Blue Icon News
Stay up-to-date with the latest happenings at Blue Icon Advisors.
News Articles
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Consumer Information: Not Just a Job for Financial Aid
August 14, 2024 - Blue Icon Advisors offers a specialized single topic assessment of consumer information, a fully remote review of an institution's compliance with the consumer information regulations and requirements. -
Five Methods to Finance Consultant Help
June 3, 2024 - It is necessary to think strategically about how to finance your consulting project — here are five methods you may use. -
Six Ways Financial Aid Compliance Affects Your Entire School
June 3, 2024 - Here are six ways financial aid compliance impacts other offices at your institution that you can share with your colleagues. -
NASFAA Business Services: Customer Service in Financial Aid
October 11, 2023 - Join this webinar to learn how to balance following the rules with providing a positive customer experience. -
Blue Icon’s Consultants Bringing Flexible Guidance for Staffing Roles
February 14, 2022 - For institutions, the issue of staffing has become more acute with the dramatic changes in the job market. And while the terrain might seem treacherous, Blue Icon Advisors has been successfully navigating institutional needs by bringing flexibility a... -
Blue Icon’s Independent Consultants Enjoy the ‘Challenge’ of Helping Aid Offices Take On Policies & Procedures
February 2, 2022 - Creating, implementing, or overhauling a policies and procedures (P&P) manual is one of those tasks on a financial aid office’s to-do list that directors often struggle to allocate time for. With seemingly constantly changing federal studen... -
‘We Love Financial Aid Because We Love Helping People’: Independent Consultants Talk Working With Blue Icon
January 25, 2022 - There’s no shortage of work in a financial aid office. Just ask Mary Sommers, the director of financial aid at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, who has worked in the field for more than 30 years. Between her professional career and person... -
You Don't Have to Dread the Call from ED
January 10, 2022 - Learn from one school's experience on how to avoid, resolve, or prevent federal Program Review Findings with Blue Icon's Peer Review Services. -
What Can I Expect Before, During, and After a Consulting Engagement?
November 19, 2021 - Let's take a minute to go behind the scenes so you can learn what a consulting engagement entails. -
The Benefits of Executive Coaching for Financial Aid Administrators
November 15, 2021 - For those who are new or well-established in their careers, executive coaching is an opportunity to gain new skills or adapt to the shifting landscape of their occupation. -
What's in Your Audit?
September 30, 2021 - A Comparison of NASFAA Peer Reviews with Annual Audit Requirements -
SOE Now Administered by Blue Icon Advisors
July 1, 2021 - Starting July 1, 2021, NASFAA’s Standards of Excellence (SOE) Review Program will be administered by Blue Icon Advisors, NASFAA’s wholly owned consulting subsidiary. NASFAA has provided the SOE program to members for over 20 years. T... -
Blue Icon Enters Partnership With Napier Executive Search
October 22, 2020 - We're pleased to announce that Blue Icon has teamed up with Napier Executive Search to ensure new financial aid directors are equipped with the training and support they need in order to thrive when stepping into new roles. Effective im... -
Blue Icon's 'Let's Talk' Platform Brings Peer-to-Peer Networking During Pandemic
September 21, 2020 - After six months of the nationwide COVID-19 pandemic, financial aid administrators have experienced many changes in how they work, assist students, and engage with their colleagues. Aid administrators across the country were sent home to work (many t... -
Let’s Talk Academic Calendars
September 14, 2020 - It's been happening all summer. Schools announce their reopening plans, and with them, changes to their academic calendars. Combined with revised guidance regarding standard term length, and you have the perfect opportunity to make majo... -
Blue Icon Kicks Off Fall 'Let's Talk' Series With Financial Literacy During COVID-19
September 1, 2020 - Financial literacy efforts at institutions are not one-size-fits-all. Schools may choose to host workshops, participate in informational fairs on campus, or conduct one-on-one counseling. Most of these activities are done in person, so ... -
Blue Icon's First Year Marked by Expansion and Adaptation
June 3, 2020 - One year ago, NASFAA officially launched Blue Icon Advisors, a consulting service to help colleges, universities, and career schools with financial aid compliance, operations, training, staffing, and professional coaching. The service h... -
Face-to-Face: Making Video Conferencing Work for You
January 23, 2020 - Most of us only think of video conferencing when we need it to attend an occasional webinar or to connect out of office staff to an in-person meeting. But real-time, interactive video communication is a powerful tool that shouldn’... -
Video Conference Etiquette for Presenters and Participants
January 23, 2020 - Whether it's a small video meeting of three staff members or an expansive national event, good video conferencing etiquette makes everything run more smoothly. Just like the best in-person meetings, positive video conference experiences... -
Five Video Conferencing Features to Take Your Meetings to the Next Level
January 23, 2020 - In the past few years, video conferencing has gone from dull to dynamic — when done right. Constant innovations in video conference platforms now deliver features that can help you engage your audience, encourage teamwork, and imp... -
Say Yes to Video Conferencing
January 23, 2020 - Video conferencing is a cheap, easy, and effective way of connecting — so why don't more of us use it? It delivers all the advantages of face-to-face meetings without the cost and lost time of bringing everyone to the same locatio... -
3 Key Takeaways From Blue Icon’s ‘Establishing Your Personal Brand’ Facebook Live Event
January 6, 2020 - Establishing a personal brand — which is similar to a mission or summary statement about yourself — can seem like a daunting task, but it is an essential part of developing yourself as a leader and vital to shaping how you a... -
Blue Icon Board Discusses Ways to Best Serve NASFAA Members
September 18, 2019 - Blue Icon Advisors’ new Board of Managers held its first meeting last week on Wednesday, September 11 to discuss ways to best meet members’ needs. The nine board managers, which consists of both NASFAA members and others in the consulting... -
4 Reasons Why the FSA Handbook Is Not Your P&P Manual
August 9, 2019 - The Federal Student Aid (FSA) Handbook was designed as a reference tool to provide schools with additional guidance in complying with the laws and regulations governing Title IV aid programs. But copying and pasting the language from the handbook is ... -
NASFAA Launches New Consulting Service: Blue Icon Advisors LLC
June 3, 2019 - NASFAA is proud to announce the creation of Blue Icon Advisors to provide consulting, leadership support, and compliance services to colleges, universities, and career schools. For more than 50 years, NASFAA has served as a trusted resource for finan...