Save the completed report using Committee title and date ( example: WASFAA_JRSMLI_Feb_11.doc).
Submit your report via email to the WASFAA Executive Council listserv and post a copy to the Committee
webpage on the WASFAA website.
YEAR-END WASFAA Committee Report 2011-12
Executive Council Meeting Date
April 21, 2012
Executive Council Meeting Location
Benson Hotel, Portland, OR
Committee Information
Committee Name
Graduate and Professional Issues Committee (GPIC)
Chair(s) (Name, Place of Employment, State)
Mindy Bergeron, Chair, JFK University, Pleasant Hill, CA
Committee Members (Name, Place of
Jack Edwards, Graduate School of Business, Stanford, CA
*Josie Melton, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, CA
Kathleen Koch, Seattle University School of Law, WA
*LaNae Herrera, Claremont School of Theology, CA
Tami Sato, Southern Calif College of Optometry, Fullerton, CA
Employment, State) Please put an asterisk next to
first-time volunteers.
Committee Goals
Strategic Plan Goals that are being met (check all that apply)
Goal 1: Be a leader in providing training and professional development
opportunities that are responsive to members needs
Goal 2: Maintain the long-term financial stability of the Association
Goal 3: Assess and monitor the performance of the Association and implement
strategic adjustments
Goal 4: Continually improve methods and processes for communicating with the
membership
Goal 5: Increase the participation of members in WASFAA activities
Goal 6: Consolidate and communicate the public policy positions of financial aid
administrators in the Western region and provide members with the
support and education they need to further their own advocacy efforts
Goal 7: Maintain and enhance the ethnic diversity of our membership and the
Executive council
Goal 8: Collaborate and coordinate with other organizations and associations in
order to serve our members more efficiently and effectively
Specific Committee Goals (include progress
1. Contacted volunteers and established GPIC
toward goals and measurement of success)
Committee members from different types of GP
areas/disciplines, states and vendors who work
with GP schools and students.
2. Communicated current issues, proposals, and
legislation that affect GP students through EC
reports; listserv messages and wrote article for
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YEAR-END WASFAA Committee Report 2011-12
3.
4.
5.
WASFAA Newsletter
Developed and will present two GPIC interest
sessions at the upcoming conference. They are—
1.) GPIC roundtable discussion and 2.) financial
literacy (beyond what is normally done)
Promoted needs and issues of GP students and
encouraged legislative advocacy for this student
population
Review and update GPIC resource webpage on
WASFAA website (moved to next year with new
GPIC Chair)
Summary of Activities
1. Participated in NASFAA GPIC listserv to monitor national concerns.
2. Attended GPIC interest sessions at FSA Conference in Las Vegas, NV
3. Attended NASFAA Leadership and Legislative Symposium and was able to pick up ideas on
areas of concern to the GP population. One speaker in particular, Rohit Chopra, the Student
Loan Ombudsman for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, had some interesting
comments about private loans. He’s very “green.”
4. Sent messages to GPIC listserv re: current concerns
a. In-school Interest Subsidies - going away on Subsidized DL Loans for
GP borrowers on July 1, 2012.
b. Verification – how grad schools will manage students with unsubsidized-only loans.
c. Gainful Employment Regulations – The new requirements for reporting and
disclosures has had an effect on graduate certificate programs. Requesting USDE
approval for graduate certificate programs has become more complicated.
d. Obama’s recent proposals for DL - “special” DL consolidation; Income-Based
Repayment plan
e. Employment certification for Public Service Loan Forgiveness
f. GPIC Round Table at upcoming conference will focus on private lenders pulling out
of the private loan business. What is their future impact on GP schools?
g. Conducted conference call to discuss GP-specific issues. Used WASFAA’s Go-toMeeting service for conference call.
h. Wrote GP article for WASFAA Newsletter.
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YEAR-END WASFAA Committee Report 2011-12
Budget Information
Approved Budget
$
Budget Expenditures to Date
1.
2.
3.
-0-
TOTAL = $
Event Information (complete if applicable per location)
Event Name
-0-
Location
Date
Number
Cost of
Registration
Subtotal
Attendees
Complimentary Registrations (if
applicable – i.e., scholarship recipients)
Add more rows as needed for additional events.
Suggestions for Future Committee
1.
2.
3.
4.
Update WASFAA GPIC web page
To find out if there are more traditional Grad/Professional Schools who are changing and expanding by offering
undergraduate programs such as certificates and BA’s?
Try to work more closely with the WASFAA Federal Issues Committee.
How are lenders dropping out of the private loan program going to affect GP schools?
Calendar of Events/Timelines
Date
Committee Member
Responsible (if
Description
applicable)
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YEAR-END WASFAA Committee Report 2011-12
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