NYSFAAA History

50th Anniversary Celebration Booklet

50th Anniversary Photos

The New York State Financial Aid Administrators Association (NYSFAAA) was founded in 1968 by a group of people involved in the financial aid process. They, and others, felt a need for an association that would provided unified representation and the means of communication among financial aid personnel with the higher education community, and would provide educational programs for the professional development of its members. Additionally, the association would act as a liaison to the regional association (Eastern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators--EASFAA) and thus to the national association (National Association for Student Financial Aid Administrators--NASFAA.)

One hundred forty-seven members elected officers and councilman at-large at NYSFAAA's Charter Conference held in Syracuse in October, 1968. Committees such as Federal Relations, State Relations, and Professionalism, among others, were established to deal with concerns that arose from charges within programs to suggest and respond to legislation, to provide training, and to facilitate communications among the financial aid community and federal and state governments, as well as the NYSFAAA Council and NYSFAAA members. NYSFAAA's first annual meeting was held in October, 1969, in Albany NY.

According to the by-laws, officers would be elected in even years and councilman in odd years for two-year term in order to maintain continuity on the council.

Two types of memberships were established: Active-limited to persons engaged in the direct administration of student financial aid in institutions of higher learning in New York State; and Associate-available to those interested in, but not directly involved in, the administration of financial aid.

The NYSFAAA Newsletter, originated in 1969 as a means of keeping the membership apprised of issues, concerns, professional development, and changes within the financial aid delivery system. Currently, the Newsletter is named "The NYSFAAA Connection WebLetter" and is maintained on this website.

In 1973, at the annual conference, a group of aid administrators petitioned the membership to consider an amendment to the constitution that would regionalize the association based on the Regents New York State master Plan so that all parts of the state would have representation on the NYSFAAA Council. The amendment was passed and eight regions were established as follows:

Region
Counties
Region 1
Allegheny, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara and Wyoming counties
Region 2
Chemung, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, and Yates counties
Region 3
Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, Tompkins, and Tioga counties
Region 4
Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington counties
Region 5
Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties
Region 6
Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond counties
Region 7
Nassau and Suffolk counties
Region 8
Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties


With professional development and education as primary goal, NYSFAAA conducts an annual conference in October, an annual six-day Summer Workshop for novices, and a number of other special interest conferences and workshops throughout the year. In addition, regional meetings are convened by the Regional Council persons.

The first NYSFAAA Web Site was created in 1994 and hosted on server space provided by SUNY New Paltz. NYSFAAA was one of the first state associations to have their own web site. The original NYSFAAA Website won recognition at the NASFAA 1995 Conference. The award was presented at the NYSFAAA Conference in October 1997. NYSFAAA Executive Council and the current Web Site Committee would like to thank SUNY New Paltz and the original Web Site Committee of 1995 for a strong start and the sturdy foundation which has helped to make today's Web Site the excellent tool it has become for the communities we serve.

Website Mission Statement
The goal of the NYSFAAA website is to provide effective, efficient, and timely communications to our members and the public domain that we serve. As the primary vehicle for NYSFAAA communications, the website will include any and all information on NYSFAAA activities; such as but not limited to: Training, Conference, College Aid Awareness Network (CAAN), School Counselor Workshops, organization Information (constitution, council, history, policy & procedures, etc.), Newsletter, Regional Activities, Federal and State Legislative Updates, Links to other pertinent sites.

The NYSFAAA Logo
Created by Joan Bruno of Iona College

The symbol in the center is a key representing the financial aid process. The large concentric circle represents the federal, state, and institutional resources we use in the financial aid awarding process. The middle concentric circle represents the students we serve in the financial aid process. The small concentric circle represents the financial aid officers. The three circles converge at one point, at the key, and at that point the financial aid process if developed.

NYSFAAA Founding Membership List
Click Here to Download the List (PDF)