Commissioner's Update

Celebrating 50 years: MASFAP is on a mission to help students succeed

Nov. 8, 2017

BY ZORA MULLIGAN

Paying for college – it’s the reason many students say they don’t pursue higher education or stay in school long enough to complete a degree.

It’s also the reason student financial aid professionals go to work every day. They know their efforts are key to helping students find the resources they need.

More than 85 percent of undergraduate students receive some form of financial aid to help pay for higher education, thanks to the assistance they receive from financial aid advisors.

Administering financial aid is no easy task. Understanding and applying the myriad of rules and regulations surrounding federal and state financial aid, as well as the financial assistance offered by colleges and universities, can be a challenge.

For the past 50 years the Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel has understood that challenge and supported financial aid professionals in their work to connect students with grants, scholarships, work-study programs, and loans.

Starting with a five-member steering committee in 1967, the organization is now 800 members strong.

MASFAP members do much more than assist with financial aid forms. They serve as advocates for students. They believe all students should have an opportunity to pursue higher education and achieve their educational, personal, and professional goals.

They serve as advocates for financial aid programs. They know federal and state financial aid programs must be funded adequately to serve students who could not otherwise pay for college.

And they serve as advocates for financial aid personnel, providing training opportunities that strengthen their profession and the service they provide to the higher education institutions where they work.

MASFAP has been a longtime partner of the Missouri Department of Higher Education – its members serving on committees, speaking at conferences, and contributing to important conversations.

We thank them for their service to our state and our students.