Meme Award Winner

Congratulations! Tony Tanking of Benedictine shows his creativity AGAIN! WINS NASFAA MEME Contest

NASFAA Leadership Conference

By Debbie Brewer

This will be my very first blog post.

So I thought my trip to Washington DC for the NASFAA Leadership conference was going to be like Reese Witherspoon in the movie Legally Blonde when she goes to Washington DC to fight for animal rights. I can say it was not like that at all.

I had never been to Washington DC before. The hotel and conference were in Arlington, VA. The hotel was wonderful and the people in the area were extremely helpful and kind. I was surprised as I walked around the area that you have to pay to park everywhere. You have to pay to park at the grocery store. I knew I was not in Kansas anymore.

I participated in the Association Management Pathway. I was teamed up with a great group of people. One of them was Vicki Kucera, the RMASFAA President Elect. I also worked with the incoming Utah state president and the incoming South Dakota state president. It was nice to work with other RMASFAA members. We were able to interact with NASFAA members from across the U.S.

We had engaging speakers that shared very pertinent information. There were plenty of opportunities for lively discussion and idea sharing. I left with many questions and a lot of great information. I had the benefit of attending while Brenda Hicks, current KASFAA president, was on the planning committee for the conference. We were able to share a dinner together and do some planning for the upcoming year. She has been a wonderful mentor this year.

My trip ended with visits to Capitol Hill. I have to admit that I was very nervous about it. There was no reason to be nervous. It was an honor to be in such a historical place. It was fun to recognize that we were actually the experts while talking to the representatives. Brenda and I visited Jerry Moran’s office and Pat Roberts’ office.

I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity.

Spring Conference Award Ceremony

Spring KASFAA has come and gone. It was an awesome few days jam packed full of good times and good take home information! The award banquet took place during the conference and we had some pretty important members to recognize! Please see the following award recipients:

10 Years of Service

Tamara Bright – Mid-America Nazarene University

Tricia Brothers – Tabor College

Aimee Campbell – Southwestern College

Kody Carlson – Kansas State University

Vicky Cooper – Emporia State University

Crystal Crank – Butler County Community College

Kara Hale – Neosho County Community College

Felicia Johnson – Kansas City KS Community College

Kathy Johnston – Labette Community College

Kelli Lowe-Heying – Credit World Services

Teresa Moore – Wichita State University

Penny Nemechek – Northwest Kansas Technical College

Lyndsi Romero – Central Christian College of Kansas

Janice Spencer – Friends University

Linda Spohn – ITT Technical Institute

Katie Starling – Kansas State University

 

15 Years of Service

Ruth Anderson – Johnson County Community College

Julia Blanken – Pittsburg State University

Kathleen Blau – Garden City Community College

Kelly Cole – Johnson County Community College

Donna Fisher – Seward County Community College

Karen Glenn – Johnson County Community College

Bruce Lopez – Credit World Services

Kristy Moreno – Johnson County Community College

Lina Ossiander – Kansas Board of Regents

Brandon Pierce – Friends University

Larry Ramos – Wichita State University

Diana VanDyke – Butler County Community College

Jennifer Zabokrtsky – Cloud County Community College

20 Years of Service

Kent Adams – Pratt Community College

Jan Batley – Mid-America Nazarene University

Debbie Bisch – Dodge City Community College

Stephanie Covington – University of Kansas

Tony Graber – Bethel College

Cynthia Kleinsorge – Johnson County Community College

Ralph LoBosco – US Department of Education

Tony Lubbers – Friends University

Amy Moeder – Fort Hays State University

Valerie Poulson – University of Kansas Medical Center

25 Years of Service

Sara Honeck – University of Kansas Medical Center

Jan Horosz – Johnson County Community College

Diane Lindeman – Kansas Board of Regents

Harlan Plunkett – Mid America Nazarene University

Mary Frances Riner – University of Kansas

Kelly Twombly – Highland Community College

30 Years of Service

Keith Fitzsimmons – University of Kansas Medical Center

Retirement Recognition

Kathleen Blau – Garden City Community College

Jane Burgess – Hutchinson Community College

Jolene Clark – Cloud County Community College

Gail Palmer – Washburn University

Nancy Seal – Labette County Community College

Special Recognition

Paula Gordon – ATAC Corporation

Hall of Fame 

Linda Oldham Burns

Meritorious Achievement

Gary Bateman

Lois Madson

Deborah Byers Outstanding Service

Keith Fitzsimmons

Committee of the Year

Training Committee

Big congrats to Keith Fitzsimmons on his Tri-fecta! Thanks to the Awards Committee for putting together a great ceremony to recognize these fine KASFAA folks. We are a rare bread and deserve a little recognition!

The KASFAA Newbies! Welcome!

Compliance Enhancement and Default Management

Dear Colleagues –

Passing along this information from former RMASFAA President and long-time friend of the association, John Gritts.  As many of you may be aware, John continues to work on behalf of students within the Department of Education’s FSA Minority-Serving and Under-Resourced Schools Division.  A two-day training session will be held in Denver at the Regional Training Facility at the Cesar Chavez Building (13^th & Speer Blvd.) in Denver on June 14^th and 15^th.  John will be co-facilitating the training with Sarah Angilello, also of the Dept. of ED.

Registration is free (please note that you must register for each day) and open to all institutions, but seating is limited.  Questions regarding the training may be directed to john.gritts@ed.gov or sarah.angilello@ed.gov. 

Best,

Joe Donlay, RMASFAA President

Dear President/Chancellor:   The U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid Minority-Serving and Under-Resourced Schools Division (MSURSD) is pleased to announce the two-day workshop series, “Compliance Enhancement and Default Management.”  The workshop will be presented in a lecture format with facilitated discussion.   Who should attend the training? Because meeting compliance goals in the delivery of Title IV aid requires a proactive institutional approach, we encourage bursars, registrars, and financial aid, fiscal affairs, and student accounts staff to attend the training.   What will the workshop cover? The workshop consists of four modules that address the most common findings from audits and program reviews.  The workshop will also include updates on pertinent Title IV rules, regulations and/or regulatory guidance.   Day One – Topics Early FAFSA Submission/FSA Reporting Requirements/Best Practices for Building a Collaborative Team/Federal Updates.   Day Two – Topics What is Default Management/CDR Appeal and Challenge Processes/Borrower Repayment Options/How to Interpret CDR Reports/MSURSD Financial Literacy Tool Kit   When, where and how long are the workshops? The workshops listed below will begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at approximately 4:30 p.m.   2016 Date               Location City State March 8-9 Atlanta Regional Training Facility                  Atlanta GA       March 8-9 Dallas Regional Training Facility        Dallas TX        March 15-16 Benedict College                                 Columbia SC             March 22-23 Washington DC Regional Training Facility     Washington DC       March 28-29 University of Houston, Clearlake                    Houston TX          March 29-30 Jackson State University                     Jackson MS       April 4-5 Universidad Politécnica de P.R.                      San Juan PR        April 5-6 Miami Dade College                           Miami FL         April 5-6 Xavier University                                 New Orleans LA                  April 5-6 Lawson State Community College Birmingham AL April 6-7 Pontificia Universidad Católica de P.R.          Ponce PR             April 12-13 Hampton University                                        Hampton VA        April 12-13 New York Regional Training Facility              New York NY        April 12-13 South Texas College                           Weslaco TX April 19-20 City College of Chicago Chicago IL         April 20-21 Universidad Interamericana de P.R.              Aguadilla PR        April 26-27 San Francisco Regional Facility                      San Francisco CA        April 26-27 Philander Smith College    Little Rock AR        May 3-4 Mount San Antonio College                Walnut CA May 11-12 New School of Architecture and Design         San Diego CA        May 17-18 North Carolina A&T                Greensboro NC        June 14-15 Denver Regional Training Facility                           Denver CO August 1-5 Salish Kootenai College Pablo MT         Do I need to bring anything to the workshop? When you submit your registration form, you will receive a confirmation email with detailed instructions for downloading and printing training materials.    You will need to print the training materials and bring them to the workshop.  In an effort to reduce costs, as well as provide the most current information in our training, we will not have printed material available the day of training.   How do I register and how do I find directions to the workshop sites? You may register here: (PRESS “CTRL” and CLICK) http://fsaregistration.ed.gov/d/0fqz67   Please complete the registration form completely for the site you select. When you register, you will be able to see detailed information about the location, including parking information and directions to each campus.                               If you have any questions or concerns regarding the information in this letter, please contact Mrs. Dolores Davis at (404) 974-9308 or Dolores.davis@ed.gov.                               Sincerely,   Marcia D. Boyd   Marcia D. Boyd, Ed.D. Director Minority Serving and Under Resourced Schools Division   cc:  Institutional Financial Aid Director        Institutional Chief Fiscal Officer

President’s Blog

Last week, I represented the state of Kansas at the RMASFAA board winter meeting in Denver, Colorado.  Some of you may have seen pictures of this event on Facebook. 

The meeting was extremely productive and I felt very proud of the sunflower state as I sat around the table.  In particular, you can be especially proud of Donna Carter from Wichita State University who is representing the state very well as the current RMASFAA Treasurer.  We all know how terrific Donna is here – it’s nice to see other people noticing her and her talents as well.

Another one of our members was lifted up during committee reports.  The conference committee announced that Tony Lubbers from Friends University has been selected as a keynote speaker for the 2016 RMASFAA Conference that will be held this year in Rapid City, South Dakota.  Some of you may have heard Tony give his speech on Presidents at the KASFAA conference.  I understand that he will be doing something similar – but not exactly the same for RMASFAA.  It is nice of Tony to share his talents and historical knowledge with us!  Thank you, Tony, for representing KASFAA in this important way.

Our very own Robb Cummings from Sallie Mae was also present in the meeting representing the Associate sector.  (We sat together and tried very hard not to cause too much trouble – unsure how well we succeeded.)

RMASFAA, like KASFAA and many other non-profit associations, is evaluating how it does business in today’s world.  Watch for important news concerning officer duties and changes as a result of great discussions around the table about more efficient use of resources and shifts in duties that will help RMASFAA meet the recommendations of its auditors.  *New compliance tool rolling out this year.    Art reported on his experience sitting on the NASFAA board and announced that NASFAA is in the process of creating another really cool tool (think AskRegs) for the membership that will be unveiled at the 50^th Anniversary Celebration!  I personally can’t wait for this one.

Other Kansan’s who are participating in RMASFAA in meaningful ways are:  Aimee Campbell from Southwestern College who just agreed to be the Kansas representative on the Association News committee, Christal Williams from Johnson County who is participating on the Conference Program sub-committee, LaLisa Coley from Hutchinson Community College and Sheelu Surender from Wichita State University who are participating on the Diversity & Multi-Cultural Initiatives committee, Russ McBee from Dodge City Community College and Macklin Schwartz from Emporia State University who are on the Electronic Initiatives committee – Russ is serving as the chair this year, Brandon Winters from Manhattan Christian College who is serving on the Membership committee, and Lois Madsen from Kansas Wesleyan University, Sara Vancil from the University of Kansas and Angie Zoerlin from Wichita State University who are on the Summer Institute committee – Sara is serving as Faculty Dean and Lois is also serving on the Training committee.  (If I have forgotten your name – please let me know.)

It is nice to see Kansas active and alive in the programming of RMASFAA!

Winter Board Meeting

The KASFAA board met for their winter meeting on Leap Day in Wichita on the Southwestern College Professional Studies campus.  KASFAA is an organization that is in the process of re-imagining itself.  I can tell you that I am extremely proud of the work of the leadership and their committees this year!  We are definitely moving forward and making progress!

 Items of Note: 

2016 KASFAA Spring Conference

Registration is now open for KASFAA Forever Royal in Manhattan, Kansas!  The event will be held April 20-22 and promises to be another fabulous and valuable two days.  Along with the standard favorites, Megan McClean from NASFAA and the Department of Education trainer will be there and plans are on the table to discuss prior-prior year as well as the Perkins program – we hope you can attend!

KsFAFSA.org

Also going strong is the new website that has been cataloguing the FAFSA completion events and FAFSA informational events that are occurring around the state.  Together our individual financial aid offices have been working hard to serve many students around the state.  It is something for us all to be proud of!  This effort replaces College Goal Sunday for the current year while the national College Goal Sunday folks reorganize themselves and decide what their focus will be for the future.  Look for more to develop in this area in the future.  A big think you to Linda and her group for their efforts in this area.

Online KASFAA Fact Poster

Make sure that you check out the location and design of the new KASFAA ONLINE Fact Poster.  The link is listed on the High School page under the Scholarship & Financial Aid Resources heading.  This has been a two year project of this committee – started by Shannon Davis from Seward County Community College and her committee and headed by Stephannie DeLong from Southwestern and the 2015-2016 Publicity and Awareness committee this year.  The poster contains links directly to the financial aid websites for important contact and financial information.  I’m sure this committee would welcome your feedback on this effort.  Help me congratulate them on taking on a lengthy project and doing an excellent job to get it finished!

Training Committee

The training committee presented a plan to reimagine the delivery of high school counselor training in 16-17.  This committee begins their work right away after the April conference so it was important to get a plan nailed down as soon as possible.  Next year we will be scaling back on individual events and collaborating with the Kansas Counselor’s Association to touch as many counselors as possible.  The group will also be piloting a recorded training session that will be available for counselor’s to watch at any time on our website.  Big thank you to Lois Madsen from Kansas Wesleyan University for spearheading the “thinking outside the box” for KASFAA in this critical area.

2015-2018 KASFAA SLRP

The board adopted slightly updated objectives and are in the process of creating goals to help carry our work into the 2018 year and forward.  New objectives designed to give the board permission to evaluate itself and the KASFAA structure for efficiency as well as to maximize volunteer effort were added.  The board hopes to finalize the goals and have them published shortly following the April meeting.  KASFAA is working hard to ensure its success well into the future by building on important foundational documents that have been put into place by forward-thinkers from our past.

I could go on about the good things that are happening in the KASFAA organization.  I cannot stress enough what a pleasure it has been this year to work with outstanding people on the good work that KASFAA does.  This organization is strong, focused on serving students to the best of our ability and tirelessly working to ensure that important KASFAA programs are a success!  Thank you all for the opportunity to serve as your President.

Brenda Hicks

President, KASFAA

DMCI Scholarships

DON’T MISS OUT . . . . DMCI Scholarships!

The RMASFAA Diversity and Multicultural Initiatives (DMCI) Scholarship is available on the RMASFAA website!

The scholarship is to assist RMASFAA members with costs to attend either the RMASFAA Summer Institute or the RMASFAA Annual Conference.

Whether you want to attend RMASFAA Summer Institute in the historic city of Golden, CO (June 12 – 17) or attend the RMASFAA Annual Conference in beautiful Rapid City, SD (October 23-26), submit the application before the deadline!

The deadline to submit the application is April 1, 2016.

The scholarship is intended primarily for underrepresented communities, although, please do not hesitate to apply should you be interested in advocating for the mission of the DMCI Committee.

You will find the scholarship application on the RMASFAA website under “Online Forms”.  Below is the link to the application:

2016 DMCI Scholarship Application

Note:  You must be a current member to be considered for the scholarship, so please make certain that your payment is current.

If you have difficulty with the application process, please contact Nicole Casey at ncasey@csm.edu.