The NASFAA listserve provides members with updates on a daily basis on important news around the country. This section will provide both a few of these tidbits and official press releases from NASFAA. In this issue, we reprint the letter from Dallas Martin as a reminder of how important this Fall's reauthorization activities are and your role in getting the word out to your representatives.
COLLEGES BRACE FOR BIGGER CLASSES AND LESS BANG FOR MORE BUCKS
(USA TODAY)
http://www.NASFAA.org/publications/2003/awpublicstudents082803.html
"It's an axiom among state policymakers: In tough economic times, colleges and universities take the cuts first, and hardest," USA Today reports. "After all, there's always a backup money source: students." The newspaper also posted the transcript of an on-line chat it hosted about paying for college.
THE NEW COLLEGE GAME
(NEWSWEEK) http://www.NASFAA.org/publications/2003/awnewgame082903.html
"Telltale essays, long wait lists, 'mutual massage'--this is the newest lexicon of the process," Newsweek reports. "Colleges manipulate admissions. Now students are learning to fight back." Newsweek also posted the transcript of an on-line chat on "The Newest Tricks in College Admission".
PUBLIC COLLEGE TUITION INCREASES PROMPT CONCERN AND LEGISLATION
(THE NEW YORK TIMES)
http://www.NASFAA.org/publications/2003/awpublictuition090203.html
Despite low tuitions when compared to private colleges, the latest public college "increases are prompting an outcry from students, and policy makers are leaping to their defense," The New York Times reports. "...Government policy makers themselves bear some responsibility for the size of the recent increases, because their own budget problems have led them to cut taxpayer support for public higher education. Many colleges have tried to close the resulting gap with higher tuition....Many educators say the best way to keep tuition down is to rebuild state subsidies."
EDUCATION SHOULDN'T BE PRICED OUT OF REACH
(CHRONICLE-TRIBUNE, IN)
http://www.NASFAA.org/publications/2003/awindianaaid090903.html
"Recent spikes in tuitions and fees at state schools, coupled with new limits on financial aid, are threatening to price a college degree beyond the reach of many bright students," states a Chronicle-Tribune (IN) editorial. "According to a news report, one financial aid official called it a perfect storm for Indiana parents who want to send their children to
college."
COLLEGE AID WARNING
(KRON SAN FRANCISCO)
http://www.NASFAA.org/publications/2003/awaidwarning082103.html
Fall is the time many college-bound students "fall prey to unscrupulous companies trying to make money from the college aid search," reports KRON 4 news in San Francisco. The station's undercover camera caught a pitch made
by National Student Financial Aid trying to get "students to pay for something that should be free." Said one nonprofit college counselor, "It's an outrage and ... we warn the kids every year [to] watch out if they ask you to pay money."
Letter from Dallas Martin August 18, 2003
Dear NASFAA Member:
In September, we anticipate that the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the House Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness will begin markups to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA). I am writing with two important requests as we enter this time of increased legislative activity.
- We need you to stay focused on critical financial aid issues
- We need your involvement in the legislative process as never before.
Reauthorization always deals with a complex array of issues, but this year much of the discussion has focused broadly on affordability, accountability, and access. Certainly, there can be widespread agreement on these general themes, but it is during the legislative process where such ideas are given specificity. Several legislative initiatives under consideration could have a significant impact on the operation of your institution, affecting such practices as how you admit students, how you set your tuition policy, and how you are accountable to your various constituencies.
While these issues are critical to all of us--and particularly to many of the higher education associations that represent college presidents, business and admissions officers, faculty, and state officials--they are not central to the process of providing assistance to students or to the daily operations of the financial aid office. NASFAA is and will continue to be an active participant in the coordinated efforts of the higher education associations to address creatively these broader legislative initiatives. However, we will focus the majority of our efforts on matters directly related to increasing and improving the delivery of federal aid dollars to needy students.
We believe many lawmakers are sincere in raising broader issues such as affordability, accountability, and access. However, giving attention to these matters can divert efforts away from other topics that go to the core of our interests as financial aid administrators. Furthermore, in the current economic and political climate, some believe that these issues are being used to diffuse the discussion of the issues we care about most.
Clearly we cannot allow this to happen, but NASFAA cannot succeed alone. It is imperative that you and your colleagues become and stay involved on matters that directly affect your students, your office, and your work. If we are unified in communicating our core needs to Congress--such as the need to increase grant funding and the need to raise loan limits--then we are more likely to achieve our goals.
We recognize that this is an extremely busy time for you, but unfortunately we cannot control the Congress's schedule. Therefore, we will try to be judicious about our requests for your assistance. In the coming weeks, we will share more specifics with you and outline the steps that must be taken to help us to reach our goals. As you know, NASFAA has developed a comprehensive set of recommendations, some of which are different from the approaches taken by other groups. Where possible, we continue to work toward consensus proposals with partners in the student aid arena. While we note that some of the consensus proposals may differ from NASFAA's initial recommendations, we expect them to embrace the fundamental goals and policy positions that have been approved by NASFAA's Board of Directors. We anticipate that details of these community consensus proposals may be available soon.
Our past experience has shown that it is essential for the higher education community to speak with a unified voice. With your help and support of these recommendations, we can actively focus Congress's attention on critical student aid matters and succeed in reauthorizing a Higher Education Act that will efficiently and effectively deliver financial aid funds to needy students across the nation.
Again, thank you for your continued support and willingness to help us send the right message to Members of Congress.
Sincerely, Dallas Martin NASFAA President
NASFAA Press Release
NASFAA PARTNERS WITH KHEAA TO PROVIDE PEER REVIEWS FOR HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
NASFAA and the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) announced a pilot partnership to provide peer reviews for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) under NASFAA's Standards of Excellence Review Program.
The Standards of Excellence Review Program, now in its fifth year, is an objective, confidential peer review program that assesses an institution's delivery of financial aid. Customized and confidential on-site reviews are designed to highlight strengths and recommend improvements.
"KHEAA sees great benefit to both institutions and students in the Standards of Excellence Review Program," said KHEAA Executive Director Joe L. McCormick. "Identification of best practices as well as opportunities to fine-tune operations is particularly important in averting student loan defaults, which is one of KHEAA's top concerns." KHEAA plans to work with NASFAA on the development of new technical tools for the default-aversion portion of the SOE review protocol. Under the terms of the partnership, KHEAA will subsidize the full cost associated with each SOE review at selected HBCUs.
NASFAA President Dallas Martin remarked on the timeliness of the NASFAA-KHEAA agreement. "We recognize that these are difficult financial times for postsecondary institutions, and are delighted that KHEAA has stepped forward to help provide this valuable service for schools that might otherwise not be able to afford it." Martin noted that NASFAA would continue to seek partners to help finance SOE reviews at additional institutions in all sectors. "We plan to reach out to a variety of organizations that recognize the value of the SOE program and seek their assistance in providing reviews at all kinds of institutions," Martin said.
The Standards of Excellence process begins with defining the scope of the review in a letter of engagement between the institution and NASFAA. Comprehensive reviews include modules on student service and satisfaction; program compliance, operations, and delivery; systems, automation, and technology utilization; and human resources and facilities.
The institution submits demographic data and other information to NASFAA and a preliminary institutional assessment is conducted. NASFAA then selects a customized peer review team composed of highly-experienced financial aid administrators who visit the institution and perform an in-depth, on-site review of the financial aid operations. The review team spends two days to one week on the campus.
Following the on-site review, the team compiles an evaluation of the institution's financial aid program and presents its findings in an exit interview to administrators designated by the institution. Finally, NASFAA prepares and submits a confidential written report summarizing the peer review team's observations. The report identifies the institution's good financial aid practices, cites any compliance issues, and suggests improvements.
For more information on the Standards of Excellence Review Program, visit http://www.nasfaa.org/soe.asp or contact Program Director Judy Schneider at (202) 785-0453, ext. 144, schneiderj@nasfaa.org. HBCUs seeking subsidized reviews under the NASFAA-KHEAA partnership program should contact Schneider directly. If your organization is interested in providing financial support to enable SOE reviews at postsecondary institutions generally or in specific sectors, contact NASFAA Vice President Tim Christensen at (202) 785-0453, ext. 146, christensent@nasfaa.org.
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