Colorado

Mesa State College
Tina Peltier, former Loan Counselor, has left to take a job in a local bank. Jeff Doyle, former Processing Counselor, moved to the finance office at the college. Jamie Penry, former Financial Aid Counselor, has taken a job with the Mesa State College Foundation. Jon Wilson, Work-Study Counselor, has retired.

With all of these departures, Mesa State College's Office of Financial Aid welcomes Marianne Mercado, who switched jobs with Jamie and is now a Financial Aid Counselor. Jim Ciha is also a new Financial Aid Counselor. Jim is originally from Wisconsin and is a former high school math teacher and adjunct math professor. Patty Diekman is the new Work Study Counselor. Patty was formerly the Student Payroll Specialist at Mesa State. Ashley Caddy is the new Process Counselor. Ashley is a recent Adams State College graduate.

The University of Northern Colorado
Two new counselors started in March – Erin Poszywak and Karen Bennett. The University also welcomed two new babies – Cole James Peterson arrived on 3/28 to Chris Peterson, Associate Director, and his wife, Jill. Canton Reano Sandstrom was born on 4/4 to Bob Sandstrom , Systems Manager, and his wife, Kristen.

CSU’S New Online Campus Opens for Business
Denver – The Colorado State University System has officially begun enrolling students in a new generation of online degree programs that will be offered under a new enterprise called CSU-Global Campus. The new campus will serve the growing number of nontraditional students who would not be able to travel to a physical campus to complete a four-year degree or earn a master’s degree.

After more than a year of researching the educational online market, the CSU System saw an opportunity to dramatically increase access to a high-quality public education by offering it to students at the time and place of their choice.

“CSU has been successful in attracting students who have the financial resources and with high index scores. However, the traditional university paradigm is challenged with providing access to broader student populations, particularly those who are geographically isolated from a campus, working or otherwise considered nontraditional students,” said Rich Schweigert, chief executive officer of CSU-Global Campus.

CSU-Global Campus will be its own enterprise, with its own faculty and staff. It will also be the first of its kind in the western United States, among large public research universities.

The new online campus can respond quickly to changing market needs, unlike traditional four-year institutions that do not always have the flexibility to adapt to meet urgent market and societal demands. By offering programs that are career-relevant and tailored to existing and emerging industry and occupational trends statewide, the new online campus will help maintain Colorado’s economic strength and resiliency.

The online campus offers individualized road maps for each student to ensure success. Success advisors will create personalized plans for program or course selections taking into account the student’s goals and lifestyle. Progress checkpoints will help gauge the student’s learning curve. Additionally, there will be a 24-hour response time from faculty to create a more personal setting. Students can also work with advisors to develop an acceleration plan for degree completion.

Kansas

McPherson College
Sara Brubaker, Financial Aid Assistant, and her husband Pete welcomed a new daughter as of April 17. Hannah Grace Brubaker was 5 lbs. 2 oz.

University of Kansas Medical Center
Angie Dopp transferred to the KU main campus to work for Systems Information Systems, Kristi Nicol has been promoted as the new Associate Director, Mark Corona and Laura Dean are new Coordinators, and Linda Gill is the new Senior Coordinator in the Financial Aid office. 
 
Wichita Technical Institute
Lynna Williamson, Financial Aid Director, is marrying Jayson Cherry June 20th and Kristen Rose, and Financial Aid Representative is also getting married on July 3rd to Ben Brownlee.
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News from KASFAA President – Gail Palmer
Our spring conference, "Celebrating 40 Years of KASFAA - Planning Our Future" was held April 2-4, 2008 in Topeka, KS with 216 in attendance. The awards banquet concluded with the presentation of length of service and special recognition awards.

The following special recognition awards were presented:
HALL OF FAME AWARD
Carol Wirthman, US Bank
Deb Byers, Wichita State University

OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD
Brent Carpenter, USA Funds

MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD
John Pappas, Student Loan Xpress

The KASFAA presentation, "Getting Things Done: A Story of three Financial Aid Administrators," was accepted to present at NASFAA in July 2008. Gail Palmer (KASFAA President, Washburn University), Jennifer Hill (Washburn University) and Linda Oldham Burns (Kansas Board of Regents) are the presenters. These ladies also presented at our spring support staff workshops held in Emporia and Salina.

Montana

Montana State University
Angie Helland, Assistant Director of Loans, had a beautiful baby girl named Danika Joy on April 29th. She is currently on maternity leave and will return to work in June. Julie Watson has been promoted to Customer Service Manager/Financial Aid Specialist at Montana State University.

Safford Named Montana College Goal Sunday Coordinator
Nonprofit Student Assistance Foundation’s Rhonda Safford has been named the state-wide College Goal Sunday coordinator for Montana.

Safford replaces Libby Siebens who spearheaded the Montana College Goal Sunday effort for the past four years. Siebens recently accepted a position as a grant coordinator at Wenatchee Valley College in Washington.

“Rhonda has worked with SAF and its affiliated company for almost 14 years in a number of capacities,” said Kelly Chapman, SAF’s executive vice president of Foundation Activities. “She brings a tremendous amount of experience and enthusiasm to this position.”

In addition to coordinating volunteer College Goal Sunday efforts at 18 sites across the state—Dillon will be a new College Goal Sunday site in 2009—Safford will continue to provide assistance to Montana foster care youths.

Safford oversees SAF’s Education and Training Voucher program in cooperation with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS). In addition, she organizes the annual “A Step Ahead” College Preparatory Camp for foster youths.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with financial aid professionals and other volunteers from across the state to bring College Goal Sunday to Montana students and families,” Safford said. “This has been an extremely successful program, and I look forward to guiding it into the future.”

Safford is a mother of two daughters, ages 15 and 18. When she isn’t performing her duties at SAF, she enjoys spending time in the Montana outdoors, running, biking, hiking and skiing.

News from the MASFAA President, Judy Chapman
The Montana Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators held their 40th MASFAA conference in April. As President-Elect of MASFAA, I was responsible for the program and I thought it would be fun to briefly look at the history of federal financial aid. From 1862 to 1964, 102 years, there were four major federal financial aid acts. From 1965 with the Higher Education Act to 2007 with the CCRAA, 44 years, there were 11 major acts listed. Do you see a pattern here?

Forty years is a milestone for our Association. I remember Melina Hawkins recalling how she was the first woman to be involved with MASFAA which, up to that time, had been a ‘boys club’ in Melina’s words. The foresight of the ‘boys’ in Montana to get together to talk about their students and how best to get federal aid to them makes me wonder what financial aid folks will say about ‘us’ forty years from now.

My finite brain cannot imagine what federal financial aid will look like in 40 years, or for that matter, one year from now. What I do know is that I am proud to be a member of the financial aid community in Montana, in the Rocky Mountain Region and the nation. The people I work with on a daily basis are my colleagues, but more than that, they are my friends. Their purpose and passion for their jobs to help students realize their educational dreams is inspiring. The many young professionals who were in attendance at MASFAA’s 40th remind me of my responsibility and it confirms to me what my mentor said a few years back – “We better be really good at what we do.” That is quite a legacy to live up to, but I know if anyone can do it, we can.

Nebraska

Nebraska Financial Literacy Week a Success for Nebraska College Students, NeASFAA and NSLP
From March 31 through April 4, NeASFAA and NSLP teamed up to deliver ten financial education seminars to college students on eight campuses across the state as part of Nebraska Financial Literacy Week. The goal of the week-long event was to enhance the money management skills of college students and to raise public awareness about the importance of a sound financial education for young adults.

Governor Dave Heineman declared March 31 through April 4 as Nebraska Financial Literacy Week at a proclamation ceremony attended by representatives from NeASFAA and NSLP.

Throughout the week, NSLP’s expert accredited financial counselors delivered financial education seminars on Frugal Living, Tackling Debt, Your Credit Life Story and Signing on the Dotted Line to college students at:

• Grace University
• Hastings College
• Mid-Plains Community College - McCook
• Mid-Plains Community College - North Platte
• Nebraska Wesleyan University
• Northeast Community College
• University of Nebraska - Kearney
• University of Nebraska - Omaha

College students overwhelmingly rated the sessions “very good” to “excellent” on their evaluations. According to one student from McCook, “I learned a lot from this seminar and I believe it will increase my opportunities later in life.” Sessions at Nebraska Wesleyan and Northeast Community College drew the largest number of students after financial aid office staff encouraged faculty members to offer their students extra credit to attend.

According to Tony Chapman, Assistant Director of Financial Aid at Hastings College, “NSLP’s wide variety of educational programs should be required for all college students. These simple, eye-opening programs give our students the solid base they need to be financially successful and to win the most important game—life.”

The sessions were also attended by James Wright, legislative aide to Congressman Lee Terry; and by Bonna Wanek and Jordan Dux from Congressman Adrian Smith’s office. They encouraged students to take advantage of the financial management resources offered at the sessions.

Nebraska Wesleyan University’s president, Dr. Fred Ohles, advised students that sound financial decisions are more important than ever before because what we do follows us for years. University president Dr. James Eckman opened the session at Grace University with a similar advice for his students.

NeASFAA and NSLP also garnered some statewide publicity from the sessions – including newspaper articles in Lincoln and Norfolk, and TV interviews in North Platte and Hastings. This provided visibility for the college, NeASFAA and NSLP and furthered our objective to raise awareness for the need for financial education for college students.

NeASFAA’s institutional members were invited to participate in Nebraska Financial Literacy Week by hosting NSLP’s financial literacy seminars on their campuses. NSLP has extended an invitation to NeASFAA to partner on a similar event this fall. Several schools have already expressed interest in participating. If your campus wants to be involved, please contact Pauline Balta, NSLP’s Financial Literacy Coordinator, at 402-479-6858 or e-mail paulineb@nslp.org.

North Dakota

Bank of North Dakota (BND)...
...recently moved into its new location near the banks of the Missouri River in January, 2008. The Guarantor, BND Student Loan Services and College Information Service are all located on the 2nd floor in the new building.

The new street address for Bank of North Dakota is 1200 Memorial Highway, Bismarck ND 58504.

Valley City State University
After a short absence, Patti Rickford returned to the Financial Aid Office as Administrative Assistant. Patti was previously employed half-time in the office. She moved to a full-time position in the Registrar’s Office last summer. Recently, the position was expanded to full-time and the financial aid office was pleased that Patti expressed an interest in returning. Please feel free to send Patti a ‘welcome back’ at patti.rickford@vcsu.edu.

Sitting Bull College
Donna Seaboy, Financial Aid Director, received the 2nd annual Staff of the Year award at an employee appreciation day on May 2nd. She received a plaque and $500. The award is based on leadership, involvement in school activities and committees, and bringing awareness of Sitting Bull College to the public. The recipient is nominated by peers and selected by the SBC administration.

Shelby Zahn, Administrative Assistant to the Student Services Department at Sitting Bull College, gave birth to a 6 lb 12 ounce baby boy on May 21st. Shelby began employment at SBC in September, 2007. She also serves as the site coordinator for College Goal Sunday at Sitting Bull College.

News from the NDASFAA President, Donna Seaboy
NDASFAA is very fortunate to have a wide array of talented and knowledgeable people in the association. I am delighted to represent NDASFAA as its President this year and am working hard to encourage others to step forward to accept the challenge of leadership roles in our state, regional and national associations.

I am pleased to announce the names of NDASFAA members who were recognized at the spring conference held in Bismarck in April for their accomplishments this past year:

• President Shirley Hanson awarded the President’s Award to Don Flaherty for his leadership in NDASFAA. Don has served in the capacity of President and Secretary for the association and is the current chair of the RMASFAA Finance and Audit Committee. Don also served as the chair of the 2007 Professional Development Committee for NDASFAA.
• Carla Toso was recognized for 25 years of service to NDASFAA. Carla is employed at University of Mary, Bismarck.
• NCHELP President Brett Lief was awarded special recognition from President Hanson as a “Friend of NDASFAA”.
• Laura Teigen, Student Loans of North Dakota, Katie Nettell, Lake Region State College, and Brenda Zastoupil, University of Mary, received the Inspirational Leadership Award for all their hard work leading us through our first year of College Goal Sunday.
• Robyn Bancroft was given the Rookie of the Year award for her leadership as Chair of the Volunteer Committee for College Goal Sunday.

At its 2007 NDASFAA spring conference, the NDASFAA Executive Board initiated a policy of awarding Years of Service Certificates to its members who have served 5, 10, 15 and 20 years in the financial aid business. The recipients at the 2008 conference are:

• 20 Years
  • Peggy Kuck, Education Assistance Corporation
  • Scott Maher, North Dakota University System, HECN-SIS
• 15 Years
  • Mary Gerardy, North Dakota State University
• 10 Years
  • DW Eiler, Wells Fargo Education Financial Services
  • Robyn Hoffman, Office of the State Auditor
  • Dennis Junk, North Dakota University System
  • Debora Murray, Rasmussen College
  • Mary Smith, Medcenter One College of Nursing
  • Janell Thomas, Medcenter One College of Nursing
• 5 Years
  • James Barnhardt, Student Loans of North Dakota
  • Linda Grover, Minot State University - Bottineau
  • Michelle Marks, North Dakota State University

South Dakota

Kelli Johnson, Citibank Student Loan Account Manager, and family welcome Madylan Ann. Madylan joined the gang on March 28, weighed 8 lbs. 10 oz., and was 21.1 inches long.

Mapping Your Future (MYF) honored two Education Assistance Corporation employees at their recent conference held in Boston, MA. MaryAnne Whitman, Client Relations Manager, received the MYF Award of Excellence. Tenille Manning Heier, Writer/Editor, was given special recognition for her efforts in leading the MYF Content Team during the recent redesign of the MYF web site.

At the recent SDASFAA Conference held in Sioux Falls, two SDASFAA members were recognized with special awards. Laura Olson, Financial Aid Director at the University of Sioux Falls, received the Douglas Steckler Professional Development award. Jay Larsen, Financial Aid Director at South Dakota State University, received the Outstanding Service award.

John Martin, son of David & Laura Martin, will be wed to Nicole Rabenberg on Saturday June 7, 2008. Their anniversary should be easy to remember as it will be 06/07/08. David is the Financial Aid Director for the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.

David & Laura Martin enjoyed visiting friends and classmates during the annual alumni banquet for Fairfax High School, Fairfax, MO. This was David's 35th and Laura's 33rd high school reunion. David is the Financial Aid Director for the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.

News from the SDASFAA President, Cindy Swinson
Our spring conference was held March 31st - April 2nd this year in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Our theme was “Planting the Seeds…” but winter decided to hold on just a bit longer than usual in South Dakota this year, so we got off to a slow start with all the new snow that fell that morning. But, being hearty South Dakotans, we all managed to make it to the conference by the second day! I’m sure the snow was my payback since I “promised” the RMASFAA Board of Directors that we would not have snow for RMASFAA ’08 this fall!

We held our conference at the hotel and convention center where we will be holding RMASFAA ’08. This enabled us to “work out the bugs” that we may have run into this fall. We are sure that you will find the facilities top-of-the-line and the RMASFAA ’08 conference committee is planning a very informative and fun conference for you.

See you October 19-22, 2008 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at RMASFAA ‘08. I’m sticking with my promise—no snow!

Utah

UASFAA just celebrated their 40 anniversary at their annual conference in beautiful Midway, Utah. As usual, the sessions were interesting and informative. UASFAA members also participated in “UASFAA idol” and a karaoke event that proved talent is bountiful here in the state.

Utah is also pleased to have hosted this year's RMASFAA Summer Institute. For the first time in RMASFAA history, the event was held on the campus of the University of Utah.

Dina Nielsen, UASFAA President, has announced her bittersweet promotion to Assistant Dean of Students at Southern Utah University. While she is excited for the opportunity, she is sad to lose some great associates and has threatened to crash conferences. She appreciates all that her colleagues have contributed to her personal and professional development and hope to hear from all of you.

Wyoming

Eastern Wyoming College
The Financial Aid office has hired a new Financial Aid Clerk, Karyl Hutchinson. She brings a fun dynamic to their department and they are happy to have her as part of their team. Marilyn Cotant, Vice President of Students Services, will be retiring at the end of June.

Northwest College
Beverly Bell is the new WyASFAA President, taking office in May at the business meeting during the annual WyASFAA conference in Cheyenne. Deborah Karst was hired permanently as the Hathaway Scholarship Technician at Northwest College. She had been serving in that position as a temporary hire for the last 18 months. Deb also graduated from Northwest College in December with her Associates degree in Business Administration.

The University of Wyoming
Dave Gruen, Director of Student Financial Aid at the University of Wyoming and NASFAA Chair-Elect, and Glenda Tucker were married in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 31. (No, Elvis did not attend the ceremony.) It took his staff several days to figure out the news, since HE TOLD NO ONE! Best wishes to Dave and Glenda.