The New York State Financial Aid Administrators Association (NYSFAAA)
was founded in 1968 by a group of people involved in the financial aid
process. They, and others, felt a need for an association that would provided
unified representation and the means of communication among financial aid
personnel with the higher education community, and would provide educational
programs for the professional development of its members. Additionally,
the association would act as a liaison to the regional association (Eastern
Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators--EASFAA) and thus to
the national association (National Association for Student Financial Aid
Administrators--NASFAA.)
One hundred forty-seven members elected officers and councilman at-large
at NYSFAAA's Charter Conference held in Syracuse in October, 1968. Committees
such as Federal Relations, State Relations, and Professionalism, among
others, were established to deal with concerns that arose from charges
within programs to suggest and respond to legislation, to provide training,
and to facilitate communications among the financial aid community and
federal and state governments, as well as the NYSFAAA Council and NYSFAAA
members. NYSFAAA's first annual meeting was held in October, 1969, in Albany
NY.
According to the by-laws, officers would be elected in even years and
councilman in odd years for two-year term in order to maintain continuity
on the council.
Two types of memberships were established: Active-limited to persons engaged
in the direct administration of student financial aid in institutions of
higher learning in New York State; and Associate-available to those interested
in, but not directly involved in, the administration of financial aid.
The NYSFAAA Newsletter, originated in 1969 as a means of keeping the membership
apprised of issues, concerns, professional development, and changes within
the financial aid delivery system. Currently, the Newsletter is named "The
NYSFAAA Connection WebLetter" and is maintained on this website.
In 1973, at the annual conference, a group of aid administrators petitioned
the membership to consider an amendment to the constitution that would
regionalize the association based on the Regents New York State master
Plan so that all parts of the state would have representation on the NYSFAAA
Council. The amendment was passed and eight regions were established as
follows:
| Region I |
Allegheny, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara and
Wyoming counties |
| Region II |
Chemung, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Schuler,
Seneca, Steuben, Wayne and Tioga counties |
| Region III |
Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Madison, Onondaga,
Oswego, Otsego, Tompkins, and Tioga counties |
| Region IV |
Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Montgomery, Rensseler,
Saratoga, Schnectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington counties |
| Region V |
Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester
counties |
| Region VI |
Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond counties |
| Region VII |
Nassau and Suffolk counties |
| Region VIII |
Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties |
With professional development and education as primary goal, NYSFAAA conducts
an annual conference in October, an annual six-day Summer Workshop for
novices, and a number of other special interest conferences and workshops
throughout the year. In addition, regional meetings are convened by the
Regional Council persons.
The first NYSFAAA Web Site was created in 1994 and hosted on server space
provided by SUNY New Paltz. NYSFAAA was one of the first state associations
to have their own web site. The original NYSFAAA Website won recognition
at the NASFAA 1995 Conference. The award was presented at the NYSFAAA Conference
in October 1997. NYSFAAA Executive Council and the current Web Site Committee
would like to thank SUNY New Paltz and the original Web Site Committee
of 1995 for a strong start and the sturdy foundation which has helped to
make today's Web Site the excellent tool it has become for the communities
we serve.
Website Mission Statement
The goal of the NYSFAAA website is to provide
effective, efficient, and timely communications to our members and the
public domain that we serve.
As the primary vehicle for NYSFAAA communications, the website will include
any and all information on NYSFAAA activities; such as but not limited
to: Training, Conference, College Aid Awareness Network (CAAN), School
Counselor Workshops, organization Information (constitution, council, history,
policy & procedures, etc.), Newsletter, Regional Activities, Federal
and State Legislative Updates, Links to other pertinent sites.
The NYSFAAA Logo
Created by Joan Bruno of Iona College
The symbol in the center is a key representing the financial aid process.
The large concentric circle represents the federal, state, and institutional
resources we use in the financial aid awarding process. The middle concentric
circle represents the students we serve in the financial aid process. The
small concentric circle represents the financial aid officers. The three
circles converge at one point, at the key, and at that point the financial
aid process if developed.
