Federal Updates

Temporary Shutdown of ED's Grant Administration and Payment System
ED recently announced the upcoming conversion of its Financial Management System to a new platform.

No FAFSA Necessary for PLUS-only Borrowers in 2002-2003
ED's Jeff Baker, Director of Program Development for Student Financial Assistance, recently confirmed that parents seeking only a PLUS loan for the 2002-2003 academic year would not be required to complete a FAFSA.

The Tax Man Cometh
Now that the new year is upon us, we can't help but think about the season that lies ahead. It will bring showers of W2s, blossoms of 1040s, and a feeling of deadlines in the air. Some questions about federal taxes relate directly to student aid. The IRS website can help.

TG Updates

Neal Combs Named TG Chief Operating Officer
Texas Guaranteed (TG) has named Neal Combs Chief Operating Officer (COO) effective Dec. 1, 2001.

Pencil Me In
Dates to remember.

Trends and Issues

ED Developing Online Lender Reporting System
In keeping with its growing trend of Internet-based documents such as the FAFSA on the Web and the FISAP on the Web, ED is developing the Lender Reporting System (also known as LARS).

Mapping Your Future to Offer Loan Forgiveness Chat on January 10
Students and their families now have an opportunity to ask counselors about loan forgiveness during an online chat offered by Mapping Your Future (http://mapping-your-future.org).

Legislative Update

The December 20 edition of TG’s Legislative Report includes an end of year message along with a summary of the FY 2002 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations and FFELP Interest Rate Bills. Read the articles online at http://www.tgslc.org/lege_report/2001/
lr_011220.cfm.

This, That, and the Other...

According to a recent report from the National Center for Education Statistics, in the United States in the 1999-2000 academic year, more women than men earned college degrees. The report, titled "Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Fall 2000 Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 1999-2000," does note that more men earned doctoral degrees that year, however, and breaks down the statistics by degree type:

• Bachelor's—Women 57%, Men 43%
• Master's—Women 58%, Men 42%
• Doctoral—Women 44%, Men 56%

The report also provides statistics about the degrees conferred pertaining to academic majors, institutional types, ethnicity of degree recipients, and additional topics. The report is available at http://nces.ed.gov/
pubs2002/2002156.pdf.

Take a look at Adventures In Education, TG's Public Awareness website.