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MSFAA formally came into being as a logical
outgrowth of a number of unofficial aid administrator groups
meeting throughout the state. The most all-inclusive
of these groups was that which gathered periodically at
the offices of the Michigan Higher Education Assistance
Authority (MHEAA). The meetings, held at the MHEAA
headquarters in Lansing-East Lansing, were conducted to
discuss common problems with the state scholarship, tuition
grant and state GSL programs. While the focus of the meetings
centered on these issues, other common problems were discussed.
The other group of aid administrator meetings
prior to the formation of MSFAA were by type and control. The
Big Ten institutions had been meeting for some time, originally
to discuss athletic awards, but moved quickly into general
student aid concerns. The private institutions also
gathered under the auspices of their association for private
colleges, while the junior and community colleges met periodically
in Flint at the junior college there.
As these meetings occurred, the financial
aid funds available to institutions were increasing rapidly. The
first aid administrators' beginners workshops had been
held under the sponsorship of Don Allen, Director of Financial
Aid, Indiana University, to help personnel new to the profession
cope with administering the new aid programs. These
workshops were later taken over by MSFAA and conducted
under their sponsorship.
It was at the MSFAA meeting at Indiana
University in 1967 that the charge to formulate a Michigan
Aid Administrators group was given. It is interesting
to note that MSFAA was organized before many of its current
constituents. As part of the MSFAA program from
that particular convention, time was set aside for aid
personnel from each state to meet together, with MSFAA's
hope that we'd organize state associations. It was
at this Indiana meeting that those Michigan aid personnel
present selected a steering committee to lay the ground
work for the State organization. The individuals
selected for this committee were:
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| Henry Dykema, Michigan State
University, Chair |
| John Kimball, Alma College |
| Lee Fawcett, Wayne State University |
| Ed Harkenrider, Western Michigan
University |
| Dick Johnson, Genesee Community
College |
| Tom Blesch, Glen Oaks Community College |
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The first meeting of the group was scheduled
for Wayne State University in December, 1967. The
group met following the MSFAA meeting and all selected
members of the steering committee were present. It
should be noted that the steering committee members were
not necessarily selected based on type or control representation,
but because of their previous leadership roles within the
nucleus of Michigan aid personnel. This initial meeting
laid the groundwork for the Association. The following
officers were selected to represent the Association until
such time as the organization could be officially formed,
solidified and a formal election held.
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| Lee Fawcett, President, Wayne
State University |
| John Bogner, Vice President,
Lansing Community College |
| Ed Harkenrider, Secretary, Western
Michigan University |
| Jim Dryer, Treasurer, Olivet
College |
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The organization grew rapidly and gained
the formal "trappings" of any professional group. The
first newsletter and Association logo were developed in
Flint; a constitution was formulated and adopted; despite
some turmoil due to changes in employment and responsibility
(which saw a number of presidents serve terms longer than
one year), the Association prospered. During its
first year of organization, MSFAA officers met with presidents
in other states in the Midwest with the then Office of
Education-Chicago branch. It was there that MSFAA
shared with the other states our regional concept where
the state was divided into regions.
It was only a short time after the Association
was organized that its leadership was recognized under
the reign of its third President, John Kimball, Alma College. He
was the first MSFAA member invited to testify before a
congressional committee. Shortly thereafter, the
first MSFAA Summer Workshop was held at Michigan State
University. Ruth Schaeffer, Wayne State University,
Sister Xaveria Barton, Marygrove College and Dick Johnson,
Genesee Community College, presiding. This workshop
set the plateau and tradition for many to follow.
In 1972, the first MSFAA member was elected
to MSFAA. Michigan also began its tradition of providing
in-service training for its aid personnel, highlighted
by the commencement of the drive-in workshops in 1973. Workshops
for support personnel and other training activities, which
often preceded or followed the Federal FISAP workshops
were held in the Fall of each year.
It was not too long before the size of
the group grew to the point that its traditional meetings
with MHEAA could no longer be contained in those facilities. The
Kellogg Center in East Lansing became the site of future
meetings, until they moved and continue to be conducted
at the Michigan Department of Education offices in Lansing.
MSFAA currently boasts a membership in
excess of 500, including practicing lenders. The
Association achieved non-profit 501(c)(3) status in 1982
and continues to serve as a leader in state, regional and
national activities.
*Published in the MSFAA Year of the States-A
Look at the Past, October, 1985
Contributions to this history provided
by Ed Harkenrider and Dick Johnson |
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