Region VII Report to Executive Council

June 2007 Meeting

It has been a very productive and challenging year for Region VII members. Attendance continues to be up at the regional meetings. The main focus seems to be training and the membership seeks guidance on the tough issues and legislation facing the profession.

The College Goal Sunday event for Nassau County was hosted at Hofstra Uninversity on Sunday, February 11, 2007. The focus of our site was to

assist families in the Hempstead Community with filing the FAFSA on the web. We attracted students from Hempstead, Uniondale and Sacred Heart

High Schools. College Goal Sunday - Summary :

On line Registrants 19

Attended 13

"walk ins" 23

Total Families 36

The FA 101 workshop was held on March 2 in Farmingdale. 42 colleagues attended and the reviews were very positive. The agenda was designed for non-financial aid staff like admission, EOP/HEOP, academic advisors, registrar, bursar and cashier’s offices and included:

ACG/Smart grant updates, a review of the FAFSA process and an overview of why students “lose” their aid. Part of the day’s training included an overview of the aid programs, professional judgment and academic standards for progress and the appeals process.

The Intermediate Training was held on April 13 at Hofstra University. The agenda included ACG/Smart Grant update and discussion, Sunshine Act and the NY AG’s press release and its impact on offices. Mark Kantrowitz was the presenter. This full day of training also offered a professional leadership training by an outside trainer.

The Tri-regional meeting was held on May 4 at NYU and the presenters included Dave Canaski and Jim Ross and John Austin. The full day’s training was planned and organized by Regions 5, 6 and 7 and it was an excellent program. The agenda included a HESC update, a NYSFAAA update by Dave as well as sessions on Web Technology, Audit Findings and Financial Literacy. It was an exhausting, but information-packed meeting.

The regional membership looks forward to having more training opportunities as we begin to plan for next year’s activities.

A low-key summer meeting is currently being planned at Molly Malone’s in Bayshore on June 21. The meeting will be a wrap up of the year and discussion.