Tomorrow is the last day for NASFAA members to save $100 by taking advantage of the extended conference preregistration deadline of June 24

Bob Shireman, Deputy Undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Education, will be the keynote speaker at this year's NASFAA Conference in San Antonio, Texas and deliver the opening address on July 12.

"We are enormously pleased to have Mr. Shireman speak at our conference," said NASFAA President and CEO Dr. Philip Day. "Bob Shireman is the Obama administration's point man on college financial aid issues, and is a highly respected and thoughtful leader. In these times of important changes to the financial aid programs, Undersecretary Shireman is the perfect keynote speaker ."

Shireman is replacing Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the conference agenda. Secretary Duncan has a scheduling conflict which precludes his previously announced plans to address the NASFAA conference.

Shireman advises the Department on college financial aid issues and other higher education initiatives. A leading expert on college access and financial aid, he previously served as a congressional appointee to the Federal Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, an advisor to U.S. Sen. Paul Simon and as part of President Clinton's White House National Economic Council. Shireman is founder of the Institute for College Access and Success, which has become an influential voice in policy discussions, about financial aid, student loans, and other issues related to students' ability to go to college. Shireman holds a bachelor's degree in economics from University of California at Berkeley and masters' degrees from Harvard in education and the University of San Francisco in public administration.

In addition to the opening address from Deputy Undersecretary Shireman, NASFAA's national conference will feature an update on NASFAA's National Conversation Initiative and host a number of conference sessions presented by Education Department staff. The Department will also host a resource room where attendees can meet with staff from the Department of Education regarding Student Aid related issues.There will be an Ask a Fed area and other staff will be on hand to address COD and NSLDS issues. EDExpress staff will be available for questions and demonstrations of the product. Participation Management (PM) staff will also be available for assistance. Schools new to Direct Loans planning to use EDExpress to process with the COD system are encouraged to visit.

In addition to ED's participation, there is something to suit every interest including session tracks for those interested in research, technology, graduate and professional issues, enrollment management, student access and diversity, and financial literacy to name a few.

Tomorrow is the last day for NASFAA members to take advantage of the extended conference preregistration deadline of June 24. You will save $100 on your conference registration by registering online www.nasfaa.org/Subhomes/AnnualConference2009/registration.html before the extended deadline expires.

Hotel rooms are still available in San Antonio. To book a hotel room at one of the conference hotels, see the housing information on the conference web site at www.nasfaa.org/SubHomes/AnnualConference2009/housing.html San Antonio and the NASFAA conference is the place to be from July 12-15. Don't miss out on what promises to be a conference that will exceed your expectations!

Posted 06/23/09 to www.NASFAA.org. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited. Please submit Web site questions or comments to Web@NASFAA.org.