Region 1 Regional Notes/Report

Notes/Report: DATE: January 1, 2008 - Region 1-November 20 NYSFAAA Region 1 Meeting November 20, 2008 Trocaire College Russell J. Salvatore School of Hospitality and Business Attendees: 30 total Jennifer Pollard, Sallie Mae; Lea Nicholson, Buffalo State; Beverly Chudy, Hilbert; Christina Horner, Villa Maria College; Dan Hunter, Emeritus Buffalo State; Curt Gaume, Canisius; Troy Martin, Houghton College; Holly Zaglaniczny, Ed America; Sean Hudson, D’Youville College; Katrina Delgrosso, Chase; Mary Koehnche, Canisius College; Michele Rizzo, Canisius; Dan Tramuta, SUNY Fredonia; Rachel Barker, NCCC; Marc Woolf, HESC; Lorraine Metz, D’Youville; Insherah Dwaik, D’Youville College; Jean Branicky, Medaille; Phyllis Michalski, NCCC; Kathleen Michalski, NCCC; Elaine Szczepanski, Hilbert; Adamgyl, Trocaire College; Jerome Moss, Key Bank; Ambrose Price II, Citizens Bank; Leigh Bove, Great Lakes; Diane Stuzenbecker, Jamestown Business College; Sister M. Diane Miller, Villa Maria, Janet McGrath, Trocaire; Kevin Ryan, UB; Brent McEnroe, UB. Conference Feedback: • One of the best conferences – grad/professional focus • Please complete the evaluation if you haven’t Buffalo 2010 – hosted by Region 1: we need to start planning chairs – co-chairs and committee members. Suggestion: have both novice members and experienced members on committees for future planning. Discussion: Included in long-range plan to centralize a conference committee, centralize locations and shorten the conference. We’re locked in for the four days for the next two years in Saratoga ’09 and Buffalo ’10. Conference issues will be on the agenda and an on- line survey is forth coming. Need to be conscientious of room rate nights. Transportation issues were not addressed: key speakers and guests and rides back and forth to airport. Status on NYSFAAA Blog – is it out there? It is used for the conference we should “blog” on all issues. Treasurer’s Report: Brent McEnroe Balance as of 09/11/08: $4,577.60 Minus: 09/29/08 $38.39 Luanne Brown (Bryant/Stratton Meeting Refreshments CK 561) 10/08/08 $2.00 Check Image Fee 10/24/2008 $100.00 Pearl Street Grill (December Meeting Deposit CK 562) 11/06/08 $2.00 Check Image Fee Total: $142.39 Balance as of 11/06/08: $4,435.21 • Region 1 sent flowers to Helen Lukasik her address is 312 North Street, East Aurora, NY 14052 if anyone is interested in sending a card. • Holiday party checks due 12/5 – Please chose turkey sandwich, beef on weck or veggie sandwich $15 pp, bring toys for Toys for Tots, make check payable to NYSFAAA Region 1 and send to Brent McEnroe at 306 Sundown Trail #3C Williamsville, NY 14221 • Revenue sharing deposits $808 and Wii bowling $100 for Spare Me • Trocaire will cover the costs of refreshments for today’s meeting. Thank you Janet! College Goal Sunday: Ambrose Price (will be on Saturday) 2/7/09 – Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts, 450 Masten Avenue Buffalo, 14209 from 10am-2pm. Contact: Ambrose Price at ambrose.m.price@citizensbank.com, 716-434-0231 or Rachel Barker at rbarker@niagaracc.suny.edu, 716-614-6205. This year will also include a scholarship fair: vendors from local businesses, institutions that offer scholarships, interest sessions i.e.: planning and saving for college 3 con-current time slots, targeting for 300 students. Looking for volunteers contact Ambrose or Rachel. Ratio 5:1 volunteers: student. Do not need to be a NYSFAAA member to volunteer. System in place to recruit volunteers. Looking for give-aways from colleges for participants. Last year of our grant from Lumina foundation – Volunteers please wear your t-shirt from last year if you have one. Committee has $1,000 to award scholarships – some state wide funding available from the Access Group. Niagara Falls HS – wants to do College Goal Sunday 2/17/09 in the evening 1-6:30pm, can we assist and staff that location. Over 400 members of the senior class at NFHS. Jamestown location – Faulkner HS – 2/8/08: lunch meeting on 11/21 committee in Jamestown – YMCA member will be joining Jamestown. YMCA is College Goal Sunday’s new sponsor. www.collegegoalsundayny.com will be up on or about 12/1/08. SUNY Financial Aid day – website will be live soon. Future Region 1 Meeting Dates: December 18th Pearl Street Restaurant January: no meeting at this time. February meeting not scheduled – if we need a meeting: SUNY Fredonia volunteered to host. March 19, 2009: ECC North April: no meeting at this time. May 21, 2009: Buffalo State College Executive Council Report: Cutting out many exec council meetings: 2 meetings: Feb & June on- site locations. Conference calls will replace on-site next one is December 9th. Issues to be addresses: long-range strategic plan finalized – Irv Brodosky pulled together all the feedback, sent it out to the task force, voted on the issues and added or removed issues as voted on. 41 pages final doc, asked for comments. Should have strategic plan in place – exec council needs to start to prioritize objectives: what are the highest priorities (1st year), next tier (year 2-3) and final tier (4-5 years out). This will be a working document. Treasurer – Brent McEnroe to co-chair State wide budget and finance committee. Curt stated that Brent was the best treasurer in the 8 regions. Proposal to have Treasurer mirror the Presidency with a Treasurer elect for 2-years and Treasurer for 2-years. This is a proposal – to establish more consistency. TAP – position paper on NYSFAAA’s opinion on the anticipated TAP cuts. NYSFAAA has always supported any grant programs that directly fund students. Howard Leslie working with training – strong focus on next generation committee – Curt asked that the committee focus on new technology for training. College Access Grant – first RFP will be submitted for the student counselor workshops. HESC included the student counselor workshop for funding from the Access Grant. Outreach to local political representatives in this year as budget cuts seem eminent. Rally to bring students to Albany. Long range vision for Curt – to bring the politicians back to NYSFAAA so we can be consulted on proposals. NYSFAAA & SUNYFAP presidents Curt & Carrie Cooper working together on these issues. Executive Council meeting will be February 9&10. In Albany. State meeting. in Albany will be on 2/10. What committees are out there in NYSFAAA? Sean Hudson from D’Youville College asked about the committees as a new person in the organization. Curt plans to send out state wide email with all committees and chairs. National College Fair: March 17 & 18, 2009 NYSFAAA Region 1 had a table in 2008; we need hand outs and volunteers. This will be at the Buffalo Convention Center. Suggestion: Print out questions – “what is a FAFSA?” “How do they apply for financial aid?” Pin the questions to he booth to bring people to the table? Kevin and Michelle will coordinate ordering material from FEDS. Kevin will send email out after first of the year for volunteers? Committee Updates: HS Counselor Workshop: NYSFAAA banner: where is it? Classics 5 – 12/3 – 112 registered at Classics St Bonaventure – 12/5 – 24 registered at St. Bonaventure Agenda: Federal update – Curt Gaume State update – Representative from HESC Financial Literary – Anne Barton Education Investment Planner – Jen Pollard Teach Grant – Dan Tramuta Admissions Advisor workshop: Coordination will begin after the first of the year. Workshop will be at the end of June. Probably at Classics 5. HESC Update: HESC Administrative Workshops We cordially invite college aid administrators, bursars, and others with HESC program responsibilities to join HESC staff for the 2008 HESC Administrative Workshops, our annual statewide training program. This series of one-day workshops for higher education professionals offers an ideal opportunity for higher education professionals to hear the latest developments in areas like default management, loans processing, and grants and scholarships administration. The deadline for registration is November 12th for the upstate workshops and November 26th for the downstate workshops. The sessions will be offered at no charge. We look forward to your participation. Did You Miss Us At The NYSFAAA Conference? If you were unable to attend one of the HESC Sessions at the NYSFAAA conference, we have put the presentations from the sessions on the HESC website. You may view the presentations in the What’s New section under College Administrators and Lenders at www.hesc.org. Topics included are: TAP Certification and TAP Tools HESC Loan Processing TAP Audit Issues FFELP Legislative Changes NYS Scholarship Update HESC Update Fall 2008 HESC Newsletter available online. This issue of the HESC Newsletter spotlights Curt Gaume, Director of Financial Aid and NYSFAAA’s new President. Also within this edition is On the Road to Marketplace, information on the new Challenge Grant being administered by HESC, and much more. The newsletter can be found in the What’s New section under College Administrators and Lenders at www.hesc.org. Access Grant - $8MM grant. Designed to serve under-represented students: professional development training, sub-grants targeted HESC workshop material from HESC website available on website Fall newsletter on line – spotlights Curt Gaume Progress on HESC Marketplace – it will happen, pilot the marketplace: Oswego, St. Johns, St Rose and Manhattan Mary Mount School, Lender and Guarantor News: No spring funding for new EOP/HEOP students. – Dan Tramuta Looking at the cost of private loans – trying to advise students better on private loans and the final costs. $10,000 private loan will cost the student 2.5 times more over the life of the loan. Dan Tramuta Teach Grant – Fredonia just paid $500,000 – does not pay like PELL. This program is a monster. Ambrose – lenders reaching out to schools to ask if they will be doing RFIs Identity Theft: Red Flag – security issues. SUNY said that credit cards cannot be taken in person. SUNY Fredonia cannot have staff take credit cards. Associate Director, Senior Director position, 2 counselor positions – 2020 plan. UB jobs website. R2T4 on web – student record status reports. Anyone else know about this. Whoever is attending FSA meeting please share details at the December mtg. Roundtable Discussion from EASFAA Meeting – 11/18/08 Michelle Rizzo, Canisius College Discussed new FAFSA for 09/10 and the new independent vs. dependent questions. POSTED BY: Kevin Ryan