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News from NASFAA
2003 NASFAA Salt Lake City Conference
Interest Sessions, ED Advice, Awards, and Keynotes Conclude 2003 NASFAA Conference
Aid administrators, lenders, and members of the higher education community last week wrapped up the 2003 NASFAA Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. The annual event, held from July 9 to 12, hosted more than 2,500 conferees, speakers, and exhibitors.
Affirmative Action Upheld
On July 10 NASFAA was pleased to welcome John Matlock as the luncheon speaker. He is the University of Michigan's associate vice-provost and director of the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives. The lunch session was a late addition to the schedule in order to present the most recent information on the June 23 Supreme Court decisions that said UM may continue to consider race--among other factors--when determining undergraduate and graduate admissions.
Matlock briefed conferees on the outcome of the Supreme Court case and the future of diversity at UM. "How do we feel about the decision? In one word: wonderful," Matlock told conferees. "It has not been easy over the past seven years, but we have learned that lawyers and educators can get on the same page."
The university's legal strategy was "to show that there's an educational benefit to diversity," he said, noting that UM's case was helped by several factors, including: strong university leadership; a flood of endorsements for the university's admissions policy from the higher education community, corporations, and the military; data on the benefits of diversity; public support; and a good legal team.
ED Answers Questions
Jeff Andrade, deputy assistant secretary for policy, planning, and innovation for ED's Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), addressed recent press reports and congressional debate regarding a change in the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) formula, which some say could affect up to $5 billion of the annual $90 billion in need-based aid, beginning with the 2004-05 academic year. Controversy arose over concerns that the most recent available IRS tax tables used to determine financial need do not reflect current economic conditions.
"There was a misconception that there was some kind of conspiracy to reduce the Pell Grant, but ... the federal methodology for determining [need] has been the same for four decades," Andrade told FAAs. "Some people in Congress have tried to use this as a political opportunity."
Andrade and his colleagues from ED also talked about their expectations for the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act . "I think loan limits are shaping up to be one of the most contentious issues of this reauthorization," Andrade noted.
David Bergeron, chief of OPE's Policy Budget Development Unit, said "The good news is that we'll have the budget resolved far earlier than last year." The 2004 budget is already much further along than the 2003 budget, which was ultimately passed months after the start of the current fiscal year.
Interest Sessions
Over the course of the conference, attendees were able to pick and choose from among many interest sessions, including topics such as "Access and Persistence: Findings From 10 Years of Longitudinal Research, "Best Practices in Direct Lending," "Dollars, Demographics, and Demand: Strategies to Bridge the Growing Access Gap," and "Alternative Loans: What We Need to Know."
Conferees were able to attend a series of Department of Education interest sessions on a vast array of regulatory issues such as Common Origination and Disbursement, ISIR, eZ-Audit, and Return of Title IV Funds. Department officials also answered questions from attendees about regulatory and procedural issues concerned the administration of federal aid funds. Detailed articles on many of the Department sessions, as well as some of the other interest sessions, will appear on the Web site in the coming weeks. Also, handouts from many of the sessions are available at http://www.nasfaa.org/SubHomes/annualconference2003/handouts2003.htm. We are continuing to receive new handouts (including from the ED sessions), and will announce their posting in Today's News.
Finally, lenders and other members of the financial aid community presented business solutions seminars on topics ranging from credit reporting to loan approval to debt management.
Passing the Torch
At the July 11 luncheon and annual business meeting, NASFAA's 2002-2003 National Chair Charles Bruce officially passed the gavel of leadership to the 2003-2004 National Chair, David Myette.
"I'm bringing to a close a year that was filled with opportunity," Bruce told conferees. "When you realize how many wonderful people work in our profession, to be selected as the one person to provide leadership to our association is truly an honor."
Upon his acceptance, Myette told Members, "Like the national chair before me, I'll further the goal of removing barriers to higher education for students."
Myette also urged volunteerism in the coming year, calling it "the lifeblood of our association." He concluded by telling Members, "As chair I'm merely the hood ornament of the NASFAA Rolls Royce. You are the engine."
Awards for the 2002-2003 year were also announced at the Conference. Richard Tombaugh and Kenneth Wooten both received NASFAA's prestigious "Lifetime Membership" award, the highest award that NASFAA can bestow on one of its Members or an individual who is affiliated with a Member organization. A complete list of this year's award recipients will appear soon in Today's News.
Inspirational Words
The Conference concluded July 12 with a closing address by Liz Murray. Her inspirational story, "Homeless to Harvard," tells how Murray, the child of drug-addicted parents, triumphed over adversity. By age 15, her mother had died and she was living on the streets. Determined to make a better life for herself, she returned to school, completed high school in two years, and won a New York Times scholarship and entrance to Harvard.
The 23-year-old, who just transferred to Columbia to continue her education and be near her AIDS-afflicted father, thanked aid administrators, noting that she would have never gone to college without assistance. "You make dreams come true," she said.
By Elizabeth B. Guerard
NASFAA Assistant Director of Communications
Posted July 17, 2003 on
www.NASFAA.org, the Web Site of the
National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA).
Copyright 2003. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited
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