With the College Board’s recent release of the report “Fulfilling the Commitment: Recommendations for Reforming Federal Student Aid” a panel of researchers, policy experts and higher education wonks deserve credit for igniting discussion on simplifying and reforming the student aid processes and programs.

NASFAA itself will shortly release findings from a simplification survey from members conducted earlier this summer. And, Phil Day has been in discussions with the College Board and others about moving this agenda forward as part of NASFAA‘s access initiative – the National Conversation Initiative (NCI). You will hear more about NCI in the coming months. If you plan to attend one of the regional association meetings, town halls have been set up for you to give NASFAA feedback on the issues that most concern you.

Here’s a short list of topics raised by the Rethinking Student Aid Group that I’m throwing out for discussion:

·         FAFSA -  Eliminate and obtain all information from the IRS;

·         Pell Grants – Based on family size and AGI; families receiving means-tested benefits would automatically qualify; link increases to the CPI; and, fold ACG, SMART and TEACH back in to Pell;

·         Tax Credits – Maintain, but consolidate into one program;

·         Loans – End in-school subsidy, directing the savings toward helping students repay their loans;

·         College savings accounts – Establish tax-free accounts for low-income children (potentially Pell Grant qualified);

·         Aid Programs – Eventually replacing the federal campus based programs, schools would receive block grants based on their proportion of Pell-eligible students enrolled and retained for a second year.

So put on your thinking caps.  Let’s call school into session and raise our voices on what reforms are necessary to simplify the process and the programs we work with.  Give NASFAA your feedback on the panel’s recommendations as well as other ideas you may have. You may contact NASFAA directly, your board representative, or come prepared to discuss these topics at your upcoming regional association meeting.  As financial aid practitioners our voices need to be heard.  By using NASFAA as the conduit for change, we will help students and families achieve increased levels of access and choice.

Those of you attending NASFAA’s National Conference this past week possibly heard my remarks at the Business Meeting, but I thought I would share some of them again.

I come from the Cowboy state of Wyoming and have lived and worked in Oklahoma - another Cowboy state. And, as you are aware, next year’s NASFAA Conference is in Texas – another Cowboy state. So, I’m warning you now that we are going to ‘Cowboy Up!!’ this year. For those who have never heard this phrase, the simplest explanation for ‘Cowboy Up!!’ is that it’s the ‘Cowboy Spirit’ - to give it all you’ve got; don’t give up; do the best you can with the hand you’re dealt.

The Western ethos is alive and well where I live. In the West there is an unwritten Cowboy ‘Code of the West’. Although we hear much about change, these days, I believe that basic truths never change and that the Code is still applicable in today’s world and to how we, as financial aid professionals, do business. While NASFAA has developed a written code, we also live by an unwritten code within our profession. While there are many platitudes in the Code, there are two that are especially significant and applicable to us in financial aid: 1) be proud of your occupation, and; 2) be loyal to your brand and those you ride with.

Like you, I am very proud of what we do. I can’t think of a more dedicated and inspiring group of folks than those in the trenches assisting students and families every day. We are the champions for the under-privileged seeking education and pursuing a better life. We work long and hard often under some very exacting and perplexing regulations to serve our students and institutions. Volunteering is one way to demonstrate pride for your occupation. We have a moral duty to each other, to our institutions and especially to our students to be involved professionally. Without volunteers, we cannot achieve the necessary level of training and good works that our associations thrive on. Show your pride by supporting NASFAA and your state and regional associations by volunteering your knowledge, thoughts and time. It’s your duty, so ‘Cowboy Up!!’

The ongoing Direct Loan vs. FFELP debate provides a great avenue to demonstrate loyalty to ‘those we ride with.’ This debate has been going on for 15 years! Isn’t it time to put aside our differences? Let’s trust one another to make the best decision for our students and institution. So ‘Cowboy Up!!’ and refrain from personal attacks and remember our loyalty to each other and to our students. As long as the two programs are supported by the government, NASFAA will continue to support both, providing good information and training for both so that institutions can make the right decision for their students.

We have had a rough couple of years, but through the strong leadership of past Chairs Janet Dodson and Michael Bennett we have persevered. But, let’s not dwell on the past. Let’s look forward, to where NASFAA will lead in providing students with access, choice and success in higher education. I know that at times we can get mired down with regulations making it easy to forget why we do what we do. That’s when we need to ‘Cowboy Up!!’ Attorney General Cuomo’s investigations provide an opportunity to demonstrate our loyalty to our students and our profession. I challenge Mr. Cuomo to join with NASFAA to efficiently use the funds he has accumulated to educate students and families about financial aid and financial literacy. Who better for him to work with than the professionals most trusted by college-going students? Mr. Cuomo, let’s ‘Cowboy Up!!’ and work together.

This is such a rewarding profession. For many of us financial aid is more than a job, it’s a career, it’s a cause. Like many of you, we give our personal time to be involved in our professional associations. My involvement has given me so much more than I have ever put in. Like you, I’ve met and assisted many fantastic students – students who would not have been successful without our counseling and assistance. And, like you, I’ve visited places I never would have gone, I’ve met people that I never would have met, and I’ve established friendships that have endured many years and will last a lifetime. I hope that when you take a deep breath and can look back over your career that you will feel, like me, that you feel truly blessed to have chosen financial aid as your career.

So, are you ready to ride with me? ‘Cowboy Up!!’

Two weeks ago NASFAA published an excellent seven page article titled “Federal Student Loan Checklist: Are You Up to Date?” to help members stay up-to-date on all their loan practices. I don’t know about you, but whenever I see the question “are you up to date?”, I take a deep breath and think: “Uh oh! I hope I don’t read something we should have been doing the past several months!”

This article serves as an illustration of the many, many changes made in the loan  programs just in the last year. It is also important to note that the article is an outline of these changes, not a full explanation of each change. At the beginning of an article is a “table of contents” that links to 19 different topics that are also filled with hyperlinks to even more information and links. (Yes, you better go back and read this!)

Let’s face it, as a financial aid administrator you learn to understand and explain sentences like

“Beginning July 1, 2008, final rules make changes to 674.16, 682.208, 682.401, and 682.414, that require guarantors to report certain student enrollment dates to the current loan holder within 35 days of any changes in a student’s enrollment status that triggers the beginning of a grace period or the beginning or resumption of repayment.”

(If I were on a game show I would say “That answer is true, Bob.”)

“How is someone to keep track of all of these changes?” I think to myself. “And when can we get back to working with students and families?”

A frightening trend in federal student aid is the additional complexity being added to all federal loan programs. At its best, this complexity comes from sincere attempts to distribute aid equitably. But at its worst, this complexity adds to the administrative burden of both financial aid administrators and students. A fair balance can be difficult to find.

But that point is not what’s important in the immediate future. Part of serving students and families the best way we can is to ensure that we are up-to-date on the ever changing world of financial aid. Our work serves as the lifeblood of higher education and without our knowledgeable expertise, families suffer.

Besides reviewing the checklist, I also encourage everyone, if you haven’t already done so, to review the handouts of the upcoming NASFAA National Conference sessions. This will give you additional time to formulate your questions or to identify colleagues at similar institutions who you may want to compare loan policies and procedures. (Anyone need a drink?!)

Are you up to date?!