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<p class="MsoNormal">Greetings, OASFAA friends! I hope you all had a wonderful break and were able to come back reinvigorated and renewed for the Spring term, for 2016 aid year set up and processing, and all the other things that await us! Now that I'm back
to work (who had a hard time listening to that alarm this morning??), it's time to get back on track with a few things.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">State Delegates serve SWASFAA for 2 year terms, and 2015 marks the beginning of my 2nd year as your Oklahoma delegate to the SWASFAA Board. Below is a summary of the November meeting.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The first meeting of the 2015 Board will be <b>January 26<sup>th</sup> and 27<sup>th</sup></b>, in Arlington, Texas. Should you have any questions or concerns that I can take to the Board, please let me know.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>The 2014 SWASFAA Board met for the final time on November 4<sup>th</sup> at Harrah’s New Orleans, the site of the annual conference. Andrew Hammontree, SWASFAA President, has been busy with travel. In late September, he traveled
to DC to meet with the NASFAA Executive Board and other regional presidents. The chief topics of conversation were challenges facing regions and how NASFAA can serve the regions, and the length of tenure the regional representatives have on the NASFAA Board.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>In early October, Andrew then attended the state conferences for Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. In mid-November, Andrew returned to New Orleans for a NASFAA Board meeting.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Boot Camp, the Leadership Development workshop, and the annual conference were held in New Orleans the week of November 3<sup>rd</sup>. Each had fantastic registration numbers (86 for Boot Camp, 235 for conference, and 30 for
Leadership) and all garnered very positive feedback. Eighteen vendors exhibited at the conference, 10 of which were new to SWASFAA.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>SWASFAA membership, as of the end of October 2014, when compared to membership at the same time in 2013, had increased by 38 member institutions.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Election of 2015 Board members was held September 2<sup>nd</sup>-11<sup>th</sup>. Janell Valdez, New Mexico, will serve as the President-Elect in 2015, and new Delegates-At-Large were voted into office for Arkansas, Louisiana,
and New Mexico.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Marilyn Schwarz, Oklahoma’s Philo Brasher Emerging Leader Award winner, was able to attend the Leadership Workshop and the conference. Given Marilyn’s new role over Institutional Research at Murray State College, she will no
longer be in financial aid. The workshop and conference were a sort of send-off for her. Marilyn, thank you for your service to OASFAA through the years!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>The Board approved the site and dates for the 2015 SWASFAA Boot Camp and Conference, so mark your calendars for November 2<sup>nd</sup>-6<sup>th</sup> at the beautiful Sandia Resort and Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Andrew wants to reintroduce the Mid-Level Training for SWASFAA members and has asked me to chair the Mid-Level Training Committee. Not only will this potentially serve the mid-level administrators, i.e., counselors, more adequately
than Boot Camp, but should also serve to remove some of the burden from Boot Camp, as Boot Camp has become quite large. Be ready for more details very, very soon.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Another of Andrew’s goals is to also increase the webinars that SWASFAA offers. To offer a unique aspect that other trainings often do not, SWASFAA wants to retain the “best practices” perspective that was used for professional
judgment in 2014. The topic for the initial webinar will likely be verification. Keep your eyes open for details on those as well. If you have any suggestions for topics and/or presenters, please let me know so I can pass those along!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Again, if you have anything that I can take to the Board, I will happily do so!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mendy Schmerer, M.Ed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Assistant Director<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Office of Student Financial Aid</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">1106 N. Stonewall, Rm 301</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Oklahoma City, OK 73117</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">(405) 271-2118, x 48817 (p)</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">(405) 271-5446 (f)</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:Mendy-Schmerer@ouhsc.edu"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:blue">Mendy-Schmerer@ouhsc.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><a href="http://www.ouhsc.edu/financialservices/SFA/"><span style="color:blue">http://www.ouhsc.edu/financialservices/SFA/</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><img border="0" width="39" height="39" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D028DF.DF8D1E90" alt="FB-f-Logo__blue_29"> Become our fan on Facebook:
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<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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