Federal Updates

Current Special Allowance Rates
Rates for the quarter ending June 30, 2002.

Closed School Corner
The Department of Education announces seven new closures and one correction.

TG Updates

The Secret's Out
Reservations are made, booth space is selected, and TG team members are crawfishing their way toward the Big Easy. NASFAA 2002 is just around the corner, and we've made plans to see you in New Orleans between July 21 and 24.

Trends and Issues

Report Focuses on VFA Initiatives and Results
A recent report from the National Association of Student Loan Administrators (NASLA) highlights initiatives adapted by three participants that have developed experimental Voluntary Flexible Agreements (VFAs) with the Department of Education (ED).

Common Manual

Common Manual Updates
Information on recent updates to the Common Manual.

Legislative Update

The July 3 Legislative Report includes information about key legislation passed by the Congress prior to the Independence Day recess, including funding ceilings adopted by the Senate, the prescription drug plan passed by the House, and the increased debt ceiling. The report also includes an article about a recent meeting of the Texas State Senate Border Affairs Subcommittee.

Quick Links

• Special Allowance Rates
• NASLA VFA Initiative Report

This, That, and the Other...

Higher education in America predates the signing of the Declaration of Independence:

Harvard was the nation's first college, founded in 1636.

No other American institution of higher learning was named "University" before Penn. In 1779, the Pennsylvania state legislature renamed the College of Philadelphia the "University of the State of Pennsylvania".

Lincoln University in Pennsylvania (founded in 1854), Wilberforce University in Ohio (founded in 1856), and Cheyney University (founded in 1937) count themselves among the first historically black colleges. Spelman became the first historically black college or university to receive a number one rating by U.S. News and World Report magazine when the college was named the number one liberal arts college in the South.

The College of William and Mary, founded in 1693, is the only U.S. institution to have a Royal Charter. Phi Beta Kappa, the premier academic honor society in America, was founded by The College of William and Mary students in 1776.

"The Dartmouth," founded in 1799, was the first college newspaper in the U.S.

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