At the 2001 Annual NASU Conference, the NASU Board started a new program to welcome new institutions to the NASU Conference by assigning "Ambassadors" to each new attendee. The Ambassador was introduced to the new attendee at the Newcomers Reception, held the evening before the official opening of the Conference, in an effort to help make each new member feel more comfortable and more involved in NASU from the beginning. The newcomers were "matched" with NASU/Sigma veterans based on similar responsibilities and environment - functional/technical, school type and size, database, DL/FFELP, etc. We were very pleased with the success of the new program. Here are some comments from the participants:

"I think the program is a great idea and went very well for the first time. It sure was an icebreaker and the conversations (at the reception) got very high level . . . I think it made the new people feel more comfortable and the matching to get similar schools/programs together was great." (Ambassador)

"It gave our school an opportunity to talk to veterans of the product in an environment that was designed just for that purpose. This idea worked well because it set aside a time and place prior to the conference to get interaction initiated." (Newcomer)

"I very much appreciate the individual attention and just knowing that there was someone I could ask questions." (Newcomer)

"We all benefited from the exchange and had a good time in the process." (Ambassador)

That's what it's all about - the conference should be a place where we all learn and have a good time. I hope all of you will consider serving as an Ambassador when asked - we all remember when we first started with Sigma and the overwhelming feelings about implementation. This is a way to help our colleagues and we will benefit as well.

If you have questions about the program, would like to sign up as an Ambassador or would like to have an Ambassador assigned to you for the conference, please contact the Delegate-Mentor.