Hall of Fame - Mack Adams

Mack C. Adams Mack Adams served as the Director of Special Services at Southern Methodist University from 1956 until 1971. His responsibilities included the supervision of the Coordinator of Student Financial Aid, Director of Housing, and Director of Community Services. At SMU he also served as an instructor of Government, Dean of Men, and Advisor to Fraternities. In 1971 he left SMU to serve as Assistant Commissioner for Student Services of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (Coordinating Board, Texas Colleges and University System, 1965-1989) until his retirement in July of 1995. As the Assistant Commissioner he was responsible for all of the State's numerous student financial aid and related programs. He composed a booklet on student financial assistance for students while at SMU, which later became the ubiquitous and popular "Financial Aid for Texas Students" after Mack moved to the Coordinating Board. The booklet has been revised hundreds of times to provide accurate and timely information on student financial aid for students, high school and college counselors, student financial aid officers, legislators and the general public. His work in the field of student financial aid spanned 39 years.

Mack Adams was instrumental in creating the Texas Association of Student Financial Administrators (TASFAA) and served as its first president from 1968 to 1969. He continued to serve the Association as a member until his retirement in July 1995. During his years at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board he made a special effort to support TASFAA by attending as many TASFAA conferences as possible. He eagerly made his staff and himself available to TASFAA for student financial aid training and presentations. Mack kept the Association informed on state and federal legislation affecting student financial aid in Texas by frequently attending TASFAA's Executive Committee meetings.

In his role as Assistant Commissioner for Student Services for the Coordinating Board, Mack served as the primary contact on student financial aid in Texas for the governor's office, the Texas legislature, and other governmental agencies both federal and state. His hand and thought was present in nearly every piece of legislation that was passed during his 24 years with the Board. He served on the Texas Opportunity Plan Loan Advisory committee in the fall of 1965 which provided council on the program that would later be known as the Hinson-Hazlewood College Student Loan Program. He helped shape the growth of the Tuition Equalization Grant in Texas. Mack had a hand in the legislation creating the Texas College Work-Study program and in the preservation of the Federal State Student Incentive Grant program. He was instrumental in the creation of the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation and guided legislators to authorize the Hinson-Hazlewood College Access Loan program.

Mack served as Chairman of the Board of the Higher Education and Campus Ministries for the Southwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church from 1978 to 1992. From 1988 to 1995, he served on the Council of Ministries of the United Methodist Church and on the Board of the United Methodist Campus Ministries. In April 1994, Mack traveled to Zimbawi, Africa for the dedication of the Africa University sponsored by the United Methodist Church.

His commitment to education and particularly higher education served as an example and encouraged many financial aid administrators to stay the course. Mack willingly gave his friendship and shared his knowledge with any novice or experienced colleague who called upon him. The influence of Mack C. Adams on the student financial aid profession in Texas and TASFAA is unparalleled.