Greetings to my SWASFAA Colleagues!

As all of our fall semesters seem to be flying by, I am hopeful that all is going well on your campus. Many of our institutions across the region have had an extreme increase in enrollment for the fall semester and an increase in FAFSA applications, which is all great for our institutions. Since all of these increases directly affect the Financial Aid Office, many have NOT had the luxury to hire additional personnel. So, thank you for all that you do for your students even when things might feel a little overwhelming!

Over the past few months, our association has continued to stay very busy all through the efforts of our dedicated board and committees members. My final two state visits will be during October to Texas and Louisiana for their conferences. The journey of visiting all of the state conferences in our region continues to be an honor and I truly appreciate their hospitality. The feedback from our many colleagues is invaluable and well appreciated!

Congratulations to the winners of our recent election for the 2010 board positions! The following positions will become effective January 1, 2010:

• President Elect - Laura Coponiti, University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma
• Secretary - Darlene Ellinger, New Mexico State University - Alamogordo
• Oklahoma Delegate-at-Large - Andrew Hammontree, Francis Tuttle Technology Center
• Texas Delegate-at-Large - Enrique "Henry" Garcia, Del Mar College

Congratulations to each of these individuals and thank you to everyone that allowed their name to be nominated for important roles in our association.

We were honored to host the NASFAA Conference in our region this past summer in San Antonio, Texas. It was well attended and very informative. The next NASFAA Board Meeting will be held in November in San Antonio, so we are pleased to host our NASFAA colleagues again while in our region.

Come "Rising Above...The Journey to Greatness" at our Annual Conference, Boot Camp and Mid Level Training throughout the week of December 7-11, 2009 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The committee has done an excellent job planning a very informative and educational agenda, so do not miss out. Registration and hotel reservation information is now available on the website at www.swasfaa.org.

We need you to please consider bringing your talents and ideas to us by getting involved in our association. It only takes a small amount of time and effort to make a big difference, and the benefits and rewards are tremendous. I am asking that you will consider playing an important role in the success of our association. Volunteers are now being sought for 2010, so please visit our website to get involved. Lee Carrillo, SWASFAA 2009 President Elect is eagerly awaiting your name to be submitted as he works toward getting ready for the upcoming year.

Something to think about, we are responsible for providing our students with the financial aid information needed to guide them through the process. You do just that each day of your profession. You work your way through the regulatory mazes to help students to receive their financial assistance that is needed to further their education. Thank you for all that you do!

I will plan to see each of you at the annual conference in December in Albuquerque, which is the Hot Air Balloon Capital of the World. The conference will be here before you know it, so get prepared for an exciting training event and networking opportunity.

Sincerely,
Taina Savoit
SWASFAA 2009 President