NASFAA Mourns the Loss of Joe McCormick
By Maria Carrasco, NASFAA Staff Reporter
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Joe McCormick, who served decades in the financial aid profession, including as president of the Southern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (SASFAA) and national chair of NASFAA.
Joe passed away on August 10 in Villisca, Iowa. He was born on December 29, 1942, in Amarillo, Texas, grew up in Dumas, Texas. He graduated from Dumas High School in 1961.
For his postsecondary education, Joe attended Amarillo College, the University of Texas at Austin, and West Texas State. Notably, he achieved a Ph.D, in higher education administration in 1994.
“Joe worked tirelessly in the field of student financial assistance to ensure all students had access to higher education no matter their economic circumstances,” his obituary reads. “Joe loved spending time with his family, visiting Alaska, talking with everyone he met, and reading history books. Joe had the kindest heart and loved his family and friends dearly.”
From 1977-78, Joe served as NASFAA national chair while also working at Mississippi State University. The year prior, from 1976-1977, Joe served as president of SASFAA.
NASFAA’s historical account of the first 20 years of the association notes McCormick’s years of dedication and service to the profession. According to the historical account, when McCormick began his tenure as national chair in 1977, he saw three areas that would be crucial to the proper evolution of NASFAA.
Those areas included the need to establish a strong financial base so NASFAA can provide the kind of services required by a growing profession; increased membership participation in decision-making; and urging colleagues to be progressive rather than reactive in dealing with the higher education community.
“No longer should NASFAA members be content with gaining the ear of policymakers regarding only the technical aspects of aid programs; rather, they should formulate ‘well-developed positions far enough in advance so that members of Congress and others can react to NASFAA’s statements and philosophy as a basis of their consideration,’” the historical account reads.
By the end of his presidency, Joe proudly proclaimed to his colleagues at the close of his presidency that “our goal of financial stability has been achieved.”
Joe is survived by his wife, Connie McCormick, three daughters, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Joe’s family suggests that memorials be made to Opportunity Plan, which provides financial assistance and counseling to students pursuing postsecondary education.
If you have memories of Joe and his service in the profession, please share them in the comments below.
Publication Date: 8/15/2025
Aubrey M | 8/16/2025 4:31:20 PM
With Joe McCormick’s passing, NASFAA has lost another of its early leaders who made many contributions to the Association.
In 1975, NASFAA was financed by individual dues. Realizing that there was a limit on the amount members would pay, a committee was appointed to examine the future structure and role of the Association and its affiliates. One of the key issues considered was to move from individual memberships to institutional memberships. This was not a favored by many members at that time, fearing financial aid administrators would lose their associational autonomy. Joe, who was SASFAA’s President and a member of the National Council then, was a strong supporter of institutional membership, and realized the change would enable the Association to have an adequate operating budget. For the next two years, the membership continued to debate the pros and cons of this change.
During this time, Joe had become President Elect of NASFAA and continued to attend state and regional meetings to lobby for institutional membership. To address the loss of autonomy issues, NASFAA proposed that the institutional representatives of each school had to be a practicing financial aid administrator.
This requirement satisfied much of the opposition, and in March of 1977, the new structure was approved. While many people helped to make this change to institutional membership, no one did more to help achieve a consensus for the design than Joe. This is just one example of his leadership and dedication to our profession.
I have known Joe for 52 years, and we have spent countless hours discussing Financial Aid, colleagues, politics, daughters, and grandchildren, and I will greatly miss those conversations and his friendship.
Jill and I send our deepest sympathy to his beloved wife, Connie, and his three daughters, Tamara, Stephanie, Andrea, and their families.
Rest in peace, good friend, and thank you for introducing me to deep fried dill pickle slices.
Dallas Martin
Ron D | 8/15/2025 10:10:45 AM
Joe was an exceptional person and leader. His service was (and should be now) a model to be emulated. He was a true friend to our profession and our students benefited greatly from his direction. Rest in peace, my friend, knowing "a job was done very well." Connie and family will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Heather B | 8/15/2025 9:34:23 AM
Joe served SASFAA and NASFAA long before I started my career. But Joe was hired in Kentucky to serve as the Executive Director at KHEAA in 2001, and that's when our paths crossed. He always encouraged me to boldly and passionately lead, much like he did. He often pushed me to think about things differently. He had great friends in our financial aid profession and modeled how we are family in addition to colleagues. Sending love to his beautiful wife and my friend Connie McCormick who served NASFAA for so many years.
You must be logged in to comment on this page.