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President's Message As we all know, rumors were flying months ago regarding the state's economy. We just didn't (probably still don't) know the full extent of the problem. But when we see the headlines - "Shortfall - $9,900,000,000" - it gets our attention. The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word 'crisis.' One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger - but recognize the opportunity. Richard M. Nixon (1913 - 1994) We are certainly NOT in a crisis, but we must start preparing for the challenges ahead. Training is one of our five preferred visions, and arguably it is the most important purpose for our existence. The TASFAA Board and Committee Chairs have been very involved in working to solve the issues that will continue to face our membership. The majority of the Board meeting on February 18 and 19 was spent discussing ideas related to TASFAA and the state budget cuts. We met until almost 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday. I never heard a complaint for the long day and mutiny was NEVER mentioned. I am pleased to work with such a dedicated group. They serve you very well. Board News The Board approved the appointment of Joe Wilcox (University of Texas) to the Board. Joe was appointed to serve out the year after Joyce Eldridge (Eastern New Mexico) resigned to move to New Mexico. I am very excited to have Joe on the board. He has already provided great ideas for us to consider. We are blessed to have him involved in this way. In addition, I am sure you join me in wishing the very best to Joyce, and we thank her for the great service she has provided to TASFAA for many years. We have had two board meetings since the fall conference. To save time and money, we experimented with a conference call meeting. The comments were all very positive. The amount of time we saved was most impressive. The format limits some discussion and interaction; however, we were each able to sacrifice only two hours away from the office and family instead of two days. It is a useful format that we will continue to utilize when it is most appropriate. Committee News I encourage everyone to get involved with the TASFAA committees. This is where the real work is done. It is a fantastic opportunity to make new friends and develop great work contacts. This year's chairs have all been very involved. Listed below are some of the happenings in front of and behind the scenes. Don Buehrer, (Sallie Mae) Fall Conference chair, and his committee are working on a survey to determine the impact the limited travel budgets will have on our Wichita Falls conference. Please complete the survey quickly so we can take the appropriate actions. Many of our partners are evaluating ideas that will assist the membership in attending the conference and other training opportunities. Tia Clary (Lubbock Christian University) and the Regional Rallies committee are working very hard to insure the rallies accommodate the rapidly changing needs in our various regions. Each of the hosts and coordinators have made last minute adjustments to make this training opportunity a viable option to each of you, even with the restrictions to travel funds. Check your calendars; the rallies are just around the corner. In addition to her duties as Vice President, Kim Koch Eisenhour (note her new name) (Tarrant County College District) chairs the scholarship committee. At our February Board Meeting, we allocated additional funds to the Mack Adams Professional Development Scholarship. So, if you or members of your staff need some assistance to attend the Fall Conference or one of the training activities, APPLY. Speaking of training opportunities, the New Aid Officer Workshop is coming together very nicely. Melissa O'Conner (Wells Fargo) and her Training committee have put a very nice program together. The NAOW is one of the outstanding events TASFAA undertakes each year. This year will certainly be no exception. As stated earlier, if you need helps covering the costs for the NAOW, APPLY for the Mack Adams PDS. Another of the outstanding projects TASFAA undertakes is the high school counselor training. Belen Valdez (UT Pan American) and her team have been incredible. What a major task this committee has before them. Training was done on 26 sites to approximately 2000 counselors. They have really worked hard, and the results are certainly the proof. Mike Haynes (University of North Texas) site selection chair will begin working with his committee and Beverly Cottingham (Covenant School of Nursing and Allied Health) and the President's Advisory Committee to evaluate the contracts we have in place for future conferences. If the needs of our membership have changed, we must take rapid action to insure we are ready to meet those changing needs. Martin Hernandez (University of North Texas Health Science Center) and the nominations committee will be soliciting for candidates very soon. I would encourage you to nominate yourself or a willing colleague. The next few years will be VERY important to the members of TASFAA. It is critical we elect leaders who will see us through the challenges ahead. George Torres (Texas Guaranteed) and Jimmy Parker (Panhandle-Plains Higher Education Authority) continue to do an OUTSTANDING job for TASFAA, ATLE and SWASFAA. The position papers produced on our behalf are masterful. They have arranged for a reception with the Texas delegation in Washington. TASFAA, TG, and ATLE are sponsoring the event. The reception will include world famous "Salt Lick Barbeque" from Austin, Shiner Bock, and Blue Bell ice cream. There should be something for everyone. (Note: ATLE is sponsoring the Shiner Bock since TASFAA and TG are prohibited from providing alcohol.) Since our President is from Texas, many members of the delegation and their staff are familiar with the Salt Lick. Word of the event has even reached the White House and sparked some inquiries regarding additional invitations (sorry, not the Bush's just yet). Jacob Fraire (Texas Guaranteed) and the public relations have submitted the TASFAA Communication Plan to NASFAA to be considered for a state award. This committee has done an outstanding job on a limited schedule. I can hardly wait for the national conference to hear the results. Recently questions were raised regarding the need to recognize past members of TASFAA who provided outstanding service to the organization but don't meet the requirements of the "Hall of Fame." Awards Committee chair Raul Lerma (University of Texas - El Paso) and his committee are investigating ways we can honor these valuable colleagues and friends. In addition, they are evaluating ways to improve the processes surrounding the Hall of Fame award. The Communication Network Committee chaired by Kathy Williams (ELM Resources) continues to work with ATAC evaluating the procedures required to move to the acceptance of credit cards from our website. This will be a MAJOR improvement to our events and committees that work with registrations. In addition, our electronic processes (website, list serve, etc.) continue to move forward with enhancements. An example of big change is the online TASFAA Times newsletter. It has come such a long way. We need to say a big THANK YOU to Joe Wilcox (University of Texas) and the Newsletter committee for making the transition to the web such a major success. We have certainly come a very long way in a few short years. I appreciate Joe for accepting the challenge to see the transition all the way through. Outstanding job, Joe. Membership committee chair Mia Myers (Texas Tech Health Sciences Center) will be working with Patrick Reyna and Casey Galindo (St. Mary's University) to develop new procedures for keeping the online membership directory updated and accurate. They are also working on ways to keep our members informed of their membership status. Our newly formed Audit Committee chaired by Judy Schneider (NASFAA) will be working with our past treasurers Beverly Cottingham (Covenant School of Nursing and Allied Health) and Lyn Wheeler (Angelo State University) to establish guidelines and procedures. This committee was recommended for all state organizations at a NASFAA training session that Beverly and I attended last year. In addition to that task, Lyn Wheeler chairs the Constitution and Bylaws committee. This committee is updating the CnBl to reflect the changes approved by the Board. Some of the changes deal with action the Board approved earlier in the year. The Board approved changes to the way the president's expenses are handled. In prior years, the president approved his/her own expenses and then signed the check to be reimbursed. The new procedure has the president elect providing the approval (or denial) for presidential expenses. This provides some level of separation. Jan Benton (Amarillo National Bank) and the Early Awareness committee's goal is to take the message of higher education to middle school students, parents and counselors. They have utilized the materials from the "College for Texans" campaign. We are very excited that they have been selected to present at the TG Conference. Terry Bazan (Austin Community College) has committed to serve as the TASFAA representative to the TPACC. This group addresses issues that affect the Texas community colleges. Terry's experience and leadership will serve the group admirably. Denise Stanley (Citibank) chairs the sponsorship committee. The sponsorship agreements are coming in very nicely. We TRULY appreciate our sponsors. Without them we would be severely limited in the functions we could perform. Thank you Denise for the hard work you and your committee have done and thank you to all the sponsors. Jim Lane (Texas A&M) has accepted the challenge of creating a database of the member's outreach activities. This new committee (Association Activities and Resources Committee) has a major task before them. I do appreciate Jim for taking this on. The data the committee collects will certainly be a benefit to TASFAA and many of our partners. Trina Smith-Patterson (Tarrant County College District) and her Regional Training Opportunities committee have done a masterful job this year. In addition to the normal fall training, she volunteered to make the NASFAA spring training modules available. This was very helpful since the topics were so timely. To accommodate this opportunity, the modules are being made available to each of the regional rallies. Thank you Trina for taking on the extra responsibilities. The Multicultural Initiatives committee is undergoing significant change. Santa Garza (University of Texas) is leading this effort. The committee's focus had been changed to better address the needs of the association. To reflect these changes, the name has been changed to the Diversity and Leadership Initiatives Committee. You will receive more information on these changes later. Partnership News Kim Alexander and Vickie Tanner (Texas Guaranteed) have made time available at the TG Conference to address TASFAA issues. With the limitations on travel funds, most individuals will not have the luxury to attend every training opportunity. As such, it is necessary to provide a wide range of training at every possible setting. We appreciate their thoughtfulness. To take advantage of this opportunity, we have requested a session to address the specific challenges related to complying with HB 1403. Jane Caldwell (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board) has volunteered to lead this session at the TG Conference. I want to thank Lois Hollis and Jane Caldwell (THECB) and their staffs. I have truly enjoyed being a part of the THECB Financial Aid Advisory Committee. They allow us the opportunity and forum to express out thoughts and ideas regarding ways to make the state programs easier to administer from the school side. This group has listened and made changes based on the input of the committee members. This is not your typical state agency. Thank you Lois, Jane, and so many others. Lynn Denton (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board) has expressed her appreciation for the way the TASFAA membership has been available to work with her, her staff, and the CBOs (community based organizations) across the state. Lynn serves as the director for the "College for Texans" campaign, which is part of the state's "Closing the Gaps" strategy. The slogan for the campaign is "Education. Go Get It." They are spreading this message everywhere they go. In a recent visit with Kevin Campbell (U.S. Dept of Education), he mentioned that the department is dealing with budget issues as well. Their travel must now be approved in DC. He is diligently working to insure his ability to attend the fall conference. He wants all of us to know he will miss attending the regional rallies because these are the perfect settings to share information. Upcoming training FSA University training events in Texas: EDExpress Pell Processing
EDExpress Direct Loan Processing
Fundamentals of Title IV Administration (Formerly Precertification Training and New FAA Training)
Janet Barger (Citibank), ATLE president, has created a committee to work with our communication network committee to further develop the policies related to working with our list serve. We still have a little tweaking to do to insure the list is used for the proper purposes. SWASFAA, in conjunction with SASFAA, will be conducting a workshop for financial aid counselors, assistant and associate directors, and others wanting to get serious about their knowledge of financial aid. This intensive multi-day training can help raise you to the next level in your professional demeanor. The testimonials from attendees last year says it well, this is the best thing you can attend this year. The workshop will be held at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana, on June 22-24, 2003. For more information check out SWASFAA at www.SWASFAA.org. This TASFAA year is almost half over. I can't believe it. We have done some things we can be proud of; however, the best is certainly ahead of us. The challenges are before us and we are addressing them head on. What a wonderful organization. I want to encourage each of you to be involved in some way. Together we can accomplish so many things. Sincerely, Marcus
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