Lubbers Earns Nationally Recognized Financial Aid Administrator Certification

WARRENSBURG, MO – Maintaining his high commitment to professional  standards in his field, Tony Lubbers, director of financial aid at the University of Central Missouri, earned the FAAC® designation from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators' accredited Certified Financial Aid Administrator® (CFAA) Program. 

Lubbers initially earned the credential in 2020 and recently renewed it in February 2023. He has served UCM since September 2017, part of a higher education career that spans nearly 27 years.

The CFAA Program is a first-in-the-industry effort launched in 2019 that validates the skills and knowledge of financial aid professionals at postsecondary institutions nationwide. The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, or NASFAA, is a nonprofit membership organization that represents more than 29,000 financial aid professionals at approximately 3,000 colleges, universities, and career schools across the country. NASFAA is the only national association with a primary focus on student aid legislation, regulatory analysis, and training for financial aid administrators.

"Financial aid administrators are entrusted with significant responsibility, ranging from ensuring college access for students to protecting the reputation of an institution and maintaining the integrity of federal financial aid programs," said NASFAA President and Chief Executive Officer Justin Draeger. "The FAAC designation affirms the professional commitment of a financial aid administrator not only to those responsibilities, but also their commitment to uphold the highest ethical standards." 

Lubbers joins the ranks of an elite group of more than 300 other financial aid professionals who earned the FAAC designation after successfully passing a comprehensive knowledge exam and affirming commitment to the standards of ethical behavior that have long been a hallmark of the financial aid profession.
He has served in the financial aid industry since 1996 as an assistant director and director.  He has also served in both the Kansas and Missouri State Financial Aid Associations in a variety of roles, as well as on the regional and national levels and has advocated for students in those capacities.

"Earning the FAAC designation is a remarkable achievement that demonstrates the recipient's competence in and commitment to financial aid administration, and of the years of work and training — and countless hours of study — they have dedicated to reach this goal," says Dr. Christina Tangalakis, 2022-23 CFAA Program commission chair and associate dean of financial aid at Glendale Community College.