Tennessee State President's Report - Lester McKenzie, TASFAA President

It has been a pleasure working with the members of the SASFAA Board and especially my fellow state Presidents. Each one of you has taught me a lesson and your friendship will be cherished.

On behalf of TASFAA I would like to thank the SASFAA Board for the opportunity to be heard as a collective voice from the Great State of Tennessee.

Executive Board

The 2011/12 TASFAA Board has met three times and will meet twice after this report.

July 2011                    Transitional Retreat               Franklin, TN

November 2011          Board Meeting                       Murfreesboro, TN

February 2012            Mini Board/Conference         Cookeville, TN

April 2012                   Board/ Annual Conference     Franklin, TN

June 2012                  Transitional Retreat                TBD

The TASFAA Board includes the following volunteers:

Lester McKenzie, President, Tennessee Tech University

John Brandt, President Elect, Union University

Sandra Rockett, Past President, Dyersburg State Community College

Donna Price, Secretary,Austin Peay State University

Amy Collins, Treasurer, East Tennessee State University

Janie Burns, Member at Large, Bethel University

*Janie also serves as Sponsorship Chair

Richard Brand, Private Sector, Maryville College

Sandra Davidson, Proprietary Sector, South College

Leah Louallen, Public 2-Year Sector, Nashville State Community College

Celena Tulloss, Public 4-Year Sector, University of Tennessee

*Celena also serves as Conference Chair

Owetha Hunter, TTC Sector, TTC Whiteville

Jeff Gerkin, Association Governance, University of Tennessee

Sara Jackson, Awards, Chattanooga State Community College

Marian Huffman, Budget/Finance, Lee University

Ryan Smith, Electronic Services, Bryan College

Ron Gambill, Government Relations, EdSouth

Naomi Derryberry, Historical, TSAC

Sonja McMullen, Membership, Sallie Mae

Terri Parchment, Public Relations, TSAC

*Debbie Nuchols resigned in Nov 2011 but her service to TASFAA was appreciated

Joanie Walker, Site Selection, Middle Tennessee State University

Jane Pennington, State Programs, TSAC

Brenda DiSorbo, Training, Cleveland State University

Summer Judd, Diversity. Freed Hardeman University

Darolyn Porter, Special Appointee, TSAC

TASFAA is pleased to announce our officers for the 2012-2013 year:

President-Elect:  Ms. Ashley Bianchi, Rhodes College

Secretary:  Ms. Leah Louallen, Nashville State Community College

Member at Large:  Donna Price, Austin Peay State University

Private Sector Representative:  Eddie White, Trevecca Nazarene

Proprietary Sector Representative:  Jeanne Stewart, South College

Public 2 year Sector Representative:  Brenda Burney, Columbia State Community College

Public 4 year Sector Representative:  Celena Tulloss, University of Tennessee Knoxville

Technology Center Representative:  Gwen Fleming, Tennessee Technology Center Memphis

  

Regional Training

We held three workshops across the state using NASFAA’s presentation material on Satisfactory Academic Progress. Two trainers, Brent Tener of Vanderbilt University and Michelle Baird of Lincoln Memorial School of Law, expertly presented the material in all three locations. In addition to SAP, TASFAA also enlisted the services of two federal trainers, Wood Mason and Robert Berry, to cover changes in COD and the Direct Loan Reconciliation process.

Information about the sites:

Union University, Jackson, Tennessee:   November 9, 2011

            46 Attendees Registered, 43 Attended and Paid

Lipscomb University, Nashville, Tennessee:  November 14, 2011

            63 Registered, 57 Attended and Paid

South College, Knoxville, Tennessee:  November 15, 2011

            74 Registered, 71 Attended and Paid

Workshop fees were increased from $35 to $65 this year and registration numbers lowered slightly. In 2010, we had 210 register, 205 attended and paid compared to 2011 with 183 register, 171 attended and paid. The revenue generated in 2010 was $7175 compared to 2011 at $11,115. The costs for the workshop were largely paid for with support by the Tennessee Student Assistance Corp. Our thanks to that organization for proving once again they are solidly dedicated to our association and the profession of financial aid.

 Conference Planning

Under the expert guidance of Ms. Celena Tulloss, University of Tennessee, the conference committee met at Tennessee Tech University on February 2, 2012 to begin the planning for our annual conference in late April 2012.

The conference is heavily loaded with federal and state trainers with the following sessions being considered:

            Federal Update

            COD and DL Changes

            2012/13 Verification

            SAP – Year One Review

            NASFAA/ Washington Update

            TSAC/TELS Update

David Bartnicki and Wood Mason will be our federal trainers and Justin Draeger, NASFAA, will also be attending. The conference will be held at the Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin, Tennessee on April 22-25, 2012.

I am truly thankful for being given the opportunity to serve in this capacity and serve on the SAFSAA Board and look forward to our continued progress as 2012 closes.