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The motivation to develop a WASFAA Graduate/ Professional Segment comes from a desire to tap into the wealth of knowledge held by colleagues in the WASFAA region in order to expand networking and information resource opportunities that are shared by the graduate/ professional aid administrators in California. |
Graduate/Professional Committee The end of the conference marks the beginning and/or the continuation of the packaging season for 2002-2003 and leads the way right into exit interview sessions and graduation. This is the busiest time of the year for most financial aid administrators. Students have questions, the admission office wants answers, the business office wants money and you probably want to shout, "Calgon take me away". In addition to this, the financial aid administrators who work with graduate/professional students are helping their students navigate the course through after graduation deferments, forbearances, licensing exams, bar loans, residencies and internships. So, if Calgon can't take you away, what do you do? Contact a colleague! The WASFAA Graduate/Professional Contact List is a great place to find these colleagues. The contact list is just one of the projects the 2002-2003 WASFAA Graduate/Professional Committee is working on this year. The goal of the WASFAA Graduate/ Professional Committee is to unite financial aid professionals in the WASFAA region, into a network of financial aid administrators who generate ideas, discuss issues, and provide encouragement and information to each other. In an effort to accomplish this goal, the WASFAA G/P Committee will be working with the conference program committee to get Graduate/Professional interest sessions on the agenda for the 2003 conference in hopes of creating a WASFAA Graduate/Professional directory and contributing Graduate/Professional articles to the WASFAA Newsletter. The motivation to develop a WASFAA Graduate/ Professional Segment comes from a desire to tap into the wealth of knowledge held by colleagues in the WASFAA region in order to expand networking and information resource opportunities that are shared by the graduate/ professional aid administrators in California. In an effort to peak your interest in adding your name to the WASFAA contact list, I asked a few of our California colleagues to share a little bit about of their experiences and how they have benefited from their participation in the graduate/professional segment. "Fellow colleagues I met through the G/P Committee gave me confidence and a lot of the knowledge I accumulated during those years. It was very fortunate for graduate schools to have the Stafford amounts and aggregates increased. It took a network of graduate administrators to make that happen." "GP committee has allowed me the opportunity to develop my professional Financial Aid skills, by sharing and developing new ways of doing things. It has allowed GP staff to get together on various Topics and address various issues. As a group we have come up with some great ideas and solutions over the years." "I feel that I have personally remained "connected" in this industry by selecting to participate in this great committee as a lender and a school. It allows one the opportunity to get involved on a much smaller scale, yet have a large impact on a grander scale within the Financial Aid and Regulatory Industry." "Oh boy! Well, great people, great parties...oh I guess that's not what you meant! Okay, the GP Committee identifies and works on common problems that concern students and FA administrators.We work on enhancing and disseminating information to our colleagues as it comes from state and federal agencies. It is our mission to improve the communication concerning financial aid processes, regulations, interpretations of policy, and operations management in our professional field and to advocate for the benefit our students." "I think that the work of the Graduate/Professional Issues Committee serves a very important function. Just as CCCSFAAA focuses on the special needs of community college students, the Graduate/Professional Issues Committee concentrates its attention on the unique concerns of graduate and professional students.Without their presence the voice of the graduate student can get lost in the din of undergraduate interests. On a more personal note, I love working with a group of people who are dedicated to serving students' needs and have a lot of fun doing it. We rock! You can quote me, but I'm not so sure about the 'we rock' part." "GP has been a wonderful opportunity for me learn and value the differences in process and needs of graduate/professional financial aid offices from undergrads. I had always worked on campuses that had undergrads only. It also gave me a chance to know my colleagues in an environment where we working towards common goals - and not a competitive way. And I am deeply appreciative of that opportunity." Are you new to the Graduate/Professional Segment or the WASFAA region? Do you have questions, concerns, suggestions or just need to "vent" with someone who understands? Please submit your name, school, phone number and e-mail address to me at pcrawford@sssc.com and I will add you to the contact list. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 714-630-3593. Also, please contact me if you have ideas or suggestions for sessions you would like to see on the conference agenda, if you have a burning desire to contribute an article to the WASFAA Newsletter, or would like to nominate yourself or a colleague to be included in a "spotlight" newsletter article. Your contribution and participation is welcome and encouraged. |
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