This person has been working in financial aid for just over twenty years, beginning in student loans and then moving on to packaging and other financial aid duties. Before moving to the aid office, this person worked as a guidance counselor and teacher for 13 years, as well as spending some time as an Admissions Assistant. The recipient has a degree in History and Political Science, as well as a Master’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling.

As far as OASFAA involvement, this recipient has worked diligently and consistently for the past 20 years on various OASFAA committees including Conference Committee, Outreach Committee, Early Awareness, and College Goal Sunday committee. The recipient consistantly stepped up to volunteer setting up interest sessions for conferences, to help with registration, presenting Early Awareness programs in local middle schools, serving as site chair for College Goal Sunday, and serving as Regional Representative.

The recipient has also been very active in MASEA, the student employment association, serving in various capacities for that organization, and has been known in the Northeast region as the resident expert on Work Study. The outreach committee has benefited from her dedication to hosting the Counselor Workshop Program at Baldwin-Wallace College for most of the past twenty years. In fact, this year, she planned her retirement around the workshop to make sure she was able to host just one last time.

On a personal level, not only is she committed to the B-W and the Association, she is a devoted mother of two and grandmother. She is an avid Disney fan, and comes to this last conference before her retirement straight from Disneyland. By now, many may know that I am speaking of Barbara Hughes.

Barbara has not only dedicated her time to OASFAA and the students at B-W, but also served on a committee in her community to raise scholarship money for the Cleveland’s Boy Choir. There is no question that she has worked tirelessly to further the lives of others in their journey for a higher education. Her co-workers had this to say about Barbara. “Barbara’s commitment to students, their families, and the high school guidance counselor workshop year after year is admirable.” And lastly, “There is a small plaque on Barbara’s desk that says ‘it’s nice to be important, but more important to be nice.’ That sums up her philosophy.”

Please join me in congratulating Barbara Hughes as the 2005 Alex Murdoch Service Award recipient.

The Alex Murdoch Service Award recipient supports OASFAA with conviction and loyalty. The recipient is always there to lend a helping hand, share their knowledge, or offer their opinion. The recipient works tirelessly to further the lives of others in their journey for higher education. And, the recipient makes OASFAA a better organization through their efforts, comments and many contributions.

In keeping with tradition, the current association President has sole authority to select the yearly recipient and, upon arriving at the time to actually present the award, attempts to convey information about the person so as to preserve anonymity until the end of the presentation. Those gathered learned that the 2004 Alex Murdoch Award recipient first joined OASFAA starting with the 1985-86 year and has since done the following:

• 1986-87 – OASFAA member
• 1987-88, 1988-89 – Served on Outreach Committee
• 1989-90 – Served on Outreach Committee and Conference Planning Committee
• 1990-91 – Served on Conference Planning Committee
• 1991-92 – Professional Development Chair, Conference Planning Committee member
• 1992-93 – Outreach Committee Co-chair
• 1993-94 – Membership Chair
• 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98 – Membership Chair, Conference Planning Committee member
• 1998-99 – Outreach Co-chair, Conference Planning Committee member
• 1999-00, 2000-01 – Outreach Co-chair
• 2001-02 – Research Chair, Outreach Committee member
• 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05 – Outreach Committee member, College Goal Sunday committee member

This means that our recipient has served ten years on OASFAA’s executive committee! Those assembled also heard that our recipient has presented at high school financial aid nights at all Knox County High Schools and several Richland County schools each year for what is now twenty years. This person has hosted OASFAA high school counselor workshops for seven years and has served as a College Goal Sunday site coordinator for all three years of the programs existence. Our recipient chaired the first OASFAA committee on which the current association President served and has been a consistently reliable friend and colleague to all who know her. Examples shared in this vein included the supportive wave shared as our recipient and a colleague whose home was recently lost to a fire passed on the highway during their respective morning commutes. A second story involved the grandchild of our recipient who played with the child of another colleague in the aid office while the parent of this latter child participated in an OASFAA meeting hosted on our recipient’s campus.

These facts and stories serve to describe someone whom all have recognized as a perfect choice as the fifth Alex Murdoch Award recipient – Doris I. Smith, Director of Financial Aid at North Central State College in Mansfield, Ohio.