TG Updates

TG names new assistant vice president for planning
Kara Thompson has been selected to serve as TG's assistant vice president for strategic planning and development. Kara will direct the ongoing development and enactment of TG's strategic and operational plans, manage TG's strategic initiatives process, and act as a liaison with the planning committee of TG's board of directors.

TG offers solutions for automating alternative loans
When alternative loans first emerged on campuses, most financial aid offices considered them a last resort. Higher interest rates, cosigner requirements, and mandatory credit checks made them less attractive to both borrowers and financial aid professionals than federally guaranteed loan options. Today however, the realities of federal loan program loan limits and tuition increases have made alternative loan funding not only more attractive, but often a necessity for families and students funding a higher education.

Skill builders: Introductions as foundation for work success
Often one of the most important but overlooked aspects of developing professional relationships in the workplace is making proper introductions.

Question of the week
May a school certify an additional unsubsidized Stafford loan for a dependent student (above the amount of his or her base Stafford loan annual limit), if the school does not participate in the PLUS Loan Program?

Trends and Issues

The in-school consolidation "aftermath": MPN implications
Shoptalk Online continues its series examining the issues that the FFELP industry will need to consider in the aftermath of the recent "in-school" consolidation rush. In last week's issue, Shoptalk Online discussed the inevitable increase in Stafford aggregate loan calculations that schools will have to perform for borrowers who now have Consolidation loans. In this issue, we explore the impact that consolidating while in school has on a borrower's Stafford Master Promissory Note (MPN).

This, That, and the Other...

Even the smartest and most savvy college grads may not have everything it takes to get a foot in the door when it comes to entering the job market. According to an article in the July 15 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education, one school understands its graduates' dilemma and is poised to help.

The Office of Career Development at Barnard College began a program in 2004, with a grant from the Goldman Sachs Group, called "Suitable Suits." Barnard realized that students entering fields where a suit is not a necessary part of the everyday job aren't typically inclined to invest in a suit simply to look good at a job interview. That's where the Suitable Suits comes in handy. A student may borrow a black suit from the program's closet, and only has to dry-clean the garment before returning it. So far, approximately 120 students have borrowed suits under the program. To learn more, visit http://chronicle.com/prm/
weekly/v51/i45/ 45a00802.htm. Chronicle membership is required to access the article.