Hi, VASFAA!

What an honor it is to be addressing you as your incoming President.  Thank you for your support and thanks to the many folks that will be serving with me as board members and committee chairs.  Giving back to an organization that has nurtured my career and given so much to me professionally is truly rewarding.

A new year is upon us.  Your Board recently wrapped up our annual transition retreat.  This year we returned to Carter Hall in Millwood, VA from June 16-18^th.  The 2018-2019 Board wrapped up a successful year and officially handed the VASFAA reins to me and your 2019-2020 Board members.  Congratulations to our outgoing board for a successful year!

As we all learned at our spring conference, this is sure to be a busy year in the Commonwealth as the there are several priorities for higher education from the current administration.  This is exciting, as it allows VASFAA the opportunity to share thoughts with legislators and leaders in Richmond.  My priorities this year include:

•    Widening VASFAA’s reach by bringing events to different parts of the Commonwealth; more on this later
•    Increasing participation
•    Finalizing outreach and high school guidance counselor resources
•    Exploring how VASFAA may increase its advocacy activity
•    Remaining financially sound to ensure VASFAA’s long-term viability
•    Continuing to provide quality and timely training
•    Providing varying modes for member feedback

This year’s theme is “Oh, the places we’ll go!”  I think it describes some of our professional journeys, where I hope we are as an organization, and it’s just fun!  For many of us and our students, Dr. Seuss piqued our curiosity and fostered learning at an early age.  Why not rely on that foundation for our theme?  How many of us thought we’d become financial aid administrators?  It’s a career that ropes us in, yet keeps us because it’s so rewarding.  Also, as VASFAA launches into its 52^nd year, we have come a long way.  Innovation in higher education, new programs, and regulations require constant change.  This is not a stagnant profession; we’ll be going places.  And hopefully, through our advocacy work we can help chart that course.

VASFAA will be going to some new places for events this year too. J  I hope all of you will participate, and for those that have sat on the sidelines for a while or who have never really gotten involved, I hope you’ll consider coming to an event.  On September 19, Hollins University will host our fourth annual Director’s Summit.  It is sure to be a great time to ask questions and share ideas with colleagues and to get an update from the Government Relations committee.  On October 11th, Blue Ridge Community College will play host to our daylong fall training which is great way to gear up for the 2020-2021 aid cycle.  Finally, the Westin at Virginia Beach Town Center will host our annual conference in late April.  Details on all these events, including times and agendas will be forthcoming.

With warm wishes for a great year,

Brad Scaggs

2019-2020 VASFAA President