And on the 8th day of November, 1965, the U. S. President, Lyndon B. Johnson, signed into law the Higher Education Act of 1965. And he said, “We need individuals to administer these programs” – so came the Financial Aid Administer.
And LBJ said – “We need people who are willing to get up at 5am
– work all day – hobble home tired and worn – eat supper – work at home for
another 4 hours – go to meetings at high schools and attend other requests – go
back home and sleep for a while – wake in the middle of the night and remember
a task that was forgotten – go back to sleep if you can – and then get up the
next day and do it all over again.”
“We need people who will work hard understanding multifaceted
regulations – understand complex computer systems – award deserving students –
only to see many, many of them fail – and then say, ‘Well maybe the next one
will succeed. ‘ “
“We need a Financial Aid Administrator who can take an
understaffed office – with a meager operating budget – which has staff who are
severely underpaid – who is able to endure many audits and compliance reviews –
who work alongside other offices who cannot or will not understand we are much
more – and we do more – than merely award students.”
“We need dedicated individuals who work their 40 hours a week by
Wednesday and then work 40 more before the week has ended.”
“We need individuals who are: dedicated, determined,
diligent –
who are often: abused verbally, ridiculed,
diminished, and misunderstood –
who are often called: insensitive, uncaring, cruel –
who will: read, study, comprehend, understand, plan,
award, counsel, meet, listen, smile, laugh – and yes, cry – with others who
struggle to achieve a treasured educational goal – even amid ever changing
processes – with seemingly ever diminishing resources – in a country that
somehow has lost control of the message about the importance of higher
education – especially affordable higher education for the most disadvantaged –
with elected individuals who appear at times to be more interested in agendas
than our country’s most treasured national resource – our students.”
“We need you more than ever – those wonderful financial aid
professionals – who are true change agents – affecting the future in a very
positive way.”
So yes – you and the profession – were asked and you have
stepped up to the challenge. You are true professionals – and I say
without hesitation – “God truly made a Financial Aid Administrator.”
Mr. Ron Day: NASFAA Chair, SASFAA Speaker, GASFAA
Colleague, Director of Financial Aid at Kennesaw State University, but most
importantly Our Friend
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