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Friday, December 14, 2012

SASFAA President-Elect Information


Submitted by:  Brad Barnett, Nomination and Elections Committee Chair

During the February 2013 elections you are being asked to select a candidate for the office of President-Elect, which is a three year term; spending one year as President-Elect, one year as President, and one year as Immediate Past President.  The article is being posted to show you what the SASFAA Policy & Procedure Manual describes as the duties of these positions.

The candidates for the office of President Elect are:
  • Nathan Basford (4 year public, Florida State University – Florida)
  • Nancy Garmroth (2 year public, Spartanburg Community College – South Carolina)

You will be able to learn more about these candidates by reviewing their candidate statement and biographical information on the SASFAA website at www.sasfaa.org

The SASFAA Policy & Procedure Manual describes the duties of these positions as follows:

5.2 President

The president serves as the chief executive officer of the Association and presides at all Board and business meetings. In this capacity the president:
a.      provides leadership and direction to all activities of the Association, the Board and all standing and ad hoc committees;
b.      prior to the NASFAA 2013-2014 year, represents SASFAA as a voting member in the Board meetings, including Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Inc. (NASFAA). Beginning with the NASFAA 2013-2014 year, represents SASFAA as an observer in the Board meetings of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Inc. (NASFAA), serves as an alternate voting member in the absence of the SASFAA Past President, provides reports of NASFAA activities to the SASFAA Board and publishes reports in the SASFAA Nine News or on the website as appropriate;
c.      selects all committee chair and liaisons. Works with committee chairs on finalizing committee members, who are subject to final approval of the Board at the first board meeting;
d.      serves as ex-officio member of all committees;
e.      approves expenditures and has authority to pay bills;
f.       submits a written annual report on the year’s activities to Association members; and
g.      represents SASFAA at selected SASFAA affiliated state meetings.

5.3 President-Elect

The president-elect assists the president and prepares for the term of office. Additional responsibilities of the president-elect include the following:
a.      serves as parliamentarian to the Board;
b.      until the NASFAA 2013-2014 year, serves as the alternate voting representative to the NASFAA Board of Directors, provides reports of NASFAA activities to the SASFAA Board and publishes reports in the SASFAA Nine News or on the Web site as appropriate. Beginning with the NASFAA 2013-2014 year, this position will no longer serve on the NASFAA Board of Directors;
c.      represents SASFAA at selected SASFAA affiliated state meetings;
d.      reviews the Manual and makes recommendations for changes to the Board or the appropriate committee;
e.      conducts an orientation session at the annual conference for state presidents-elect;
f.       advises and counsels the president as needed;
g.      begins initial planning for the next annual conference and for the promotion of the event;
h.      selects all committee chairs and liaisons. Works with committee chairs on selecting committee members utilizing a volunteer form;
i.       consults with the Board and budget chair in developing future initiatives; and
j.       performs other duties as requested by the president.

5.7 Immediate Past President

The Immediate past president assists the president and serves as chair of the nominations and elections, awards and the governance and planning committees. In this capacity the past president:
a.      presents a slate of candidates in accordance with the election schedule or calendar for president-elect, secretary, treasurer and vice president to the Board;
b.      solicits nominations for Association awards and presents the awards committee recommendations to the Board;
c.      performs the duties of the president in the absence of both the president and vice president;
d.      serves as a SASFAA voting representative to the Board of Directors of NASFAA.
e.      conducts an annual review of the strategic long-range plan and presents a written report at the June board meeting; and
f.       performs other duties as requested by the president.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

SASFAA Exhibitor/Sponsorship Options for 2012-2013

Submitted by R.  Dewey Knight, Sponsorship Chair


SASFAA is pleased to offer the opportunity for our corporate partners and friends to support our training efforts as financial aid professionals. We continue to offer individual training activities to sponsor, advertise and exhibit.  We have also produced some discounted packages that will allow sponsors to take advantage of some very significant cost savings.  Additionally, for first-time sponsors, an additional 25% discount is provided.

Please review the various sponsorship opportunities at:  SASFAA Exhibitor/Sponsorship Oportunities

Our 50th Annual Conference in Atlanta (February 10-13, 2013) will be attended by over 500 financial aid professionals and we hope you will be a part of the celebration of 50 years of service to students and their families!


Thursday, December 6, 2012

Report from President-Elect

Submitted by Zita Barree, SASFAA President-Elect


In my role as SASFAA President-Elect this year, I was recently able to participate in NASFAA’s Interregional Visitation Program by attending the WASFAA Executive Council (Board) Meeting held at the Pointe Hilton Hotel and Resort in Phoenix, Arizona, November 15 – 16, 2012.  WASFAA members are represented by the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, the Pacific Islands, and Washington. 

NASFAA initiated the Interregional Visitation Program in 1998 in an attempt to expand the leadership role for Board members, to provide an opportunity for Board members to interact with NASFAA members, and to increase NASFAA’s visibility and communication within the regional associations.  As a result of NASFAA Board action taken in 2009, the only positions that now receive a subsidy from NASFAA for this program are the second-year Reps at Large on the NASFAA Board and the Regional Presidents-Elect (who may or may not be on the NASFAA Board this year due to a transition whereby only two people from each regional association attend the NASFAA Board meetings and in SASFAA’s case beginning with this year, those are the President and Past President).    

It took most of the day on Wednesday, November 14th for me to travel from Richmond, VA to Phoenix.  I was met at the airport by a group of WASFAA members and was able to enjoy some local cuisine that evening.  The meeting started with lunch at the hotel on Thursday, November 15th and concluded by 11 am on Friday, November 16th.  I was back home that evening by 11:30 pm which made for a very long day but it was nice being back home going into the weekend before Thanksgiving break. 

One of the main differences between the way WASFAA conducts its Board meeting compared to SASFAA is that they started using a Consent of Agenda process last year whereby many of the committee and state president reports are collected and distributed far enough in advance that all attendees are expected to have read them prior to the meeting and only any new information and/or items that need to be approved are reported on during the meeting.  This definitely helped to move the meeting along!

Discussions revolved around fiscal matters, a new Strategic Plan for 2014-2016, the annual conference, communications strategies (web-site, Facebook, Twitter, listserv) and federal legislative updates to name just a few.  I took a good amount of notes and at the end of the meeting, I was asked to make a few remarks.  What I said was how interesting it was to me how many ways our associations are similar even with the differences that also exist.  I also thanked all of them for their warm hospitality and for allowing me to be a part of their Executive Council Meeting.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I look forward to seeing many of you at the Annual Conference in February!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

SASFAA Conference Regristration


SASFAA’s Annual Conference event will be held February 10 – 13, 2013, at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia in Atlanta, Georgia.
With a program that includes a celebration of SASFAA’s 50th anniversary and a wide variety of sessions to meet the needs of financial aid professionals at all levels, this is a conference you won’t want to miss!
Register for the conference and make your hotel reservation today!
Detailed information is available on SASFAA’s conference website at SASFAA Conference.