Federal Updates

Second Neg Reg Session Starts
The second session of the 2002 Negotiated Rulemaking (Neg Reg) process is currently underway. This session is scheduled from March 4-8, 2002.

Closed School Corner
The Department of Education announces four new closures and four corrections.

TG Updates

2001 Annual Report Focuses on Year's Successes
In sharing its message of success, TG's FY 2001 Annual Report asks "What's TG about?" and concludes "We're about you!"

Click Me In
This is the first installment of a new monthly feature in Shoptalk Online. Click Me In (an expanded version of Pencil Me In) will offer highlights from two or three items from TG's online Events Calendar and links to more information about the highlighted events and the entire calendar.

TG Solutions and Tools

Enhanced EFT—Simplifying Electronic Funds Transfers
Recent enhancements to TG's Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) process allow TG to act as a single disbursing agent not only for TG-guaranteed FFELP loan disbursements but also for non-TG-guaranteed FFELP loan and alternative loan disbursements.

Finding the Right Tool: Practical Default Prevention Strategies
Everyone knows that the right tool makes the job easier. The same is true for battling default.

Legislative Update

TG’s February 26 Legislative Report includes an article about possible legislation relating to privacy issues, a summary of a report about factors affecting tuition and fee increases, and an article about a recent meeting of the Texas Joint Committee on Higher Education Excellence Funding. Read the articles at www.tgslc.org/lege_report/
2002/lr_020226.cfm.

Quick Links

• TG's 2001 Annual Report

A Day in the Life

• ...of TG's Educational Alliances

This, That, and the Other...

ED's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released a study on February 15, 2002, that indicates that the causes behind increases in college tuition and fees vary depending on the type of institution. The "Study of College Costs and Prices" compares cost trends at public and private institutions during the ten years from 1988 to 1998.

Tuition charges for both types of institutions rose at a faster rate than inflation during the time period. However, the cause for the increase differs. Generally, increases in attendance costs at private institutions were most likely to be related to increases in institutional financial aid or to faculty salaries. In contrast, the most likely reason for increases in tuition for public institutions was a decrease in state appropriations.

The study, which Congress commissioned in 1998, is available online at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/
pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2002157.

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