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TG Updates
TG offers free teleconference on "Maximizing the Consolidation Opportunity"
With a new set of record-low interest rates going into effect July 1, 2003, financial aid professionals are likely to be fielding consolidation-related questions from families and students well into 2004.
Federal Updates
Bill Hansen resigns from ED
Bill Hansen, Deputy Secretary of Education, resigned from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) late last week. His resignation is effective July 4.
Closed school corner
The Department of Education announces two new closures.
Trends and Issues
Edufacts™ — May 2003
TG's recently-updated publication, The State of Student Aid in Texas, reports that room and board expenses make up almost half of the cost of attending a public university in Texas. These costs are not optional: students must eat and pay rent. However, they do have some discretion in their choices. The stereotype of the undergraduate who drives an SUV coexists with that of the student who shares an apartment with six roommates and eats instant noodles. Nevertheless, colleges' room and board estimates generally presuppose a fairly thrifty lifestyle for students.
Mapping Your Future surpasses two million counseling confirmations
A student from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin in Odessa, Texas, last week pushed Mapping Your Future past the two million mark in the number of loan confirmations issued since online loan counseling was introduced in 1997.
Legislative update
The June 3, 2003, issue of the Legislative Report provides updates on the rush of Congressional activity in the final week before its Memorial Day recess, and how Congressional appropriations committees are preparing for fiscal year 2004 mark-ups. The report also summarizes legislation passed during the regular session of the 78th Texas Legislature, addressing topics such as state appropriations, tuition and access, secondary markets, and student privacy. Read the full report on TG Online at www.tgslc.org/lege_report/index.cfm.
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