TG Updates

TG adds new toll-free number for delinquency prevention team
Borrowers who are still in their grace period and wish to speak to a member of TG's delinquency prevention team about their future repayment options now can contact the team directly at (800) 530-0140.

Reminder: Sign up to host TG's free workshop to help students, families complete the FAFSA, win scholarship
Don't forget to register to be a host site for the free broadcast of TG's 11th annual FAFSA program, The FAFSA Made Easy, on Thursday, February 2 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. (CST).

TG hosts colloquium for ICUT
Texas independent colleges explore retention issues
Faculty, staff, and administrators from the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas (ICUT) met at TG's offices last week to focus on student retention, an issue that has profound impact on the Texas' ability to achieve the goals outlined in the state's Closing the Gaps plan for higher education.

Question of the week
Can a borrower who took out his or her first Stafford loan before October 1, 1998, but who consolidates his or her loans on or after October 1, 1998, qualify for teacher loan forgiveness?

Trends and Issues

TG guarantees loan for Mapping Your Future^® Online Student Loan Counseling milestone
A Texas borrower with a TG-guaranteed loan recently received the 5 millionth Online Student Loan Counseling (OSLC) session provided by Mapping Your Future (MYF).

Legislative Update

The January 20 issue of TG's Legislative Report includes an outlook on the second session of the 109th Congress with an update on the budget reconciliation process, spending reduction bill (S. 1932), tax reduction bill (HR 4297), and a look at 2007 appropriations. Keep up with the latest developments by reading the full report on TG Online at www.tgslc.org/lege_report/index.cfm.

This, That, and the Other...

At least 2.3 million people took some kind of online course in 2004, according to a recent survey by The Sloan Consortium, an online education group, and two-thirds of colleges offering "face-to-face" courses also offer online ones. But what were once two distinct types of classes are looking more and more alike — and often dipping into the same pool of students, according to a January 13 Associated Press article.

At some schools, online courses — originally intended for nontraditional students living far from campus — have proved surprisingly popular with on-campus students. A recent study by the South Dakota State University System Board of Regents found 42 percent of the students enrolled in its distance-education courses weren't so distant: they were located on campus at the university that was hosting the online course.

Numbers vary depending on the policies of particular colleges, but other schools also have students mixing and matching online and "face-to-face" credits. Motives range from lifestyle to accommodating a job schedule to getting into high-demand courses. To read the rest of the article, visit www.cnn.com/
2006/EDUCATION/01/13/
oncampus.online.ap/
index.html.