice President Sharon Williams Kevin Ammons Phillip Nelson Secretary continued on page 2 Stephanie Miller 1
President s Report 2011-2012 (continued from page 1) Treasurer Treasurer-Elect Past President Ann Campbell Amanda Sharp Vickie Adams During our 2012 Spring Conference special recognition was given to Ms. Yessyska Santana, Mr. Brad Barnett, and Mr. Micah Jordan. Our AASFAA distinguished awards were presented to: Mr. David Bartnicki John H Buchanan, Jr. Distinguished Service Award Ms. Betty Edwards M. Cecil Padgett Outstanding Achievement Award Two financial aid professionals from AASFAA member institutions were recognized by the Alabama Community College System as recipients of the Chancellor s Award for their demonstration of the highest standards of professional performance and service among college employees. Ms. Erma Perry from Wallace Community College in Dothan and Ms. Sheila Hairston from Northeast Community College were the only two financial aid professionals from AASFAA member institutions recognized and chosen to receive the award from the 22 comprehensive community colleges and 4 technical colleges. As of the time this report is due, the SASFAA transition meeting has not met. The meeting will be held at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront June 7-10. As AASFAA Past-President, my duties for the 2012-2013 year with SASFAA will be a part of the nominations and elections committee and I have agreed to be a part of the local arrangements committee for the 2013 SASFAA conference to be held in Atlanta, GA. 2013 will be SASFAA s 50th year. The AASFAA budget committee met on May 22, 2012 at Lawson State to prepare the 2012-2013 budget. At this meeting it was determined the membership fees will remain at $15 and vendor/sponsor fees would remain at $1000. Transition of new officers and committee chairs will be held at Samford University on June 15, 2012. The site selection for our 2013 Spring Conference will again be held at Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge. I look forward to 2012-2013 under the leadership of Ms. Sharon Williams, President. It has truly been an awesome year as President of AASFAA. The memories and friendships will be with me for a very long time. This is not a one person act, but a joint effort from all AASFAA board, committees and membership that work together to become as one. I am blessed to have had the trust of all to be a part of the board and look forward to a year of great accomplishments: to grow the membership, to get more members involved in taking on the challenge of running for offices, becoming committee chairs and just getting plugged in. Vice President s Report Kevin Ammons, Enterprise State Community College Hello AASFAA Members, I want to thank you for electing me President-Elect during the 2012-2013 year. I look forward to working with the Board and our members this coming up year. At this time we are looking forward to our transition meeting this Friday, June 15th at Samford University. I want to thank our colleagues at Samford for hosting our meeting. I would also like to remind everyone that our fall workshop will be November 16, 2012. Once again Auburn University-Montgomery will be hosting our event. Finally I want to encourage everyone to get involved. If you have never served AASFAA before, please think about serving your association. Kindest Regards, Kevin...I want to encourage everyone to get involved. If you have never served AASFAA before, please think about serving your association. 2
Past-President s Report Amanda Sharp, University of North Alabama Since the spring conference, I have attended the SASFAA Executive Board Meeting and Transition Meeting in St. Petersburg, FL. I will be serving on the board as Communications and Outreach Chair for SASFAA. I am looking forward to continuing to serve on the SASFAA Board. SASFAA seems rebounding from the lean years and enjoyed a very successful 2012 conference. The association will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary at next year s conference in Atlanta. I hope that Alabama will be well represented. There is a friendly competition among the states this time and we have been challenged to meet a goal of 50 attendees. Since our spring conference and the 2012-2013 elections are complete, I have had no additional duties to fulfill as AASFAA Past- President. I would like to say that the three years serving as President-Elect, President, and Past-President have been most gratifying. I have known many of you for a while now and I have made many more friends along the way. I have been very honored to serve on the SASFAA Executive Board and look forward to continuing to serve AASFAA as Treasurer-Elect in the coming year. Treasurer s Report Belinda Duett, Financial Aid Consultant It has been a great year for AASFAA. We had high attendance for both the Fall Training Workshop and the Spring Conference. As of 5/31/12 AASFAA has a net worth of $212434.43. I anticipate net income for the year of about $5000 once all bills and expenses are paid. I would like to remind schools that were selected for the AASFAA scholarships to get those invoices in by the deadline of June 30th. Members of the AASFAA Executive Board met with Dr. Robert Bentley, Governor, in February, 2012 to witness Governor Bentley signing a proclamation declaring February as Financial Aid Awareness month in Alabama. AASFAA members attending were: (left to right) Kevin Ammons, Vice President; Bill Wall, Policy & Procedure Chair and Scholarship Chair; Amanda Sharp, Past President; Vickie Adams, President; Belinda Duett, Treasurer; and, Betty Edwards, Secretary. 3
ACHE Liaison Year-End Report Cheryl Newton, Alabama Commission on Higher Education The state s fiscal future is uncertain with statewide budget shortfalls being addressed. During this current fiscal year, the Governor is expected to announce a 3% cut in funding; however, ACHE has been able to provide institutions their initial awarded amounts without any adjustments. Additionally, the Governor s proposal for the 2012-2013 fiscal year budget funding is a decrease of 4%. It is the primary goal of ACHE to maintain communication with the postsecondary institutions in regards to changes that occur in the administration of state grant programs. By-Laws Committee Report Charles Markle, Auburn University During the 2011-12 year the By-Laws Committee has reviewed the By-Laws governing the Association and has no recommendations for changes. We remain ready to assist the Executive Board. Fall Local Arrangements Committee Report Phillip Nelson, Auburn University Montgomery AASFAA had a successful fall one-day workshop with Michael Roberts serving as federal trainer. I am looking forward to next year s one-day drive-in workshop at Auburn University- Montgomery. As AASFAA s Vice President for next year, I am excited about serving this great organization in the year ahead. I will be working with different individuals to assure that we get the best training possible for our association. It is important for all Financial Aid Administrators to be informed and taught all new regulations to assure we give the best customer service to the students and parents we serve. Financial Review Committee Report Phillip Nelson, Auburn University Montgomery AASFAA Treasurer Belinda Duett and I have completed the financial review of the 2011-2012 financial records. All accounts are correct and clear. A copy of the report and the worksheets are available for inspection by interested AASFAA members. Legislative Relations Committee Report Kelly D eath, Gadsden State Community College The committee reviewed many pieces of information from various sources in the past year. It has been a very busy year with many articles pertaining to legislation affecting education funding and regulation. To fulfill its committee purpose, the Legislative Relations Committee advised AASFAA members and the Executive Board of Federal and State regulatory and legislative issues via the AASFAA listserv. All meetings of this committee were held telephonically or via email. The membership of the Legislative Relations Committee (State and National) includes the following individuals: Buddy Jackson - Faulkner University Cheryl B Newton - Alabama Commission on Higher Education Erma D Perry - Wallace Community College, Dothan Doug Savage - TG The assistance of these individuals was most valuable in reviewing many articles in order to keep the AASFAA membership advised of legislative news. Kelly D Eath - Gadsden State Community Committee - Chair Becky Graves - Wallace State Community College, Hanceville 4
Policy and Procedure Manual Report William H. Wall Here are some updates as a result of the Board Meeting at the annual conference. 1) Total scholarship assistance upped to $1,250 2) $1000 exhibitor fee includes 1 conference registration. 3) Retired aid administrators may attend AASFAA conferences and meetings by paying the Association for any meal functions attended. Public Relations/Photography Report Joan Waters, Chattahoochee Valley Community College After a report given at the 2011 Executive Board meeting regarding the age and condition of the current camera and photo printer, the Board voted to purchase a new camera and printer capable of meeting the Association s needs. After much research, a purchase was made for one (1) Nikon Coolpix S8100 Camera and one (1) Selphy Photo Printer with a supply of photo paper and ink cartridges. The photo printer is compact, user friendly and will allow us to continue to print daily and display pictures for the membership at each conference. There were approximately 120 pictures taken, printed and displayed at the April 2012 spring conference using the new equipment! The new camera and printer worked great! Since all of the pictures were picked up by members, it is apparent to this Chair that the membership as a whole is delighted with the continuation of this function. Literally thousands of pictures have been taken since I started this endeavor in the mid eighties! Many, many memories of events, good times, and friendships have been captured on film to be cherished throughout the years to come! As memories fade in our minds over the years, all one has to do is pull out some of those photos of years past and rekindle some very special moments of times worth remembering! As memories fade in our minds over the years, all one has to do is pull out some of those photos of years past and rekindle some very special moments of times worth remembering! AASFAA Scholarship Program Report William H. Wall The total scholarship assistance offered to the five recipients is currently $1,250. The intent of the Board is to raise the total amount over time to $5,000. Thanks. 5
Site Selection Committee Report Charles Markle, Auburn University During 2011-12 the Site Selection Committee recommended to the AASFAA Executive Board the venues for the 2012-13 AASFAA (1) Fall Workshop and (2) Spring Conference. 1) The 2012 Fall Training Workshop will be hosted by Auburn University Montgomery on Friday November 16, 2012 (no classes are held at AUM on Fridays). The venue is centrally located in the state, has parking, a good meeting room, and reasonably priced food...not to mention the smiling Financial Aid officers who run the joint! With much gratitude, AASFAA thanks Director Richey and his staff for AGAIN hosting our Fall meeting. 2) The 2013 Spring Conference will be held at Guntersville State Park April 8-12, 2013. During the 2011-12 year the committee explored the possibility of using a different venue than the state park for our spring conference by communicating with Ms. Colleen Blecher, Sales Manager of PCH Hotels & Resorts (RSA facilities). The process resulted in the committee recommendation to the Executive Board that AASFAA pursue Guntersville State Park as the venue for the 2013 AASFAA Annual Spring Conference for reasons that include more favorable rates, and the option to reduce the contracted room number (or to cancel the conference outright) with no penalty if done 30 days prior to the conference date. AASFAA Special Projects Committee 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 Fred Carter, Consultant and Stephanie Miller, Jacksonville State University There were two special projects during 2011-2012: liaison for the NACAC National College Fair and liaison with College Goal Sunday Alabama. NACAC National College Fair: The fair took place at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center on Sunday, September 11, 2011 from 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. An estimated attendance of 4,000 was expected. Vickie Adams Jacksonville State University, Stephanie Miller - Jacksonville State University, Tamara Kline - Wells Fargo, and I handed out federal brochures, scholarship brochures, and College Goal Sunday information. The approaching NACAC National College Fair will take place on Sunday, September 16, 2012 from 1-4pm at the BJCC. Cindy Bond Cindy Bond, College and Career Specialist Hoover High School (205)439-1280 is the contact for the College Fair. If you are interested in being part of the NACAC/AASFAA Financial Aid Team on Sunday September 16th, please let me know at cart4113@bellsouth.net. College Goal Alabama: Stephanie Miller and I were selected as co-state coordinators this year for CGS; Stephanie did an outstanding job - she arranged for us to man booths at two high school counselor workshops for the state counselor association and coordinated the purchase of giveaway items for the booth and for the CGS events for use at the site locations. The CGS website is http://www.collegegoalalabama.org/ and there is a facebook page http://www.facebook.com/bamacollegegoal for use for future years. Accomplishments included: Holding several site coordinator meetings Meeting with the YMCA staff Completing inventory of give-away items Distribution of give-away items Setting up web based surveys Making changes to the CGS web site Participation in CGS Alabama for 2012 continued on page 7 6
AASFAA Special Projects Committee (continued from page 6) Participation in CGS Alabama for 2012 Site Filers Participants Volunteers Dadeville 10 22 11 Tuscaloosa UofA 4 6 8 Livingston UofW AL 4 17 13 Boaz Snead State 43 80 31 Birmingham - Lawson State 15 30 9 Birm-Lawson-Center Point 9 18 1 Birm-Lawson-Irwin 10 20 1 Birm- Lawson-Pleasant Grove 21 21 2 Birm-Lawson-Tarrant 8 19 2 Jacksonville JSU 19 40 19 Birmingham Jefferson State 10 20 11 Athens NACEE 16 32 16 Cullman NACEE 26 52 14 Huntsville NACEE 40 80 31 Scottsboro NACEE 52 104 16 Total 287 561 185 College Goal Sunday provides assistance in applying for financial aid to families who need it. By delivering help to families in their own communities, College Goal Sunday helps ensure that students get the help they need crossing the paper barrier to qualify for financial aid. Most students and families need assistance in paying for higher education expenses. The FAFSA is the gateway to accessing financial aid resources, which include school loans. Secondly, a family s situation may change at some point during the school year resulting in a major reduction in income. If the FAFSA has been filed in a timely manner, adjustments can be made as long as the filing deadline has not been missed. 2012 College Goal Sunday Event Locations: Athens: Dates: February 11, 18, 25 and March 3, 10, 16, 25, 31 Location:North Alabama Center for Educational Excellence Quad Plex 110 Thomas Street Suite 106-1 Athens, Alabama Time: 10 am - 2 pm Site Coordinator: Earnest Davis (256-259 -3072) Birmingham: --Jefferson State Community College Date: Sunday, February 19th Location on Campus: Allen Library Room 112 (Entrance is in the back of the Library across from the Fitzgerald Student Center) Time: 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm Site Coordinator: Mike Hobbs and James Buxton (205-856 -7757) --Lawson State Community College Birmingham Campus Date: Sunday, February 19th Location: Perry Ward Alabama Center for Advanced Technology and Training Time: 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Site Coordinator: Sharon Williams (205-929 -3421) continued on page 8 7
AASFAA Special Projects Committee (continued from page 7) Boaz: Snead State Community College Date: Saturday, February 18 Location on Campus: McCain Student Success Center Time: 10 am - 2 pm Site Coordinator: Steve Smith (256-840-4017) Cullman: Dates: February 11, 18, 25 and March 3, 10, 16, 25, 31 Location: North Alabama Center for Educational Excellence 401 2nd Avenue Suite 101 Cullman, Alabama Time: 10 am - 2pm Site Coordinator: Earnest Davis (256-259-3072) Dadeville: Dadeville High School Date: Wednesday, February 8th Location on Campus: Dadeville High School Career Tech Building Time: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Site Coordinator: Cheryl Bynum (256-825-7848, Ext 23) Hunstville: Dates: Feb 11, 18, 25 and March 3, 10, 16, 25, 31 Location: North Alabama Center for Educational Excellence 4900 Century Street, Suite B Huntsville, AL 35816 Time: 10 am - 2 pm Site Coordinator: Earnest Davis (256-259-3072) Jacksonville: Jacksonville State University Date: Sunday, February 19th Location on Campus: Merrill Hall Times: 2:00 pm and 3:15 pm Site Coordinator: Stephanie Miller (256-782-5006) Register at www.jsu.edu/cgs Please contact the site coordinator to request accommodations, if needed. Livingston: University of West Alabama Date: Thursday, Feb 23rd Location on Campus: Bibb Graves Hall Room 126 Time: 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm Site Coordinator: Martha Hocutt (205-652-3675) Scottsboro: Dates: February 11, 18, 25 and March 3, 10, 16, 25, 31 Location: North Alabama Center for Educational Excellence 605 East Laurel Street Scottsboro, Alabama Time: 10 am - 2pm Site Coordinator: Earnest Davis (256-259-3072) Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Date: Saturday, Feb 18th Location on Campus: Lloyd Hall Time: 10 am - 2pm Site Coordinator: Chris Hutt (205-348-5902) 8
Spring Local Arrangements Committee Report Stephanie Miller, Jacksonville State University The Spring Conference was a tremendous success for the Spring Local Arrangements Committee. We were able to switch decorations, monitor rooms, have the hospitality room ready and everything packed for departure after the conference thanks to all of the tireless work of the committee members. Many thanks to all the committee members and to the spring conference attendees who stepped up and pitched in during the conference. The Spring Conference also came in under the projected budget thanks to careful review of room, meal and equipment expenses prior to arriving and the great rates at Guntersville State Park. Just remember that next year s conference will be here before you know it and if you are looking to get involved...look no further! Contact Stephanie at sdmiller@jsu.edu to volunteer or give your comments for next year. Two Year Concerns Committee Report Joan Waters, Chattahoochee Valley Community College The two year colleges met in a break-out session at the AASFAA spring conference held in Guntersville, Al. Many items were discussed during this session but the main topics were: new changes in federal regulations such as the ability to repeat courses and how tracking would be accomplished; electronic attendance reporting for No Shows and Non Attending; and, what department on various campuses is charged with the responsibility to perform R2T4 functions. I, along with Vanessa Kyles, gave an update on the State Scholarship Policies & Procedures Committee of which we are both members. The changes that the committee was recommending for Board approval were explained to the group and the projected timeline for implementation. A discussion ensued as to the many positive proposed changes that would enhance the process of awarding and reporting institutional state scholarships by financial aid. Vickie Pridemore, Alliant Software, had conducted a meeting prior to this session and joined us as a guest; therefore, she made comments on some of the topics since a lot of the two year schools are Alliant users. 9
Impact Alabama Report Mr. Stephen Black, President and Founder of IMPACT ALABAMA, was the breakfast speaker on Thursday morning, April 7, 2011, at the AASFA Spring Conference. The report below details some of the work of IMPACT ALABAMA. 10
Tips for Getting Students Thinking About Repayment While They re Still in School Doug Savage, TG With student debt balances higher than usual and a job market that remains challenging, worsening cohort default rates are a worry on many campuses. Raul Lerma, interim executive director of financial aid and veterans affairs at El Paso Community College, says that his school s numbers have been bucking the trend. Here are some tips he offers based on his experience. These three methods all involve ways schools can engage current students now to actively prevent default later. Start repayment now The basic challenge, he says, is to help the students understand that they really do have to pay this money back. Sometimes it doesn t seem real to them that they actually will need to make payments at some point. Therefore, it s a good idea to get them making payments while they re still in school. That might just be $50, but it s still a good idea, because it creates two benefits. First, it chips away at the amount a little, and that s obviously good, but the second benefit is more important: that tiny payment creates the habit and makes repayment real for them. Use in-person entrance counseling Another strategy Lerma uses to manage default rates is to require in-person entrance counseling every academic year. A lot of schools do this counseling online, he says, or it s inperson the first year and online after that. But I think in-person counseling makes more of an impact, so we require it every academic year. Besides the impact of being in a session with an actual instructor, Lerma notes that there is also the benefit of teachable moments as students can ask questions, with an expert to answer at that moment. Reinforce with brochures or even intermediate sessions Lerma says that his office has also been employing a tactic of reinforcing loan repayment concepts often. Whenever a student comes in our office for any reason, he says, we ask if they have loans. If they do, we give them an informative booklet. The idea is that it might take several attempts to gain the student s deep attention and have them engage the subject matter. Reinforcing the material with the brochure boosts the likelihood that students will read and understand the important information they need to grasp. He adds, We re also considering the idea of getting students in for intermediate counseling sessions to reinforce what they may have forgotten from entrance counseling. In short, getting students to start repaying their loans while still in school (even if it s only $50 per month), using in-person rather than online entrance counseling, and reinforcing the importance of repayment at every opportunity, may be effective ways to keep cohort default rates under control. The results at El Paso Community College seem to confirm that they are. Doug Savage is a Senior Regional Account Executive with TG serving schools in AASFAA. You can reach Doug at (800) 252-9743, ext. 6711, or by email at doug.savage@tgslc.org. Additional information about TG can be found online at www.tg.org. 11