Recently I attended NASFAA’s annual Leadership Conference (over 90 attendees) and it’s always exciting to see the enthusiasm and talent our new leaders bring to our profession. I thank them for making the time to visit Capitol Hill and educate our senators and members of Congress on financial aid issues.

One of the messages that is always given to our new NASFAA leaders is “You should establish a relationship with your college President and always keep your President informed.” Although this is good advice, I always find myself thinking that most FA Directors that I know would love to have such a relationship, but unfortunately they have little access to their President. If I were to ask “When was the last time your President met with you to simply see how you were doing?” … Well, I think we’d be surprised by most answers.

Our Institutional Program Management Committee is considering a possible research project designed to draw out institutional leaders on their perceptions of financial aid administrators as professionals. I applaud these types of efforts, since the research can serve as a starting point to effectively begin an open dialogue with our college Presidents.

I remain convinced that our role on our campus is an important one and we best serve our institutions and our students when we are included at the front end of discussions so that we can provide important information and feedback when decision are being made. Also, the pressures, accountability, and complexities are much different than other areas on campus and a President visiting your area or acknowledging staff efforts goes a long way.

Do you have a working relationship with your college President? If asked, what do you think their perception would be of your area or your role on your campus? Finally, what can we do to develop this important relationship?

I recently read Justin Draeger’s  “The Multitasking Myth and How to Really Increase Productivity,”  which is part of NASFAA’s “Financial Aid Hack” Series.  The article discusses how college students listen to iPods, instant message their friends, and do their homework simultaneously and insist that “no matter what anyone says, doing two things at once is impossible.”

But the article adds that those who multitask “lose more time than they gain.” I remember when I read that sentence, I said out loud, “I wish I only had to do two things at once.” (Even as I write this, I am watching a movie, entertaining my two puppies, drying a load of wash and making dinner!) 

For me, multitasking seems to be a required skill for the survival of many financial aid administrators.  During job interviews for financial aid positions, there’s always the question, “How do you handle a high stress/high volume/high accountability environment and how are you with multitasking?”   (I can usually gauge how much “multitasking” I’ve done on a particular day by how long it takes me to find where I parked my car in the parking lot at the end of the work day!)

Justin’s article talks about the “prefrontal cortex of the brain…. the portion that establishes priorities among tasks and allocates the mind’s resources for them.” 

When the prefrontal cortex becomes overloaded we seem to create “piles” on our desks.  Whenever I visit the offices of my friends, the first thing many say is “before you ask, I know exactly where everything is in each of those piles!” (Frankly, people who do not have at least a few piles on their desk make me nervous!)

I’ve attended my share of “time management” seminars too, and they emphasize the importance of daily prioritizing.  I’m usually the one who asks the question, “What happens when you’re just getting to priority #1 at 5:00 pm?” (and the room usually erupts into nervous laughter) 

The analogy I use most often describing financial aid administrators is the one comparing us to “air traffic controllers.” We have lots of important decisions, and most are interrelated with unforgiving deadlines.  Many colleagues arrive at work each morning with carefully prioritized to-do lists, and then the work day “traffic” starts.  Whether it’s a phone call, an e-mail, or someone on campus bursting into your office with, “I just thought I’d drop by and (i.e. “Mind if I interrupt you for a second? (wink, wink”), there’s always something offering you a distraction from the things that deserve our full attention. 

My staff is great at trying to limit those interruptions for me and I appreciate their efforts that allow me to focus on directing.

“Remember when we used to meet off campus for a 2 hour lunch?” a friend recently asked. “Then it changed to an hour on campus, and now it’s let talk for 5 minutes while we both eat a sandwich at our desk!”

I’ve attended more than a few campus division meetings where “institutional” issues that touch on financial aid issues suddenly become the financial aid office’s sole responsibility.  The dean opens the meeting, “Today we will discuss a new f…” Simply pronouncing the letter “f” for “financial aid regulation” sends several hands into the air with shouts of, “I think since this is a financial aid program, financial aid staff should handle it!” 

All of these make multitasking a necessity.

Do you find yourself multitasking?  When you multitask, do you find you lose more time than you gain?  Is it difficult in financial aid to prioritize tasks each day?  What are your thoughts?   

While visiting the various regions and states I’ve noticed how difficult it can sometimes be for financial aid associations to solicit volunteers for elected offices, committee work, and conference sessions.  Reasons for not volunteering can range from “I’m just too busy”, or “my boss won’t allow me too,” to “I’ve already been involved, someone else can volunteer.”

Evidence of this volunteer shortage can range from election ballots where candidates run unopposed, association committee membership containing few or no “new” members, or conference programs with few sessions being presented by practicing financial aid administrators. (I feel it’s important for associations to gather and review these types of statistics yearly.)

This problem can sometimes be compounded by questions about lender/state agency involvement in our associations. Some of our best and most talented leaders have made career changes and now work for lenders/state agencies. In some cases, participating in the state association may actually be a portion of their job description, but new questions regarding their involvement have exacerbated volunteer shortages in some instances.

Although these are challenging times, it is the responsibility of association leadership to diligently maintain ongoing leadership opportunities for new members while promoting  student-centered policy positions - developed by the association.

I was recently at an association conference and was moved when the president passionately pointed out to the membership that the association was the “Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, and student financial aid administrators better start stepping it up and getting involved.” The president candidly pointed out that without their time and support the very foundation of the financial aid association was at risk.

How can associations build and maintain a “leadership pipeline” of student financial aid administrators?  How do we encourage others to get and remain involved, sharing their time, energy and talents in our associations? I’m interested in your success stories.