Representatives from throughout the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) community teamed up recently at the Austin DoubleTree for another successful Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation (TG) annual conference. "Team Up for 2000," TG's seventh annual conference, emphasized the need for teamwork and the ability to thrive through change as the Year 2000 approaches.

Information and Opportunities
By the end of the conference on Friday, April 9, over 400 attendees from throughout Texas and the United States had benefited from the informational sessions as well as the opportunity to find out what's available online and to submit ideas for improving TG's website and solutions and tools. The attendees gave the conference a 4.65 rating on a five-point scale. Of particular interest were TG's new Electronic Subscription Service and the updates to the online versions of TG's School and Lender Fact Sheets. To find out more about these two topics, visit TG Online at www.tgslc.org.

Presenters from throughout the national, state, and regional student loan community shared their expertise during the conference sessions. In addition, TG provided training sessions for its solutions and tools, including AdvanTG™ - TG's newest loan management tool - Express Funds Transfer, Loans by Web, Loans by Phone, Report Request Distribution System, Business Network, and Online Access.

Default Prevention Model Revealed
During the conference, the Council for the Management of Educational Finance (the Council) revealed its latest tool to help student loan professionals combat student loan default, a Default Prevention Model based upon the successful practices of the University of Texas Pan American (UT-Pan Am). The Council is encouraging higher education professionals to use the plan for improving default prevention strategies that can help to reduce default rates. The strategies presented in the model can be enacted as a whole, or schools can choose to enact those strategies that address their individual needs.

The Default Prevention Model is the result of efforts to document the best practicesused by Arnold Trejo, UT-Pan Am Financial Aid Director, and the UT-Pan Am financial aid staff in reducing the default rate at their institution. The idea for developing the written plan for the financial aid community was one of the many action items that came out of the Default Prevention Conference hosted by the Council and TG in June 1998.

For more information about the plan or to request a copy of the Default Prevention Model, contact Jacob Fraire at (800) 252-9743, ext. 4964, or send an message to jacob.fraire@tgslc.org.

Scholarships and Computer Awarded
On the final day of the conference, TG awarded scholarships and a computer system from the funds contributed for the FAFSA Step-by-Step Teleconference held in February. The random selections were made by sponsor representatives and went to high school seniors that attended a teleconference host site and submitted a completed program evaluation sheet.

The winners and sponsors of the awards included:

James R. Stanley, Western Hills High School in Fort Worth, randomly selected for a $250 scholarship, contributed by Commercial Bank of Texas, N.A;
Jennifer Ann Vega, Wink High School in Wink, randomly selected for a $250 scholarship, contributed by Abilene Higher Education Authority; and
Sheena Diane Norris, Commerce High School in Commerce, randomly selected for a computer system contributed by the Higher Education Servicing Corporation.

TG would like to thank everyone who helped to make the conference such a success. The contributions showed what the community can accomplish through real teamwork. Start planning now for the 2000 TG Annual Conference, tentatively scheduled for Monday through Wednesday, April 10 - 12, 2000.

Questions
For questions about any of the session topics or information available at the TG Conference, contact your TG Customer Service Consultant, call Customer Support at (800) 252-9743, ext. 4444, or send an message to customer.services@tgslc.org.

Team Up for 2000 Sponsors

TG extends a special thank you to the sponsors of the 1999 Annual Conference:

Platinum

Chase Bank
Sallie Mae
Wells Fargo Education Financial Services
(formerly known as Norwest Bank)

Gold

Bank One
Educaid
Key Education Resources

Silver

ASAP/Union Bank & Trust
EFS Services, Inc.
Nellie Mae
Regions Bank
UNIPAC

Bronze

American Express
Bank of America
Brazos Higher Education Service Corporation
Citibank Student Loan Corporation
Crestar Bank
First American Bank
Guaranty Federal Bank, F.S.B.
Horizon Educational Resources, Inc.
LoanSTAR Group
Panhandle Plains Higher Education Authority
Plains National Bank
PNC Bank
Security Service Federal Credit Union
University Federal Credit Union