I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the dedicated individuals who assisted me in leading MASFAA this year:

Cathy Kedski (Past-President), Tony Erwin (President-Elect, Past Treasurer and Acting Secretary), Pam McCafferty (Treasurer), Shawn Bennett (Executive Council), Carla Berg (Executive Council and Development), Karen Derouin (Executive Council), Ina Frye (Executive Council and CEED), Elayne Peloquin (Executive Council), Lori Seuch (Executive Council) and Nick Zinser (Executive Council), Shawn Morrissey and Duane Quinn (Archives), Sandra Coswatte and Kim Truong (CEED), Gail Holt, Paul Lynskey and Martha Savery (College Goal Sunday), Yvonne Gittens, Anne Marie Juckins, Scott McIsaac and Jamey Palmieri (Conference), Donna Wood-Lozier (EASFAA representative), Jill D’Amico, Debbie Moroney and Jean Berg (Early Awareness), Kathy Osmond and Bernie Pekala (Government Relations), Cheryl Constantine and Val Harris (Graduate and Professional Concerns), Daniel Barkowitz, Susan Beard, Bob Coughlin, Joyce Lezberg, Dee Ludwick and Robin Randall (Just the F.A.C.T.S.), Leslie Bembridge and Beth Feinberg (Membership), Lauren Urbanek and Dave Kelly (Newsletter), Jason Burke and Jason Shumaker (Professional Development and Training), Michael Ippolito and Joe Lahoud (Public Relations) and Leah Barry and Rob Callahan (Technology).

I would like to extend a very, very special thank you to Tony Erwin for his willingness to serve in multiple roles for me this year as President-Elect, Past Treasurer and Acting Secretary! I could not have gotten through this year without his contributions!

All of the above individuals worked very hard over this past year, and I am so very proud of all of their accomplishments! The following are some of the highlights of the past year:

• The Archives Committee which was new to MASFAA this year, began a collection of Association-related information, including minutes, photographs, newsletters and memorabilia, dating back to the Association’s inception in 1969. Please contact Shawn Morrissey if you would like to donate any items to the MASFAA archives.
  
  
• The College Goal Sunday Committee held its most successful College Goal Sunday event on Sunday, January 29, 2007. This event assisted 927 individual students and families with completion of the FAFSA at 17 locations across the state. Of these participants, 68% represented our low-income, first-generation target audience. Over 200 volunteers, from the MASFAA community and beyond, came out for this event.

• The Committee to Enhance Ethnic Diversity (CEED) hosted a lecture by Dr. Bridget Terry Long on college access in Massachusetts last October and a lecture by Dr. Peter Kiang on diversity, equity and student/community development in Asian American studies in June. The Committee also developed a library from which members can borrow books related to diversity. For more information on the books contained in the library, and how to borrow a book you might be interested in, please go to to this page.

• The Conference Committee put together one of the best conferences in MASFAA’s history at the Cape Codder Resort in Hyannis, MA last fall! The conference boasted 476 attendees over the three-day event. From the talent show, to the fantastic sessions, to the moving words of Dick Hoyt, the conference was an enormous success! The Committee will be hosting next year’s Annual Fall Conference November 7th-9th at the Newton Marriott in Newton, MA. Save the date!

• The Early Awareness Committee hosted yet another successful Carnival of Learning prior to the Annual Fall Conference. A group of students from a New Bedford middle school were introduced to the idea of extending their education beyond high school and, after listening to a very motivating speaker and visiting the college and career booths, left inspired to do so. The Committee also hosted their annual Journey to College event in June, which provided an opportunity for middle schools to partner with local colleges or universities to create programs that encourage young students to make higher education a primary goal. The Committee will offer three $200 scholarships to new early awareness programs that are created as a result of this program. The Committee’s new publication for middle school students, Jump Start Your College Savings, is now available. You can order a copy online at: http://www.masfaa.org/committees/early/ea_order_cst.php.

• The Government Relations Committee has been very hard at work this year developing talking points for the state legislature, collaborating with Senator Kennedy’s office on the Sunshine Act, and keeping the membership informed about the student loan inducement investigations and new legislation introduced in the Senate and the House this spring.
  
  
• The Graduate and Professional Concerns Committee held another very successful Graduate Symposium in December and, for the first time, hosted a spring Symposium as well. Both events were very well attended and received!
  
  
• The Just the F.A.C.T.S. Committee hosted another successful five-week (one day per week) training program using the NASFAA Core training modules this past fall. This program was a great, all-inclusive package for new aid administrators and the training was free to all paid members.

• The Membership Committee has been hard at work renewing memberships, soliciting new members, and making sure that you can search the database for colleagues who are current MASFAA members. For the first time ever in MASFAA’s history, we exceeded 900 paid members! Be sure to renew your membership for the 07-08 academic year to continue to receive all of the benefits of MASFAA!

• The Newsletter Committee has worked very hard this year to ensure that the membership keeps informed about legislative issues, happenings within MASFAA, and other topics of interest. The Committee published five fabulous issues of the MASFAA Newsletter this year’s in its new online format.

• The Professional Development and Training Committee hosted a number of great trainings this year, including the FISAP Workshop, the Need Analysis Workshops, the Learn from the Directors Workshop, the Support Staff Workshop, and the Novice Workshop. The Committee also launched the Emerging Leaders program this year, a fantastic new training series that provided professional development and leadership training to newer aid administrators with potential for future leadership.

• The Public Relations Committee hosted its eastern event at Jillian’s in Boston in September and its western event in January at L’uva in Springfield. The Committee also hosted a Worcester networking event at the Brew City Grill in April. MASFAA’s Closing Ceremonies will be held at Fenway Park on June 27th. I hope to see you all there!

• The Technology Committee kept very busy this year updating and enhancing the MASFAA website on a monthly basis. The Committee was crucial in keeping the membership up-to-date on MASFAA committee events, legislative happenings, etc.

I hope that you will all join me on June 27th at Fenway Park for MASFAA’s Closing Ceremony, which will include recognition of all of MASFAA’s volunteers, as well as the official gavel-passing ceremony!

Thank you all for a wonderful year! It has been a pleasure to serve you!