December 1-4, 2009
Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center
2800 Opryland Drive
Nashville, TN 37214

Welcome to Federal Student Aid's conference Web site! This year, our training conference will be held in Nashville, Tenn., at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center, beginning at 10:30 a.m. on December 1 and ending at 3:00 p.m. on December 4. We are proud to announce our keynote speaker, Secretary Arne Duncan.

Our conference offers you critical financial aid training and valuable networking opportunities with other professionals from across the nation. You can learn about policies and procedural changes to the Federal Direct Student Loan Program℠, Federal Family Education Loan Program℠ (FFEL)℠ and Pell Grant programs, as well as our other Title IV programs. We’ll provide you with the latest legislative activities and enhancements to our systems, as well as cover topics ranging from information system technologies to improved practices. Plus, for new attendees to our conference, on Day 1 at 8:30 a.m., you can attend our “So, This is Your First Federal Student Aid Conference” session to learn what is offered, and how best to manage your time at our conference. Finally, we’ll be unveiling the 2010-11 FAFSA℠!

Remember to visit our PC Lab and get answers to your financial aid and system questions, as well as our Cyber Café where you can use the Internet to check your e-mail. You can also visit our Communications & Outreach Showcase where you can order our publications, brochures, and other materials to help support awareness, to help train new staff and to give to community groups and local area high schools.

Due to budget constraints, our Nashville conference is the one conference that will be offered this year. Additionally, in support of the president's "green" initiatives, we will not provide session handout books - instead all session presentations are being posted to our Web site a few weeks prior to our conference. This gives you an opportunity to preview the presentations early and a chance to download only the session materials you want, making those big, heavy two-part books a thing of the past!

We appreciate and thank you for your hard work, dedication and commitment in partnering with us to ensure millions of students continue their education beyond high school. We encourage you to register now because there will only be one conference and we anticipate a large crowd. Again, welcome to our conference Web site, and we look forward to helping you participate in an enjoyable training experience.

The Conference Services Team
Federal Student Aid
U.S. Department of Education