President's Message
By Clyde Walker, TASFAA President

The 2007-08 year promises to offer significant challenges for our state association, many of which have never before been faced by TASFAA. The 2007-08 TASFAA Board has the experience and capacity to face those challenges, and to convert those challenges into opportunities.

Members of the 2007-08 TASFAA Board:

Executive Committee

• President – Clyde Walker, Vanderbilt University
• President-Elect – Jeff Gerkin, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
• Past President – Janette Overton, Johnson Bible College
• Treasurer – Melissa Smith, Vanderbilt University
• Secretary – Sara Reese, Aquinas College
• District I Chair – Torrence McKnight, Citibank Student Loan Corporation
• District II Chair – John Brandt, Union University
• District III Chair – Leslie Madden, Vanderbilt University
• District IV Chair – Allison Snyder, SunTrust
• District V Chair – Sandy Aston-Wash, Tennessee Technology Center-Harriman
• District VI Chair – Magi Lewis, Northeast State Technical Community College

Committee Chairs

• Association Governance – Forrest Stuart, Rhodes College
• Awards – Marian Huffman, Lee University
• Conference - Fall – Jeff Gerkin, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
• Conference - Spring – Karen Hauser, Vanderbilt University
• Counselor Internship – Cruzita Lucero, Northeast State Technical Community College
• Diversity – Sam Casarez, TG
• Electronic Services – Celena Rader-Lambdin, Lincoln Memorial University
• Governmental Relations – Ron Gambill, Edsouth
• Historical – Jan Lassiter, Edsouth
• Membership – Cara Suhr, Tennessee Technology Center-Nashville
• Newsletter/Public Relations – Terri Parchment, Edamerica
• Nominations – Janette Overton, Johnson Bible College
• Project Development – Clark Aldridge, Chase
• Site Selection – Joanie Walker, American Student Assistance
• Sponsorship Development – Sandra Rockett, Dyersburg Community College
• State Programs Liaison – Tim Phelps, Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation
• TASFAA Advisory Committee to TSAC – Janette Overton, Johnson Bible College
• Training – David Gelinas, University of the South

TASFAA Goals for 2007-08:

Budget and Finance
Some of our greatest challenges this year will come in the area of budgeting for the association and in the financing of our operations/activities. The environment in which we have operated for many years has changed dramatically without warning, and we must now adapt to this new operating environment. Our association may be forced to take a hard look at the events and activities that we have traditionally carried out, and may well face difficult decisions as we work together to prioritize our activities and to plan for the future. Simply stated, one goal for the year is to complete the year having expended less than we have taken in. To that end, our designated “Special Project” for the year will be in the area of budgeting and budget management, with the objective of learning more about the budgeting process in order to ultimately improve the way in which we budget and the methods by which we publish and otherwise communicate our financial standing to the association.

Conferences
We will continue to plan and carry out conferences that further the mission of our organization. TASFAA has a history of offering conferences of high quality, and our conferences this year will seek to continue that tradition by structuring conference offerings that will serve to inform, challenge and enlighten TASFAA members, from our newest and least experienced members to our most seasoned, most veteran members.

Ethics in the Administration of Financial Aid
Never has the importance of observing and following ethical principles in the administration of student financial programs been more critical, and certainly, the level of attention and scrutiny under which we operate as financial aid professionals has never been higher. It is important that we continue to offer learning opportunities for our members that are devoted to ethics and related topics during 2007-08.

Financial Aid Awareness
Another goal for 2007-08 is to help heighten the level of positive awareness of our profession and of the financial aid process. To help reach that goal, we will request that Governor Bredeson sign a formal proclamation officially designating February as “Financial Aid Awareness Month.” Several years have passed since the Governor signed a proclamation to acknowledge Financial Aid Awareness Month.

TASFAA History
An additional goal for the year is in the area of TASFAA history. In order for us to have a good perspective on where we are as a professional association, we must also have an understanding of TASFAA history. During the year, we will begin to develop a written history of our association, initially through the orderly acquisition of appropriate historical materials that will help to better document our history. We will acknowledge our past and celebrate our future by acknowledging TASFAA’s 40th “birthday” throughout the 2007-08 year.

At the first official 2007-08 Board meeting, held in July in Franklin, the Board approved the 2007-08 Budget as presented and also approved several related proposed changes to TASFAA’s financing structure. The Board also approved the creation of the “TASFAA Training Series” by bundling several traditional training events. Throughout the year, TASFAA will acknowledge and celebrate our 40th year as an association. The next scheduled Board meeting is set to take place on Sunday, October 21, in Franklin.

The Conference Committee is busy planning our fall conference, which will be held October 21-23, 2007, at the Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin. Jeff Gerkin, TASFAA President-Elect will chair the fall conference, the theme for which will be “TASFAA: In Focus”.