1. The FAO Role in Retention EASFAA May 2010 Allene Begley Curto Springfield College

2. We Keep Our Eyes on the Goal! Meet Enrollment Goals with:  Successful Completion of the Program  No Balance Due  Manageable debt upon completion

3. What We’ll Discuss  What does each department have that we need?  What does each department need from us?  What policies and procedures does each department have that impact financial aid?  What financial aid policies and procedures have an impact on each department?  How can we help students by working together?

4. Volume 2 Chapter 3, General Participation Requirements Volume 2 Chapter 10, Administrative Capability

5. Why is the FAO Central to Retention?  We “touch” almost every department  Regulatory compliance requires us to be aware of policies and procedures in other departments  We’re natural problem solvers  We know that sometimes the answer is “No” but we check all options for “Yes”

6. Why Do We Lose Students?  Aid packages are a factor – but not the main one!  Students don’t complete if they’re not here – and we have to know when they’re not here!  Students don’t complete if they get in academic difficulty!  Students don’t complete if they owe a balance and we won’t let them register!

7. What other departments and offices work with FAO?  Admissions  Registrar  Academic Affairs  Bursar  Student Affairs (Dean of Students/Housing)  Information Technology Services  Career Services  …and everyone else

8. What Does the FAO Do? Determine Eligibility and Need, Award and Process Aid Determine Eligibility and Need, Award and Process Aid Monitor: Federal requirements on academic eligibility, admission status, enrollment changes, data reporting Monitor: Federal requirements on academic eligibility, admission status, enrollment changes, data reporting Respond to inquiries from students, campuses and outside agencies Respond to inquiries from students, campuses and outside agencies

9. What does the FAO do for all of those other departments?  Notifies students of eligibility as soon as possible  Provides assistance to resolve eligibility problems for students/applicants  Offers options if aid does not cover costs  Assists in tracking students who fail to enroll, fail to attend  Uses federal academic requirement for FA to support academic counseling  Requests assistance and follow-up for “at- risk” students  Identifies areas that have problems in data entry and assists in resolution

10. Admission Status  FAO needs good data to plan and prioritize  Financial counseling can help families make realistic decisions  Financial Aid Nights and Early Awareness activities help to promote the institution!  Working relationships help to encourage referrals for families that have problems – and reduce the referrals that are only “spinning our wheels”!

11. Registrar  Registration Status can have an impact on aid eligibility  College officially reports enrollment to US ED and is responsible for accuracy  Are they really here? Do they just look like they’re here?  We need the documentation for students who drop/add/withdraw

12. Academic Status and Eligibility for Aid  SAP policy for FA should support the academic standard for the institution  Academic policies can be different but should not conflict or contradict  FA notifications should direct students to academic support services  FA Probation should require a component that assists academic improvement

13. Who Knows When We Need to Return Aid?  Complete withdrawal from all courses in any term – what is the process?  Failure to successfully complete at least one course in any term – who monitors and reviews?  Drop of course may change eligibility – how does FAO know?  Failure to begin attendance – who knows?  Beginning and then stopping – who knows?

14. Registrar/Academic Affairs/ Faculty/Student Affairs  Who knows when they’re not here?  Who knows when a student is in crisis (or approaching one)?  Who knows when they officially withdraw/drop?  Once someone knows, who else do they tell?  When does FAO find out?  Do we take attendance?

15. Why Should We Monitor Attendance if NOT Required?  Academic imperative for successful completion  Aid eligibility  Requirement to return aid if stops attending/withdraws …but who will do this?

16. Business Office  Together, we can provide prompt processing and crediting of aid  FAO needs to notify student, family, and bursar of changes to aid  We need to keep students enrolled and prevent large balances due that block registration/transcripts  Avoid over-awards because FAO didn’t have information from other departments

17. What about Outside Aid that must be reported to FAO? By Whom?  Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits  AmeriCorps Vouchers  Employer Tuition Benefits  Outside Scholarships  Third Party Billing  Anything that is only provided due to the enrollment in school

18. Information Technology  Good data  Identify Reporting needs  Good data  Accurate and helpful web pages  Good data  Appropriate use of electronic communication  …and don’t forget good data!

19. What is some of the Data That Needs to be Correct for Students?  Name, Address and Phone valid and correct  Social Security Number/Date of Birth correct  Admission data (entry term, status, etc.) correct  Registration, Attendance coded correctly and on time

20. Who is Entering that Data and Why?  They report to someone who at least might need that data for something  The person that they report to may report to someone else who needs that data  IT, Development, other departments want correct data also

21. Career Services  Employment helps students/former students to repay loans! Even if they don’t graduate  Counseling on expected earnings should be part of financial literacy efforts  Work study can be a retention tool for students

22. Assistance to Students and Staff  What do staff in different offices need in order to properly counsel students?  Where do they find it?  How and When do we train staff, give them new information?

23. The Tough Ones  The family that wants your school but can’t afford your school  The student who hits the wall academically  The student who has a personal or family crisis/tragedy

24. How Do We Become Partners?  Identify the offices  Find the allies  Outline the requirements and the benefits  Meet with the stakeholders  Review periodically

25. Wrap-up  Questions  Answers  Comments  Discussion Contact information: Allene Begley Curto acurto@spfldcol.edu