1. How To Survive In FA: Importance Of Relationships Across Campus
Presented by: Brenda Burgess, Bryan Erslan,
Michelle Hemmer, & Dan Sanchez
Spring Conference April 7 – 10, 2019

2. Spring Conference April 7 – 10, 2019
Things To Cover
Understanding the importance of partnerships
Collaborating across campus
Collaborating with other campuses or organizations
Being at the table - Not on the “Menu”
Spring Conference April 7 – 10, 2019

3. Spring Conference April 7 – 10, 2019
Who Do We Partner With?
Admissions
Retention
First Year Programs (FYS)
Academics
Finance
Student Accounts
Faculty
Athletics
Health & Wellness
NCASFAA & other organizations
Spring Conference April 7 – 10, 2019

4. Partnerships & Collaboration
Why do we need partnerships & collaboration?
What do you feel is the key(s) to successful collaboration?
Spring Conference April 7 – 10, 2019

5. Bringing It All Together
Discuss Issuing Aid/Refund Case Study & the collaboration among different offices
This question is most frequently asked by many students and most often in the form of an or a phone call. For most, the call starts in the Financial Aid Office and occasionally will end in the Business Office. Though we share each other’s screens, for view only access, it can be challenging to understand each other’s screens to accurately explain the students account. Yes, we are a school that still mails checks to students so the student begins calling the minute he views his account and sees the credit balance.
To prevent calls from bouncing back and forth to both offices, the Financial Aid Office began the following:
Based on Title IV regulations and processing requirements, the offices have established a timeline for refund processing (ie. The date in which I send the report to the Business Office to prepare refund checks) and establish timelines for additional refund dates, generally weekly, for additional late start classes and mini-term classes
Training for both offices – invite the Business Office to interpret student account to eliminate calls being bounced from one office to another.
Invite the Business Office to attend conferences and workshops to obtain first-hand knowledge of regulatory and reporting updates.
Continuously seek ways to effectively communicate and serve our students.
Spring Conference April 7 – 10, 2019

6. Bringing It All Together Continued…
Discuss SAP Case Study & the collaboration among different offices
Historically the university had an Academic Probation and Suspension program and anything below a 2.0 was considered not successfully progressing academically.  The Executive Director of Retention and Graduation was charged with looking at this entire process and making a recommendation to the Academic Council to have this changed.   Because Financial Aid had worked closely with Retention and Graduation over the years, there was already some knowledge that the financial aid office also had a Satisfactory Academic Progress policy in order for students to continue to receive financial aid. 
Financial aid worked closely with Retention and Graduation through this process and the end product for Academic Probation and Suspension works well with the SAP policy.  Having this working relationship with Retention and Graduation throughout the years, allowed Financial aid to be included in this discussion from the beginning and not an afterthought. 
New policy allows for students to carry a 1.5 or higher gpa for less than 30 hours completed, 1.75 for  less that 50 hours completed and above 50 credit hours completed, students must have a 2.0 or higher cumulative gpa to be in good academic standing.  This meets the federal SAP policy to have a 2.0 or higher by the beginning of the students junior year. 
Spring Conference April 7 – 10, 2019

7. Being At The Table - Not On The “Menu”
Advantages:
Gain a better understanding of the entire organization
Complement the needs of multiple departments - two heads are better than one
Sharing ideas
Instill a spirit of trust and friendship
Great way to build professional experience
Makes individuals more marketable
Get’s you out of the “silo”
Are there any disadvantages?
How can you as a director or non-director achieve this?
Ask questions
Make yourself approachable/known
Talk to the “right” people
Spring Conference April 7 – 10, 2019

8. Spring Conference April 7 – 10, 2019

9. NCASFAA would like to thank our Professional Affiliates!
Spring Conference April 7 – 10, 2019

10. Spring Conference April 7 – 10, 2019
Why is important to collaborate across departments? Share any cautionary tales, e.g., audits/program rollouts
Does anyone have a shared student services model at their school? Pros/cons
How do you get a seat at the table in meetings that just *may* impact FA compliance?
How can you frame your argument to highlight importance of regulatory compliance?
How can you leverage financial aid training opportunities for your own staff, as well as with other departments?
What are some indirect or informal ways of collaborating with other offices?
Some questions more for non-directors:
What are the benefits you feel from interdepartmental collaboration?
How do different departments view students differently (FTE, aid recipient, learner, alumni/donor)
What are some words that may have different meanings across different departments (refund, return, overpayment, withdrawal, leave of absence, academic probation, etc.)
Are there any potential pitfalls with cross-training between departments?
Spring Conference April 7 – 10, 2019