U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan confirmed yesterday that he will kick off NASFAA's Annual Conference by delivering the opening address on July 12 in San Antonio, TX.
"We are extremely excited to have Secretary Duncan kick off our annual conference," said NASFAA President and CEO Dr. Philip Day. "The Obama administration has shown that it is prepared to take bold action to significantly increase college access and affordability. Having Secretary Duncan at the conference will inform aid administrators about the Department's plans, priorities and goals and allow NASFAA to share its goals with the Department."
In addition to the opening address from Secretary Duncan, NASFAA's national conference will feature a host of conference sessions presented by Education Department staff. The Department will also host a resource room where attendees can meet with Department staff to discuss financial aid issues and specific Department services like the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD), the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), the Integrated Partnership Management (IPM), and the Department's new portal and Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) screens.
A panel of Department officials will present a general session to provide current information on:
- the recently completed Higher Education Opportunity Act negotiated rulemaking sessions
- Title IV student aid proposals included in the President's FY 2010 Budget
- various simplification proposals being considered by the Administration and Congress
Department officials will also present at the following interest sessions:
- Application (FAFSA) Processing Update
- Direct Loan Servicing - Working with Schools
- Experimental Sites - A New Beginning
- Federal Methodology Changes
- Moving from FFEL to Direct Loan
- National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)
- New Consumer Disclosure Responsibilities of Institutions
- The New Perkins Loan Program
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Income-Based
- Repayment
- Simplifying the Financial Aid Application Process
- TEACH Grant Program
- Title IV Grant Programs Update
- Title IV Student Loans Update: FFEL, Direct Loans, and Perkins
- Customer Service Interaction - The Financial Aid Office and
- the Federal Student Information Center
- The Student Loan Ombudsman Caucus: Facilitating Creative
- Solutions for Student Loan Problems and Issues
Arne Duncan was nominated to be secretary of education by President-elect Barack Obama and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2009.
In his confirmation hearings, Duncan called education "the most pressing issue facing America," adding that "preparing young people for success in life is not just a moral obligation of society" but also an "economic imperative." "Education is also the civil rights issue of our generation," he said, "the only sure path out of poverty and the only way to achieve a more equal and just society." Duncan expressed his commitment to work under the leadership of President Obama and with all those involved in education "to enhance education in America, to lift our children and families out of poverty, to help our students learn to contribute to the civility of our great American democracy, and to strengthen our economy by producing a workforce that can make us as competitive as possible."
Prior to his appointment as secretary of education, Duncan served as the chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Schools, a position to which he was appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley, from June 2001 through December 2008, becoming the longest-serving big-city education superintendent in the country.
You can register online now for the 2009 NASFAA Conference.
Posted 04/24/09 to www.NASFAA.org. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited. Please submit Web site questions or comments to Web@NASFAA.org.
