At NASFAA's second annual Poster Session at the 2005 Conference in New York City, representatives from five institutions shared innovative financial aid practices used on their campuses. The poster for an additional institutionTexas A&M Universityis described below but was not displayed due to shipping difficulties. NASFAA thanks all participating institutions. Information on each of the posters follows.
California: Foothill College. "Innovation Augments Growth" (photo at left). This poster illustrated four major financial aid outreach events and included the original posters used for promotion. A graph at the bottom of the poster showed the effectiveness of the outreach efforts as reflected in increased financial aid applications. Each outreach event had a unique focus: "Cash For College Day" provided access to underserved populations in the community; "Financial Aid Singing Idol" raised awareness of financial aid among the general student body; "Risk, Respect, Resolve and a Dash of Salsa" showed how higher education, hand in hand with financial aid, empowers minorities; and "JeopardAid" informed staff, faculty and students about financial aid. For additional information, please contact Inna Witkop at WitkopInna@foothill.edu.
Iowa: Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC). "Financial Aid Is Every Student's Business--Marketing The Aid Office." The goal was to provide visual identity and a quick-reference guide to available financial aid resources in order to enhance the awareness of the availability of financial aid, using a two-fold approach. First, DMACC developed an early awareness program that was held on all six campuses. In addition, DMACC designed a resource card (the size of a business card), which listed key institutional and federal financial aid resources for students. Both approaches helped students, faculty, and staff understand important deadlines and available financial aid resources. The resource cards were designed for students to carry and refer to, if necessary. A unified appearance was used for all printed material, including the award notifications. For additional information, please contact DeLores W. Hawkins, District Director Student Financial Aid at dwhawkins@dmacc.edu.
Massachusetts: Clark University. "Financing Plan Provides Access Through Partnerships." [access n. 1. A means of approaching, entering, communicating with, or making use of.] Clark University employs an innovative way to ensure that students and families have the information, tools, and low-cost, debt-minimizing financing options to access a Clark University education. In 2003, Clark University responded to their students' and families' concerns about access and affordability by choosing partners that support the University's goals and desired results. Clark University chose a payment plan provider and not-for-profit loan provider who work together as an extension of the university to provide high quality education payment counseling to assist Clark families manage their education costs, while keeping debt low. Through these partnerships, Clark University provides families consistent education payment advice through all communication channels, and the best low-cost customized strategy for their personal situation. For additional information, please contact Mary Ellen Severance at meseverance@clarku.edu.
Tennessee: Lee University. "A New Year, the New FAFSA and New Opportunities:
Financial Aid Fair." Using a New Year's Eve party theme, Lee University held its 4th annual Financial Aid Fair. There were 20 laptops in the PC lab, private scholarship handouts, food, door prizes, as well as lots and lots of information. They invited their top 10 volume and preferred lenders, scholarship search organizations, National Guard recruiters, Tennessee's state agency and others. They teamed up with their admissions staff, local guidance counselors, area newspapers and radio stations to invite local high school students. Campus students were invited through multiple on-campus announcements (chapel, monthly newsletter, stall journals, voice mail and e-mail). Prospective and current students were encouraged to apply for federal PINs, complete the FAFSA, apply for Lee University endowments and complete private scholarship searches. Five scheduled loan exit counseling sessions were available for graduating seniors who were also encouraged to immediately go visit with their lender. The school's goals for current and prospective students were to encourage them to apply early for federal aid, to apply often for private scholarships, and to have the opportunity to discuss borrower benefits with the various lenders; their goal for graduating seniors was to personalize their lender by providing the opportunity to meet with a representative from their agency. For additional information, please contact Marian Huffman at Mhuffman@leeuniversity.edu.
Texas: Texas A& M University. "Junior Peer Counselors." This poster provided program details and application information the Department of Student Financial Aid's 2005 Junior Peer Counselor program. This is a program for qualified high school juniors who are interested in learning about the college financial aid process and are willing to serve as high school liaisons during their senior year in high school. Individuals selected for this paid program are taught the basics of financial aid and learn how to represent the financial aid department at various presentations and functions throughout the summer of 2005 and during their senior year in high school. Individuals who completed the summer program are eligible for a $1,000 scholarship at Texas A & M University for their freshman year. For additional information, please contact Debra La Grone at dlagrone@tamu.edu.
Virginia: Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. "A Survey-Based Protocol for Estimating Cost of Attendance." Cost of attendance (COA) is a key component for determining student's eligibility and need for financial aid. It sets the maximum need-based and non-need-based aid a student may receive including federal, state, institutional, and external aid programs. Obtaining accurate COA estimates is essential given the recent trends of increasing college costs and declining state support for higher education due to budget cuts. This poster presented a survey-based approach for estimating cost of attendance in compliance with federal financial aid regulations. It described research methodology employed for estimating cost of attendance at Virginia Tech, including sample design, sample size, sampling methods, questionnaire development, survey implementation, data collection and analysis. Special emphasis was given to practical applications of this protocol as well as its applicability to other institutions of higher education. For additional information, please contact: Dr. Lefter Daku at ldaku@vt.edu.
Again, our thanks to all participating institutions!
By Marty Guthrie
NASFAA Director for Governmental Affairs
Posted July 19, 2005 on www.NASFAA.org, the Web Site of the
National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA).
Copyright 2005. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited
Please submit Web Site questions or comments to web@nasfaa.org
