Testimonials

Blue Icon Advisors is here to help you, your financial aid office, your school, and ultimately your students. Below are a few testimonials from some of our satisfied clients who have already seen a positive impact from their work with Blue Icon.

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Policies & Procedures

"Working with Blue Icon on our policies and procedures [P&Ps] was an awesome experience. My responsibility of meeting the requirements of the PPA and having written P&Ps kept looming over me. Our consultant kept us on track to complete our manual and in the end provided us a robust, detailed P&P manual that we can keep as a living document. The experience gave us great learning opportunities to where are strengths and weaknesses are."
- David Loverin, Financial Aid Director, College of the Sequoias

"The consultants are so knowledgeable about federal regulations, that I have great confidence in their work product. I've worked with other consultants in other contexts and I have not always had this degree of confidence."
- Dr. Christina Tangalakis, FAAC^®, Associate Dean of Financial Aid, Glendale Community College

"I was able to flesh out our R2T4 policy as a result of this course. That is one section of the manual I can check off and move forward with."
-Thea Gillespie, Associate Director Compliance and Training, University of Michigan-Dearborn

"I would highly recommend Blue Icon to any institution who doesn't have the time to develop on their own policies and procedures. Our consultant made the P&P development experience painless by writing the P&Ps and having our staff just review and identify any needed edits. Now everything is documented in one place for us keep updated and accurate. It's easier moving forward because everything is built and only updates are required."
--Mai Vo, Acting Director of Financial Aid, Napa Valley College

Interim Staffing

"We needed help with processing and our Banner system setup, and our Blue Icon consultants provided exactly what we needed: capacity to get work done, documentation for our policies and procedures, and teaching our staff along the way. Pairing the services Blue Icon offers with the comprehensive nature of what NASFAA already does is invaluable for aid offices."
- Sarah Doheny, Director of Financial Aid, Northeast State Community College

"With our consultant’s help and expertise, Middlebury was able to manage through a staffing gap in our loan processing activities. Throughout the engagement, our loan processing stayed on track allowing us to serve our students and disburse funds without delay. Further, our consultant provided guidance to our current staff on best practices for loan processing in Banner and even trained our staff member who is now assuming the loan duties. We are sad the engagement is ending, as our consultant became a valued member of our team, but now our team is now ready to take on the loan processing duties. We couldn’t be happier with our experience with Blue Icon."

- Kristi Jovell, Director of Student Financial Services Operations and Communications, Middlebury College

"The work Blue Icon has done so far is excellent and has already lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. The consultants ask questions that let me know they have a deep understanding of both the regulations and Banner, they divide tasks up among themselves independently, and they are SWIFT! In fact, I just sent my VP a chat that said ‘NASFAA Blue Icon is worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY!'"
- Leigh Ann Hussey, Director of Financial Aid, University of West Georgia

"Blue Icon Advisors provided an interim financial aid director to UNC Pembroke, and she has been terrific. Her training is superior! The staff are now doing processes that were previously only handled at the associate and director level. I cannot say enough good things about our experience."
- Lois Williams, Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management, University of North Carolina Pembroke

"Our students have barely recognized that we are operating with a financial aid director deployed overseas, an on-campus financial aid coordinator, and a Blue Icon consultant performing all our packaging."
- Dr. Phillip Reynolds, Associate Dean of Student Services, Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine

"I can't thank you and Blue Icon for how wonderful you have made these last six months less stressful. That time would have been a disaster if we didn't have you. I am grateful and indebted to you. The quality of your work, your contributions to the team, your voice, your grace...all of it has been wonderful." 
- Gail Holt, Dean of Financial Aid, Amherst College

"Our interim staffing engagement with Blue Icon has allowed our leadership to focus on implementing a new student information system while our consultant maintains day-to-day operations. We could not be more pleased with Blue Icon!"
- Donna Grand Pré, Senior Vice President for Enrollment, Suffolk University

Program Review Response Team

"I cannot say enough good things about Blue Icon's Program Review Response Team. They were extremely knowledgeable, while being friendly and professional throughout the process. I highly recommend schools use Blue Icon to prepare for their program review."
- Scott McFarland, Director of Financial Aid, Central Wyoming College

Executive Coaching

More financial aid administrators should use the expertise that Blue Icon offers. The value of the coaching I received was immeasurable! Financial aid professionals are conditioned to work diligently to make things happen in a compressed timeline. Blue Icon’s flexibility to work within a budget allowed me to be resourceful and strategic while receiving coaching from an accepting, nonjudgmental thought partner.
-Brenda Buzynski, Assistant Provost and Director of Student Financial Aid, University of Iowa

"My executive coaching with Blue Icon helped me successfully navigate merging various departments into one unit. My consultant was very engaging, patient, personable. He gave me the necessary confidence I needed for this major project. Coaching with Blue Icon was a valuable experience!"
- Erika Ramirez

"I am no longer feeling I'm in crisis mode and getting to a point where I feel like I can focus on training rather than cleaning up problems."
- Thasia Schilling, Financial Aid Coordinator, Mid-East Career and Technology Centers

"As a direct result of my coaching with Blue Icon Advisors, I have a better insight into my role as a Financial Aid Coordinator. My consultant did an amazing job with the presentations and the way they answered my questions. Their professionalism quality at each stage produced a much better understanding for me than I had originally thought possible."
- Taj Singh, Financial Aid Coordinator, Southern Missouri Technical Institute

Consulting

"We needed assistance revising our scholarship models to use the new Student Aid Index. This project was mission-critical for our institution, and our administration was very pleased to know that we utilized external experts to do this work. The results were very worthwhile in determining how we can best utilize our need-based funding to help our students."
-Keith Williams, Executive Director of Financial Aid, Michigan State University

"Our compliance review with Blue Icon Advisors ultimately supported my views and the assessment I did when I arrived as the director. The final report created a foundation for the campus leadership to understand the risk and how to resolve said risk. CSUDH had engaged in other evaluations, but this one was from the aid community, which spoke stronger than other evaluations. Additionally, Blue Icon’s affiliation with NASFAA, as a national organization with a strong reputation, adds weight to the messages being sent to campus leadership."
-Nick Valdivia, Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships, California State University, Dominguez Hills

Our engagement on medical school calendars allowed us to understand where we stand as an institution. Our consultant’s experience was perfect for our situation and I couldn’t be happier with the results of the engagement.
- Don McVay, Executive Director of Financial Aid, Emory University

"I understand the importance of remaining in compliance with financial aid rules, but needed confirmation to determine if​ our practices aligned with the rules. Blue Icon Advisors reviewed documents, interviewed staff, and cited regulations that confirmed my understanding. My president and I were both impressed with how well-written and detailed the final report was for our engagement. Our consultant's experience speaking with colleagues across campus will pay dividends moving forward to ensure compliance with all financial aid rules."
- Dr. Chrissy L. Davis Jones, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Harrisburg Area Community College

"We had an urgent audit need with a very fast turnaround time. Blue Icon accurately assessed our situation and understood the pressure to deliver results quickly. I appreciated knowing in a very short time whether we could do this project together. Our work with Blue Icon will absolutely have a positive impact on our institution moving forward."
- Susan Collins, Chief Financial Officer, Saint Mary's College of California

"Blue Icon worked with us to determine how to best meet our needs by listening to our challenges and what we were trying to achieve. Once the staff understood our needs, they provided a range of options to meet our timeline, desired outcomes, and budget. Our Blue Icon consultant and staff executed the project plan as planned and always strived to go above and beyond expectations. We would not hesitate to work with them again!"
- Robin Randall, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Mount Holyoke College

"I feel that the atmosphere of the office has improved since implementing our onboarding process [developed with Blue Icon Advisors] because it is not only helpful for new staff, but seasoned staff feels as if we are working to better equip everyone and take into consideration their ideas as well."
- Lisa Namken, Assistant Director, Sam Houston State University

"We wanted assistance evaluating our PharmD awarding practices to ensure they were compliant and how they compared to other PharmD programs. Blue Icon Advisors provided a consultant who not only had experience awarding PharmD students programs, but also researched practices at other institutions. The project affirmed that our awarding practices were in line with federal regulations and provided considerations for changing our model while continuing to remain in compliance."
- Elizabeth Goreham, Director of Student Financial Services, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

"I'm pleased with Blue Icon Advisors' review of our student employment operations. We were able to use the results of the evaluation to advocate for necessary resources."
- Anthony Gallonio, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Service, Rhode Island School of Design

"Blue Icon did a great job choosing a consultant based on my needs. I've had consultants in the past where the right person wasn't assigned, and having the right person makes a huge difference!"
- Shauna James, Director of Financial Aid, University of North Alabama

“I appreciated the ability to have a peer assessment completed. The insight from current practitioners with a great depth of experience was invaluable. It’s one thing to have someone consult, but another to have someone consult who works daily in the field. For some staff, it was reaffirming to hear how things were going and how things could change for the better.”
-Dr. Joffery Gaymon, Vice President for Enrollment, Auburn University

Custom Training

"Blue Icon's customized training helped get our new team members up to speed quickly so we don't feel like a "new" office. I also participated in new director group coaching, which gave me invaluable tips to build the office and my confidence as a leader."
- Ozie Ratcliff, Director of Financial Aid, Jackson State University

"The trainer provides learning activities and opportunities which allow the team to have meaningful conversations about current/real situations that you won't get from just reading the content."
- Lori Clement, Student Services Specialist Sr., Glendale Community College

"The best experience was seeing the connections established from staff who began to understand the details of need analysis. The customer service training was great to bring in other areas to the conversation, too. Having Blue Icon provide training that is trusted and delivered by knowledgeable instructors is critical for the proficiency required to be effective financial aid administrators."
-Jennifer Byrd, Director of Financial Aid, Nashville State Community College

System Optimization, Utilization, Training

"Our project with Blue Icon Advisors went smoothly. There was some initial hesitation from some, but the consultants' knowledge and non-threatening approach put everyone at ease. The final report we received is allowing us to lobby for additional resources we need to run more efficiently. We look forward to working with Blue Icon again." 
- Joseph Greene, Vice Chancellor of Finance & Administration at Johnson & Wales University

Standards of Excellence (SOE) Review

"Our Standards of Excellence team made no judgments. Working on the review was genuinely like working with friends. It was a great team of diverse yet similar colleagues who offered great perspectives and experiences."
-Andrea Byrd, Executive Director of Enrollment Services & Financial Aid, Furman University

"The SOE review provided a completely unbiased third-party look not only at compliance, but also customer service and operations. We are using the SOE report as our marching orders for improvement and have great support from upper leadership."
- Andrea Lehman, Director of Financial Aid, Hiram College

Let's Talk

"I'm thankful for the Let's Talk events as they allow me to connect with financial aid professionals from across the nation, especially during these unprecedented times brought on by COVID-19 ."
- Sheila A. Thomas, Director of Financial Aid, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College

"I cannot express how helpful this was. We were a small but mighty clock-hour group, but we all learned from each other."
- A Let's Talk participant

"It's vitally important yet rare to engage in a nationwide forum with community college peers by which to share common concerns and creative solutions."
- Anne M. Moore, Director of Student Financial Services, Berkshire Community College

"A one hour Zoom meeting is far easier to attend than traveling to a conference or sector meeting."
- Mary Ellen Duffy, Vice President of Financial Aid and Compliance, Mildred Elley - Albany Campus

SAI Modeling Tool Assistance

"I had resigned myself to thinking I would not be able to analyze data from the SAI Modeling Tool, so I was thrilled to have an opportunity to have an expert do that so I could continue doing the vital day-to-day work. Having the credibility of a specific and in-depth analysis done on our aggregate student population at our institution, using our data, is invaluable for clearing the pathway for leadership to be open to listening. Personalized information is better received by executive leadership, especially when it is from an established and reputable organization like NASFAA and Blue Icon."
-Kamia Mwango, Director of Financial Aid, Santa Fe College

Blue Icon Advisors can help you succeed and reach your institutional goals too! Get started by filling out the no-obligation information request form today.

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