I. Introductions/Announcements Wendell Schick

Greg Guzman was introduced as a guest.

II. Secretary’s Report Angela Johnson

Mary Kay moved and Amy seconded to approve the minutes of the January 22, 2004 regular meeting.

Discussion: none

III. Treasurer’s Report Amy Baker

Mark moved and Claudia seconded to approve the treasurer’s report.

Discussion:

Wendell asked about the request to have the Senator’s office review the tax issue. Mark has indicated that the Exec Board could all have access to QuickBooks as access query if that is the direction we wanted to go.

IV. Regional Representatives Reports

A.) Northeast Diane Burnham

I sent out my first e-mail on January 20^th. Contacting all members of the NE Region introducing myself as their new NE Representative. I reminded everyone that College Goal was on February 8^th. And that we still needed volunteers. Also, informed them of the up and coming regional meetings in March and April. I updated the OASFAA web site with the most current information as to what the sessions will be on and where the meetings were going to be held.

On February11, 2004 I e-mailed the NE Region giving them details of the March 12^th. Meeting at John Carroll and asked them all to confirm by March 1, 2004. The March 12^th. Meeting is being sponsored by Bank One and I have had the opportunity to speak with Jeff Johnston the representative and he agreed to speak on alternative loans as well as the other presenters I have scheduled for that day. I have also found some various newspaper articles that pertain to the interest session’s as hand outs.

I have been in contact with Larry Weber from the Financial Aid Coordinators Association (FACA). Larry has agreed to provide two interest sessions at the Spring Conference representing, proprietary and clock hour schools in the state of Ohio. I will have further communications after the Spring Conference meeting on February 20, 2004.

I am still finalizing April 15, 2004 NE Regional Meeting.

B.) Northwest Mike Clouse

Ø 3 Regional Workshops complete

Ø Planning for last 2 Regional Workshops almost complete

Ø Annual “Ask the Expert” session with Channel 13 Action news out of Toledo ran successfully thanks to the coordinating efforts of Greg Guzman. Greg, Gary Ulrich, Todd Matthews, Beth Casper, Suzanne Fahrer, and myself personalized the phone banks and fielded over 150 phone calls in 1½ hours.

Ø March 11^th Regional Meeting – Davis College

o Professional Judgment – Tina Coulter, BGSU

o NSLDS Interpretation and Resolution – Roger Eldridge, Student Loan Xpress

Ø April 16^th Regional Meeting – Lourdes College

o Possible Topics include:

§ New Student Orientations – Best Practices

§ OASFAA Committee presentations – Volunteer Recruitment for 04-05.

§ Year in review

Ø Allotting time during the 5^th and final Regional Meeting for all regions to allow Committee Chairs the opportunity to promote their committees and recruit members for 04-05.

If done, what would be the best way to do this?

C.) Southeast Cindy Hahn

Finalize planning of last two SE Regional Workshops

March 12^th Regional Meeting – Ohio Dominican University

Agenda for meeting:

§ Norm Bedford – Consortium Agreements

§ Ginny Biada – “How to Work a Room”

§ Sponsor - AES

April 16^th Regional Meeting – Mt Carmel School of Nursing

Agenda for meeting:

§ Terry Everson – Great Lakes – ‘How to Deal with Difficult People’

§ Possible additional topics include:

· Reauthorization Update

· On-line courses and Financial Aid

· OASFAA – outlook for 2004-2005

Initial contacts have been made for the potential remaining topics noted above. Can’t believe the year is almost over!

Update

Ask the Expert with Channel 13 in Toledo.

D.) Southwest Kathy Kelly

No Report

V. Executive Committee Reports

A.) VP for Training Claudia Wenzel

1.) Support Professional Committee Kathy John & Becky Shinaberry

Gearing up to send out Support Professional nomination information

2.) Need Analysis Paul Calme & Scott Lehman

We had four Need Analysis Workshops around the state on February 12 and February 19. In those workshops, we covered the same topics that we covered at the Winter Conference. (History of Need Analysis, FAFSA updates, Hand Calculations, Verification)

Here are the number of attendees by site:

Baldwin Wallace College (February 12): 23

Wright State University (February 12): 8

University of Findlay (February 19): 19

Franklin University (February 19): 17

Overall the evaluations were good. Most people found the hand calculations most useful. (A lot of new folks in the audience according to my informal surveys) I think new people to the profession were most helped by the hand calculations. Also, some of the veterans also found the training useful also as a refresher type class.

The History of Need Analysis portion was the one folks found “least useful.” If I may make a suggestion for next year’s committee is to present the History portion at Winter Conference because a lot of people did find that interesting at conference. But, it didn’t go over too well at the workshops. So maybe skip that portion at the Workshops next year. (Something for the committee to discuss next year)

I still have not received all of the bills from the workshops yet, but it looks like we will come in under budget! We have nothing planned for Spring Conference.

Finally, Paul and I have a question for the Executive Committee. We have about 5-6 dozen extra binders. What would the Executive Committee like done with the extra binders? I imagine we would like to have at least one for the archives.

3.) NASFAA Training

No Report

4.) Outreach Committee Lawrence Mattews & Melony O’halek

As far as a report for the Outreach Committee

We really do not have a report at this time as our committee meeting was postponed in February due to busy schedules and the threat of bad weather ... and rescheduled for March 19th.

Also in response to Wendell's latest email . the good news is that the majority of the expenses (there may be a lunch expense for our last meeting remaining) but all of the expenses for the major efforts (ie guidance counselor workshop) are in and at this time are happy to announce that we are significantly under budget!! Total expense YTD are $6987.15. Outreach budget for 03-04 was $8250 so we are in good shape for the Outreach Committee from this perspective.

a.) Stakeholder Relations & Training

1. Articulation

2. School Counselor

3. Access Groups

4. Others

5.) Early Awareness Committee Tasha McDaniel & Alex Murdoch

No Report

Discussion:

Shane explained that the state-wide initiative for the EA committee. Lisa Mitchell added that the Ohio Board of Regents is working through the process with Tina Milano. Wendell added that the student portal for early grades (P-16 years) to participate in that program is forthcoming.

Mary Kay stated that OASFAA may take back the EA initiative as described in the last executive committee before we had combined with the state initiatives. Wendell indicated that if no movement by the state by May the EA committee should continue alone in the research and implementation of an EA program in OASFAA.

5.) College Goal Sunday Committee - discussion FUTURE of GCS?

Discussion:

Wendell has indicated that the expenses have not been finalized but they are working through the final bills for the committee. Wendell has asked that members deal with factual information regarding the issues.

Greg Guzman and Claudia Wenzel will be the Co-Chair and Chair of College Goal Sunday for 2004-2005.

Marnie shared a breakdown of the numbers of participation per site. There were over 1100 last year and the numbers have more than doubled for the current year. Fourteen sites have committed for CGS based on the last debriefing meeting.

Tally indicated that there were more drop ins than registrants. OSU sent emails to their students and have found that there were 2300 hits on the www.collegegoalsunday.org as associated with the emails sent by OSU.

Katie indicated that there are more things to be researched for the last billing information that needs to be resolved. Wendell indicated that we are reviewing costs to compare notes with BMI. Steve asked if the current budget reflects the current expenses. Mark stated that the Finance Committee has researched. An arrangement has been made to pay the past due bills to pay what we owe and research the difference. One third of what BMI and Division Street has billed us has been paid and at least two-thirds is still outstanding. Mark mentioned that the savings looks low from the last treasurer’s report because we had to make payments to avoid creditor reporting. Melony asked about the role that Outreach will play in CGS for the coming year.

Michiale suggested that we have the PR firm to track the radio and newspaper announcements to see how many hits were out due to the PR campaign.

Greg mentioned that service marketing was the way in which they got the message out about CGS in the NW region.

Shane tied a connection with the Cleveland Browns Foundation as a potential partner sponsor for future CGS campaigns. Lawrence mentioned that we need to inquire of there would be an issue with the Lumina Foundation if a partnership was made with the Cleveland Browns Foundation.

Other future ideas: Diane suggested we have the representation at the “shows” to set up information to events on a display table as vendors to at exhibits.

December 1, 2004 OASFAA will receive the third installment of the grant from Lumina.

B.) VP for Conferences Cheryl Willard

Twenty-eight committee members attended the Spring 2004 Conference Planning meeting at Great Lakes on Friday, February 20, 2004. The following agenda items were covered and preparations for Spring Conference are underway:

Introductions

Winter Conference Chair Updates

Beth Casper, Registration

Randy Ulses, Program

Cindy Delbridge and Mickie Waterman, Site

A’Lisa Hatfield and Steve England, Corporate Sponsorship

Michiale Schneider and Gail Houtz, Entertainment

Norm Bedford, Leadership Chair

Michael Jones, Professional Development Chair

OASFAA Spring 2004 Conference

May 18 through 21, 2004

Dayton Crowne Plaza Hotel

Conference Registration Fee: $125 full conference - $70 one day

Hotel room rate per night $79.00 plus tax – includes free high speed Internet access $5.00 per day to park

Parking garage fee $5.00 per day

Review Moderator Responsibilities and Session Information Sheet

Interest Session Topics

Assign sessions to time slots / moderators

Review Conference Planning Timeline Sheet

Golf Outing

Entertainment

Contracts for 2005 and 2006 have been signed with the Columbus Marriott North Hotel.

Dates are as follows: December 7^th through December 9^th, 2005. December 13^th through December 15^th, 2006. In addition, Marriott has offered a tentative agreement for December, 2007 – the Association has until December, 2005 to accept its terms. Marriott North contracts include a guaranteed sleeping room rate of $94 and complimentary high-speed Internet access and free long distance calls in all sleeping rooms.

Recommended discussion items for the Executive Committee:

A revised conference registration fee structure, including refunds and cancellations, has been proposed. Beth Casper, Conference Registration Chair, will provide details.

1.) Corporate Development Steve England & A’Lisa Hatfield

General Sponsorship: $23150 committed / $22,150 paid (as of last report)

College Goal Sunday: * $9000 committed /* $8000 paid (as of last report) *Does not include scholarship funds

Winter Conference Sponsorship:

37 exhibitor/sponsors - $35,450 committed / $34425 paid

ATAC is working to enhance features of general/conference sponsorship form. Credit card payments are a possibility. Goal is to test for spring conference. [We have told Paula to put this on hold due to current budget situation.]

We are working with ATAC to get spring conference exhibitor/sponsorship agreement and details on the web by our 2 Apr 04 live date. We will be adding 5 session sponsorship opportunities @ $300 per to the mix in addition to reviewing the dollar amounts and numbers of other sponsorship options.

1. Should we cancel or put on hold indefinitely the web updates that we were given approval for at the beginning of 2003-04?

2. Should dollar amounts or number of sponsors sought change for spring

conference to better align with project/historical costs of said items?

Discussion:

Steve discussed a variety if ways to sponsor conference related to sessions, etc.

Mark mentioned that levels of sponsorship has been a discussion at the last MASFAA meeting.

2.) Professional Development Michael Jones

The Professional Development Committee has nailed down information for the PD sessions on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. On Wednesday afternoon, Terry Everson will do Part I of his presentation titled “Developing Your Staff to Their Maximum Potential”. On Thursday, Terry will present Part II of this information.

Activities planned but not yet completed:

The Professional Development Committee has scheduled a conference call to discuss suggestions for a keynote speaker for Wednesday afternoon. We hope to secure a presenter from the Human Resources area that can present information on hiring practices. We are still in the early planning stages for this presentation and have not yet determined what direction this presentation will go. We hope to have this project finalized within the next couple of weeks.

3.) Leadership Committee Norm Bedford

The Leadership Program evaluations were assessed for Winter Conference 2003. Below are the following results:

* Positive attributes noted by members: I enjoyed the opportunity to interact with other professionals; I loved the Leadership Class…it has given me the confidence to attend workshops and seminars and asking questions; Staying Tuesday evening worked great to get the “housekeeping” stuff out of the way; Activities were organized well; It was good to get different concepts on leadership and team building; I enjoyed the energetic speakers…the topics on leadership were interesting and helpful; This has been a wonderful experience; I really enjoyed getting to know the other members of the class….the discussions we had helped bring what the speakers were presenting back to our daily challenges; I really enjoyed myself and met a ton of new people.

* Program improvement comments noted by members: Has the program committee thought of selecting one speaker to present their entire philosophy for the conference instead of using several speakers?; More time for question and answer sessions would be great; More team building exercises would be helpful…it is better to work in situations than be lectured on them; I wish we would have stayed on schedule; I would have like to hear the rest of Terry’s information and Skip’s team activities; The Fish Philosophy is overdone; More interaction and too much sitting.

Future items for review: The data assessment of surveys will be shared with the Leadership Committee. Members of the Leadership Committee will be contacted by me within the next week to discuss potential agenda items for the Spring Conference. A tentative schedule will be planned and shared.

Terry Everson’s talents will again be utilized during the Spring Conference. I would like for the Leadership Class to attend at least two conference sessions again. This was a very positive attribute the class enjoyed. Michael Jones and I have already worked out the dates we would need Terry.

I am considering the possibility of a mental obstacle course challenge at the spring conference. Funding within my budget is limited so I would need to find a sponsor for such a project and a person within the area to conduct such an exercise.

There are one or two exercises that were not used during winter conference because of time constraints. These exercises can be incorporated into the spring conference.

Discussion:

Norm has suggested an obstacle course for the leadership class at the Spring Conference. Mary Kay mentioned that last year’s SW regional meeting had speakers from Miami U. staff that conducted an “obstacle” session that may be an option.

Thursday at conference – Terry Everson will be the speaker for the Leadership Class. Wendell mentioned that we could have Terry come early to conference to participate in the activity.

Mary Kay mentioned that the in other Leadership sessions from other states to have small groups from the class to come together and perform a “task” between conferences, as one suggestion.

4.) Conference

a.) Site Cindy Delbridge

b.) Program Randy Ulses

c.) Entertainment Gail Houtz & Michiale Schneidner

Many ideas were discussed at the recent Conference Committee meeting. We have access to a park located near the hotel & may be able to use that for Wed evening. Our thoughts were doing a BBQ w/perhaps a Western Round-Up Theme and line dancing…other ideas included OASFAA Idol II (requested by several), An MTV Party (come as your favorite singer & combine w/OASFAA Idol II) or Game Night…come as your favorite sports star and have board games w/prizes OR a Price Is Right Game Show…Mardi Gras w/a casino night

Activities planned but not yet completed:

To meet & make a decision on conference entertainment for the upcoming Spring 2004 Conference.

Discussion:

Faith discussed an Olympic theme in South Carolina that she was familiar with as an activity. Mary Kay discussed that the Missouri conference has a bingo night at every Spring conference as a revolving tradition. Michiale and Gail asked that members send them suggestions. Wendell indicated that the Golf Outing will take place on Tuesday before the conference.

d.) Registration Beth Casper

Completed work on Late Registration Fee and Cancellation Policy for conference registration fees. This document is copied below.

Attachment

OASFAA Conference Registration Fees and Cancellation Policy

As set by the 2003-04 OASFAA Finance Committee, fees for the 2004 Spring Conference will be $70 for one day registration and $125 for full conference registration.

The conference registration deadline is Wednesday, May 5, 2004. Any conference registrations after May 5 will be assessed a $25 late registration fee resulting in $95 one day registration and $150 full conference registration.

The deadline to request a refund of conference registration fees is Tuesday, May 11. Cancellations received via e-mail (casperb@bgnet.bgsu.edu) by the close of business on Tuesday, May 11 will receive a full refund of conference registration fees. Cancellations after this time will receive a 50% refund of conference registration fees. All individuals who cancel their registration after the close of business on May 11 are expected to pay 50% of the conference registration fee.

Individuals who do not cancel their registration prior to the first day of the conference are required to pay 100% of the conference registration fee. This includes individuals who do not attend the conference but do not cancel their registration.

An option is available at the OASFAA Conference registration web site www.oasfaa.org to revise or cancel a registration. This option is available until the first day of the conference.

Special arrangements and/or waiver of conference registration fees may be made in cases of medical emergency of the attendee or attendee’s immediate family member. Please contact Beth Casper, Conference Registration Chair at casperb@bgnet.bgsu.edu if review is needed in this situation.

Activities planned but not yet completed:

I will be reviewing options for purchasing name badges and other supplies for spring conference to ensure the best price possible. All orders will be placed by March 26 to ensure delivery prior to conference.

Recommended discussion items for Executive Committee:

Review of Late Registration Fee and Cancellation Policy.

Update:

Cancellation information will be up front on the website. It was discussed that the membership fee, if paid with conference registration, is not refundable. Cancellation exceptions are on a PJ basis. Beth will be working with Paula to discuss the enhancements to text related to be added to registration. Michiale suggest adding an I AGREE statement to the registration fee. Discussion ensued regarding the previous processes for late fees. It was suggested that there are not on site registration. Wendell had indicated that a $25 late fee is acceptable. Betsy suggested that we have late registrants to complete the membership form (when renewing) and once they receive a confirmation, Beth may administratively add their conference registration.

C.) President-Elect Mark Bandré

1.) Nominations Committee

The following are those nominated for the 2004-2005 elections that will be one the ballot

SE – Amber Gump, Muskingum University & Phil Bovenizer, Otterbein College

SW – Jeff Daniels, University of Dayton & Peggy Schuning, Miami University

NW – Gail Houtz, Bowling Green State University and Todd Matthews, Davis College

NE – Diane Burnham, Ohio Technical College & Carmen Sears-Edwards, Cuyahoga Community College

Sec. – Cindy Hahn, Ohio Dominican & Amy Baker, Stark State College

Tres. - Elect – Betsy Johnson, Owens Community College & Suzanne Fahrer, Bowling Green State Univ.

Pres. Elect – Angela Johnson, Cuyahoga Community College & Mary Lynn Perri, Ursuline College

VP Training – Michael Jones, University of Northwestern Ohio & Randy Ulses, University of Cincinnati

College Goal Sunday – Claudia Wenzel, John Carroll University & Greg Guzman, Lourdes College

Need Analysis – Scott Lehman, University of Toledo & Kim Nash-Yore, Cuyahoga Community College

Outreach – Melony O’halek, Bank One

Support Professional – Kathy John, Antioch University-McGregor & Ann Marie Gruber, Hiram College

Corporate Development – Steve England, AES

Communications – Michiale Schneider, Chase

Regulatory Issues – Matt Short, University of Toledo & Stephanie Sutton, Lorain County Community College

State Issues – Lisa Mitchell, Student Loan Funding Resources

Leadership program will be an every other year commitment.

2.) Finance Committee

The Finance Committee has been helping with the CGS review process which has resulted in some recommended Policy and Procedure manual changes. Mark is working with the AG&P committee to get these recommended changes incorporated.

3.) Research/Evaluations

Susan Kannenwischer and Ken McHone the research committee. They are researching all of the association across the country to see how states do member related to membership dues. They have information for more than forty states. There are twenty states that offer institutional membership. This research has been initiated as related to a decrease in participation of four year public institutions.

4.) MASFAA Exchange – Mickie Waternan will be attending the Missouri State Conference as the state exchange person

D.) Past President Mary Kay Freshour

1.) Association Governance Planning and

Evaluation Committee

John has given Angela the P&P to update and post to the website. The document has to be re-formatted. Email updates to your sections to the Michelle Wade after you have reviewed in preparation for potential changes to the P&P for the 2004-2005 fiscal year.

2.) Membership/Recruiting and Communications

a.) Associate Members Committee James McDougal & Leigh Cameron

No Report

b.) Membership Support Betsy Johnson

As of 02/19/04 we have 596 members. (I will update the number that day). Also, I would like to remind committee chairs to make sure their members are currently active. With last year's membership ending 12/31/03, there are still some folks serving OASFAA who have not renewed their membership for the current year.

The New Member Reception for Spring Conference 2004 will be a part of the President's Reception. We will include the Mentoring Program as part of the reception, and exec members will serve as the mentors. As a mentor, your responsibility is to have a meal and maybe take them thru the vendor area. Also, give them a business card so they have a way of contacting you, their mentor, once they are back in their office. Please make sure to mark it on your calendar, Thursday evening (beginning at either 5:30 or 6:00).

Update:

There are 614 members of March 4, 2004. Mark has requested the 2001-2002 membership information

c.) Communications Committee Michiale Schneider & Mary Lynn Perri

The March edition of the Gazette is nearly complete. We intend to have it on the web by March 15^th. For the 2^nd time, we will include a few pictures from the Winter Conference. For something new, we may have an article on Confidentiality in the Financial Aid Office written by Matthew Gymer of Case Western Reserve University’s Financial Aid Office. We plan to have a summer edition of the Gazette this year which will include election results, spring conference updates, etc.

3.) Regulatory Committee Matt Short & Stephanie Sutton

a. Continued working with Charles Shahid, OBR, on becoming member of OASFAA, State update at Spring Conference, OBR Advisory Committee.

b. Receiving specific emails from OASFAA members asking Regulatory or State Issues Committee. I feel that the comfort level of the OASFAA membership is increasing in using Regulatory Issues as a liaison for Federal and State issues.

c. Matt Short implemented his segment for the OASFAA Gazette, “Ask the Expert.” Look for this exciting new column in the Gazette.

d. Attaching Reauthorization Update generously submitted from PASFAA.

a.) State Issues

b.) Federal Issues

c.) Reauthorization Issues

VI. Liaison Reports

A.) OBR Tom Rudd/ Charles Shahid

No Report

B.) Great Lakes Dave Bowman

No Report

C.) OCAN Shane Hollett

No Report

VII. Old Business – AG & P – research on Fiscal Policy.

Clock Hour Schools – defining their needs – spring conference?

Consider what their needs are. Larry Weber and Christine Gregory will have two sessions

NASFAA Awards 3 of them – status

1. Outreach Committee

2. Seasoned professionals

3. Joint spring conference

4. New Professionals

5. Leadership Committee has submitted a nomination for the award

VIII. New Business –Student Access & Success Coordinating Council; Ohio Ethics, Education Committee,

Ohio Board of Regents

Main Conference Room

Friday, January 23, 2004

10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Meeting Minutes

Present: Bruce Beeghly, Member, Ohio Board of Regents - Co-Chair

Christina R. Milano, Executive Director,

National College Access Network (NCAN) - Co-Chair

Maria Boss, Larry H. Christman, Jennifer Conner (for Chad Wick), Jeannette Graselli Brown, Shane R. Hollett, N. Kip Howard, Leonard J. Hubert, Thomas M. Humphries, Steven Klein, Todd Locke, James E. McCollum, Maureen O’Brien (for Jacqueline Williams), Deborah L. Owens Fink, Brian A. Paskvan, Wendell Schick, Shannon Wagner (for Samuel Gresham, Jr.), Jane Wiechel, Wayne White

Ohio Board of Regents (OBR) Staff

Jonathan Tafel, Jamie Abel, Eric R. Almonte, David Barber, Jocelyn Frasier, Tom L. Rudd, Leslie J. Sawyer, Charles Shahid

Guest

Chris McGovern, Chief Executive Officer, eMergingMarketing

1. Welcome

Regent Beeghly opened the first SASCCO meeting by welcoming participants and providing an introduction about the Ohio Board of Regents and its role. He stated that the number one goal of the Board of Regents is to increase access, i.e., to provide an opportunity for more Ohioans to successfully participate in higher education which, in turn, is essential to the advancement of the Knowledge Economy.

2. Introduction of Members and Staff

Ms. Milano welcomed attendees and asked that they introduce themselves and describe the mission of their organizations. In addition to the two co-chairs, representatives of 18 of the member organizations and eight Board of Regents’ staff attended.

3. Charge to the Council

Ms. Milano discussed the importance of marketing higher education and its benefits. She explained that SASCCO would be taking a lead in the development of a statewide marketing strategy to help everyone in Ohio understand the importance of postsecondary education in enhancing the quality of life for the citizenry and improving the economic viability of the state. She mentioned that, as the group moves forward with its work, it must keep in mind those most at risk for not having access to a college education: the adult, low-income, and underrepresented populations. She also shared with the group a study which reviewed efforts of 87 programs and initiatives to market college education. The following are some of the results of the study conducted by a social marketing group, the Communication Works Company:

§ There has been no national marketing effort to encourage at-risk populations to pursue postsecondary education.

§ Very few hard-hitting messages and no clear-cut message about the product (higher education) exist.

§ There is no message delivery in the popular culture.

§ Strategies that have been developed have not been used or are underutilized.

§ Few outreach efforts are directed to and no materials have been developed specifically for parents.

§ Programs are not well-coordinated or well-planned.

§ Objectives are described in vague terms.

§ There is limited evidence of success of outreach strategies and efforts.

§ Best practices typically are based on subjective feelings and anecdotal information.

§ Funding for outreach and awareness campaigns has been minimal.

Ms. Milano noted that the above-referenced study cited a small number of exemplary initiatives including Cleveland Scholarship Programs, Inc. She then reviewed the three principal goals of the Council:

§ Collaborate and provide a venue for networking.

§ Move forward a statewide marketing campaign.

§ Establish measures for success.

4. Overview of Access in Ohio

a. Jon Tafel, Vice Chancellor, Educational Linkages and Access, presented slides and information on The “Four A’s” of College Access. He cited examples of the barriers in the four access dimensions: Availability of programs at times and in places convenient to students; Affordability, the financial ability (or perceived ability) to pay for college; Academic Preparation, which enables a student to transition successfully from high school to college and degree completion; and Aspiration, the motivation to pursue education beyond high school.

b. Tom Rudd, Director, Student Financial Access, presented slides showing data on college participation rates in Ohio which demonstrated that Ohio is lagging behind the nation.

c. Shane Hollett, Executive Director of the Ohio College Access Network (OCAN), provided a program overview of OCAN and some program highlights including the fact that the number of OCAN programs has grown to 33 and the OCAN/GEAR UP Conference will be held in Canton, Ohio, October 3-5, 2004. Student Loan Funding will host a reception at the Football Hall of Fame. He informed the Council that OCAN is serving as a national model, as it was designed to be.

5. OBR Communication Strategies

a. Knowledge Economy Awareness Initiative -- Jocelyn Frasier, Assistant Director, Communications, distributed information packets with scripts on the Knowledge Economy Awareness Campaign. OBR used this information in presentations for business, community, and education leaders around the state to enlist the support of the “grass tops” in promoting the need for increased higher education participation in Ohio. Board of Regents’ staff followed up the presentations with community forums to discuss how the communities could collaborate to help more students and families pursue postsecondary education. Ms. Frasier explained that the Knowledge Economy Awareness Campaign is shifting from marketing to include more emphasis on access. She reported that four focus groups will be convened (in Portsmouth, a Toledo suburb, Columbus, and Wooster) to determine what means and message can best reach middle school students and their families about the importance and benefits of higher education and early preparation.

b. Need for a statewide higher education marketing strategy -- Jamie Abel, Assistant Director, Communications, talked about past and future statewide strategies to market higher education. He reported on what we learned from the “Success Express” (Bus) Campaign. First, that there is a “real need” to inform people about the importance of education beyond high school (68% of adult volunteers believed there was a problem with the number of students in their communities not attending); second, going out and talking to students is an effective means of communication (more than 90% of students rated the program as valuable) and third, that for an outreach or awareness initiative such as the “Success Express” to be effective, it needs more staff and time to spread the word, beginning with the “grass tops.”

Mr. Abel advised that in moving forward with the development of a statewide marketing plan, SASCCO should be aware of the draft policy option from the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education and the Economy that calls for a statewide marketing strategy to increase college participation. He emphasized that Ohio needs a statewide message similar to that of other states -- Kentucky for example -- including billboards, signs, etc., and that the state needs to brand Ohio education, i.e., develop a central theme for the various programs to align their individual messages.

6. Student Portal

David Barber, Consultant, Academic and Access Programs, and Eric Almonte, Assistant Director, Access Initiatives, delivered a PowerPoint presentation on a potential Web-based state student information portal. The purpose of the portal would be to provide increased information and assistance related to college and career planning. They shared the recommendations from the Student Portal Advisory Committee.

7. Request for Collaboration

Dr. Jon Tafel raised the possibility of sending out a formal request from the Board of Regents to organizations and companies for support of access initiatives. Support could include expertise, staff, materials, funding, etc. The intent of the request would be to help build a collaborative statewide strategic plan for increasing access to higher education in Ohio.

Discussion points:

§ SASCCO may want to consider representation from the Business Roundtable.

§ “Buy-in” is needed from every organization in the state related to the education of children.

§ We need to educate corporate leaders and enlist their support for education beyond certificate and work-related training programs.

8. Topics for Discussion

a. How do we successfully market the need for higher education in Ohio?

Discussion points:

§ Television is the main medium today and the medium most people follow.

§ TV is expensive and it takes a long time for TV to have a sustained impact.

§ Television requires that different messages be targeted to different audiences.

§ Radio is another important and powerful medium.

§ Advertising through the workplace should be considered as a way to reach a high percentage of the nontraditional student market.

§ We must determine who the target market is, where they are, and what level of information they should get in order for the targeted message to have the desired impact.

§ How do we determine what the core message should be?

§ The broader message should include both access and success.

§ The other important message is the impact of education on the economic well being of the State.

§ The business community has to be part of the vision.

§ We need more dialogue with business and industry to better understand what their needs are.

§ We need an inventory of current marketing initiatives and access programs in Ohio.

§ We need a broad marketing theme or brand that all individual initiatives and programs can use.

§ The ability of the target audience to identify with the messenger is important to the success of the message.

§ Students and families should have input in crafting the message, especially the underserved who are most at risk for not going on to college and who need to believe in the message that they can participate in higher education.

§ There is a need to reach students (and their families) at an earlier age and early in their educational careers.

§ It may be useful to conduct internal marketing campaigns with teachers, principals, guidance counselors, superintendents, etc.

b. How do we measure the effectiveness of college access strategies, programs, and practices?

Discussion points:

§ We need to consider all the various target groups to determine success measures.

§ Because our efforts will be long term, it is important for business and others to be patient and wait to see the impact of access initiatives.

§ SASSCO is not really at a point in its work to have a full-blown discussion on measures of success.

c. What is the value of a Web-based state student information portal?

Discussion points:

§ At-risk populations will not necessarily benefit from a portal because many of these families still do not have access to a computer and/or fear the technology. Any plan for a portal must be cognizant of and sensitive to their needs.

§ Research shows a decreasing disparity in use of technology vs. income level with more low-income families using the Internet, but it remains important to ensure that low-income and underserved populations continue to have increased opportunities to access the Internet because of its wealth of information.

§ It is critical that portal language be basic and user-friendly enough to be understood by the students and parents it is designed to serve.

§ We must be careful when attempting to make portal language simple and user-friendly so that it does not insult the target audience.

§ The Portal would be a tool and, as such, must be used in the schools along with teachers and/or advisors to help guide students through the process.

§ The Portal is not the answer to all needs and will never replace teachers, advisors, and guidance counselors, but should serve as an enhancement to the services which teachers, advisors, and counselors provide.

§ We need a variety of approaches, with multiple levels of complexity, to address the access problem -- a portal is one of many approaches.

§ The Portal is a good and needed tool that can serve as a common or central point of information.

§ Parents of Pre-K and elementary school children could use a portal to obtain information from a central location early in the educational process.

§ A portal could be used at places of employment to make weekly messages available about postsecondary education.

§ It is critical to look at the integrity of the information that is shared via a portal.

d. What is the best way to approach potential access collaborators for financial and other support?

Discussion points:

§ Access and student success issues need to be approached in the context of state economic development.

§ Ohio could possibly qualify for workforce development funds as the State of Texas has done.

§ We could seek federal funding, as Ohio is well-positioned at the national level to do this, especially because of the success of programs such as NCAN, OCAN, and GEAR UP, and the implementation of common academic content standards.

9. Next Meeting (date & agenda items)

The group agreed on the need for the identification of topics for future discussion and the possible need for the formation of subcommittees to work on the selected topics. The next meeting will probably be scheduled in May.

10. Adjournment

Regent Beeghly thanked the Regents’ staff for their commitment and efforts in the area of access, thanked representatives for attending the meeting, and adjourned the meeting at 2:00 p.m.

Above are the minutes from the meeting that Wendell attended. Below is the discussion of at the OASFAA Executive Committee meeting

Discussion:

OASFAA should educate the members on the service of how to proceed on such matters. A session on ethics will be held at the Spring Conference. Steve suggested that we look at our own Code of Ethics for OASFAA. Michele suggested that we have something in writing about how to proceed. Michele will ask Tally if should would bring to the IUC group.

Next Meeting April 22, 2004

Adjourn

2:17pm

Mark moved to adjourn and Mary Kay seconded.