President’s Message
By Kathy Bassham

This has been a tough message to write as I think about the many experiences that I have had in the last few months and weeks and as I prepare to finish out 06-07 and begin to transition and pass the gavel to Lisa Blazer for 07-08. So much has happened that very few of us anticipated. Please allow me to share some of the good things that have been happening within our association.

The President’s Advisory Council (PAC) has completed work on the Strategic Plan for our association. This plan is now posted to the TASFAA website under the WHAT’S NEW section. Lisa has committed to a focus next year of implementing some of the initiatives from this plan. She will also be fine-tuning a few things that were brought to light as a part of this work.

Chuck Ramos has been hard at work with the Sponsor Relations Committee as plans are being finalized for the fall conference. He will be sending out information to our sponsors/associate members in the very near future. As an aside, the Board voted at the July 25th meeting to change the name of this committee to follow more closely the changes within our industry. This committee will now be referred to as the Associate Members Relations Committee.

Micah Marin and your Fall Conference Committee have been hard at work on last minute details preparing for another outstanding conference. You will want to register for this exciting event if you haven’t already. There is a late registration date with a corresponding higher priced late registration fee this year. You might also want to take note of the tentative agenda that is posted. This committee has done an awesome job developing a program that should meet all of our needs.

We had a truly outstanding slate of candidates for 2007-2008. It was very difficult for me to make a choice since I wanted to vote for everyone that was nominated. It is with regret that I must inform you that another Board Member has resigned this year. We are so glad to have had the opportunity to work with Dana Akins and are looking forward to the time when her workload slows down enough for her to step back into a leadership role with our association. In the meantime, Linda Gonzales-Hensgen has graciously accepted a presidential appointment to the Board until elections are completed and the new Board takes office.

Last, but definitely not least, I want to speak with you from my heart. Several of you have written to me to ask about the state of our association. A few of you have sent me some suggestions. These suggestions are greatly appreciated. If I have neglected to say thank you, please understand that it was oversight on my part and not because I did not agree with you or truly appreciate what you had to say. Many of our institutions, partners, sponsors, etc. are being asked to sign Codes of Conduct. Some of our associate members have been required to resign from their positions on various committees and all of us have had to adjust accordingly. Your Board has moved cautiously through this phase of our associational life in an effort to avoid painting ourselves into a corner as we wait for federal and state legislative action. We also did not want to put any of our members in a position of having to choose between their institutional Code of Conduct and what was happening on the state, regional and/or national level.

In an effort to not have “one more code of conduct” that you, our membership, would be required to keep up with, Your Board unanimously adopted the following resolution on July 25, 2007.

WHEREAS, we, as leadership of TASFAA and as individuals dedicated to the profession of student financial aid administration, commend the NASFAA Board of Directors for their diligent work in expanding upon NASFAA’s Statement of Ethical Principles in regard to members’ ethical behavior and potential conflicts of interest,

WHEREAS, we continue to strive to serve as an example of highest ethical standards in our state,

WHEREAS, we continue to affirm that our primary focus is providing accurate and timely information on the student aid process to our enrolled and prospective students as well as in the actual processing of that aid,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the TASFAA Board of Directors:

• Shall encourage all TASFAA members, as financial aid professionals, to become familiar with NASFAA’s Statement of Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct for Institutional Financial Aid Professionals and apply it as appropriate in accordance with their own employer’s conflict of interest policies;
• Shall offer sessions on ethics and the possible changing of office policies and procedures at future training venues;
• Shall review TASFAA policies related to sponsors and/or exhibitors and make recommendations for any changes at the October 2007 Board Meeting.

Now, let me try to address some of the other concerns that have been shared with me.

1. We need to have more leadership from the school members of the TASFAA Community. I can only say, “You bet we do!” How do we do this? Lisa is making every effort to make sure that committees are chaired by school members. Be watching for the volunteer forms. They will be available in the very near future. She is also planning some extensive leadership development initiatives for this coming year.
2. Directors – remember that others in your office can also be in positions of leadership or working on a committee. Give them that opportunity. That is one way that our leadership is developed.
3. It is important for our members to remember that this association is only as strong as its membership. Have you voted yet? On a recent Constitution and By-Laws election, we had only 55 of our institutions cast a ballot. Try to remember that we are all in this together and EVERY vote counts.
4. Keep your leadership informed. If you have a question, an idea or a concern, let us know! You can contact any of us via the TASFAA website.
5. Some of our members have wondered why we have invested funds in our association. The short answer is that our leadership in the past realized that the time might come when we would need to call on our reserves to see us through in the case of a financial shortfall. We had one of those situations a few years ago when our state schools were required to cut budgets dramatically due to a state budgetary shortfall. We were able to use those reserves to assist different schools with scholarships to attend various training events. We are experiencing another one of those “rainy days” as we navigate through this current climate. We are in a healthy financial position to assist with training for the future, to assist with the fall conference, etc. Remember that best practices stipulate that organizations, associations, businesses, etc. have a certain amount in reserves for contingency plans. We have been very fortunate as an association to have Gary Rodgers of ING to assist us with our investments so that we have those reserves. I am very thankful for the wisdom of our former leaders and their foresight.

I have been reminded during recent, sometimes difficult months, of another time in my life that was very trying. As much as I did not enjoy the ride, I realize now that those experiences helped to make me a much stronger person. In the same way, much of what has happened to our association can make us a much stronger (and better) association. I have not always been comfortable this year as situations have unfolded, but I will always be grateful to you for allowing me to be your president. I’m looking forward to the rest of this year and to watching how TASFAA grows and morphs into an even stronger association that seeks to educate and serve students.

I’m hoping that each of you has a productive, and not too stressful, fall registration. I’m looking forward to seeing you all October 3-5 in Galveston.

Kathy Bassham