Helpful Habit for New (and Seasoned) Financial Aid Pros

The Department of Education has been publishing a number of the volumes for the 2014–15 Federal Student Aid Handbook on the IFAP website, including, this past week, campus-based programs, and calculating awards and packaging. The department usually gets out the application and the verification volume at least halfway through the main awarding season for traditional schools and the rest of the volumes trickle out throughout the summer.[1]

My habit I got into (by luck or most likely from some wise financial aid professional early in my career), is to re-read the handbook each year as it is published.[2]

There is so much information to keep in your head, working in financial aid, and I have found this yearly ritual of reviewing the handbook as it is published keeps it fresh in my mind that hopefully helps me carryout my day-to-day work.

Grab your iPad or laptop and pick a volume to get (re)aquiented with over the next few weeks. After you finish one, you can move on to another one. If you are a manager or supervisor, do it with your directs together.

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1. There have even been years when some volumes have not been published until mid-fall.  ↩

2. Ok, sometimes I do skim some of the sections and some years it has been a month or two after they were published.  ↩

Few spots left for first NASFAA University's online course →

I am still not sure if this is the future of educating and training people who start or work in financial aid and enrollment managment, but it is worth watching to see how it develops compared to the more traditional "training" opportunities.

There is only a few spots left for the first course on the basics of financial aid. If you have someone completely new to financial aid, it might be worth $199.00 investment. At least worth taking a look at the course syllabus.

Again, it will be interesting to see how this develops since there certainly a great deal of interest in this space for all levels of professional development.

USC Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice Certificate Program →

USC Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice is in the late stage of recruitment for their certificate program in leadership in enrollment management. The application deadline is August 31. This is an interesting take on how to meet the needs for enrollment management and the future leaders. The program has some heavy hitters in admissions and financial aid from around the country and an interesting take on the content areas.

This is also very different take on the NASFAA certification program/university.

One of the great things about this field is that it continues to develop a theory base for enrollment management. Great times.

Enrollment Leadership Academy Nomination ♦

I am very proud and honored to annouce that I was nominated and selected for the College Board’s 2012–13 Enrollment Leadership Academy for their western region. The program is a small selective cohort of financial aid and admission professionals who will come together on a monthly basis over the next year for professional development activities and trainings. Part of the program is attending the College Board’s National Forum in Miami during October and the Western Regional Forum in San Diego next February.

On a separate, but similar, note, I will also be presenting about the effect of the design of financial aid process of student success through the process at the College Board’s Western Regional Forum. Doing professional development while being profesional developed. I will have more details in late fall about the presentation.

I am really looking forward to working with this cohort of talented and hardworking financial aid and admission professional over the next year and my thank you to the College Board Western Regional Office for their investment.