TG Updates

TG expands Charley Wootan Grant Program

TG's Charley Wootan Grant Program will award $2 million in direct grants during the 2008-09 academic year — $1 million to Texas students and another $1 million to residents of any other state, the District of Columbia, or any U.S. territory.

The first-come, first-served, need-based grant program will provide up to $4,245 per student. TG has awarded nearly $6 million since 2000 when it began the program, named in honor of the late Dr. Charley V. Wootan, a former chairman of TG's Board of Directors.

"The Charley Wootan Grant Program has made a significant difference to thousands of students in Texas during the past seven years," said Sue McMillin, TG's president and CEO. "We are delighted to be able to extend this program nationally, and to help deserving students pay for their college education."

For the 2008-09 academic year, TG will offer grants ranging from $1,000 to $4,245 to qualified undergraduate students. Amounts awarded will be based upon a student's financial need. To become eligible, students will need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and meet other eligibility requirements.

Eligibility requirements
Grants will be awarded for one year only, but recipients may reapply in subsequent years. The grant program is open to students who:

• Are high school seniors or graduates who plan to enroll, or are students already enrolled, at least half time in an undergraduate course of study for the fall 2008 at a Title IV two- or four-year college or university, or vocational-technical school;
• Demonstrate financial need; and
• Are eligible to receive Title IV federal financial aid funding.

The Charley Wootan Grant Program is independently managed by Scholarship Management Services, a program of Scholarship America, the nation's largest nonprofit, private-sector scholarship and educational support organization.

For application help
A complete application packet must be postmarked by May 5, 2008. An application and more information about the grant program can be found online at www.aie.org/wootan. Information can also be obtained by calling (800) 537-4180, and asking for the Charley Wootan Grant Program manager.

TG represents that there is no correlation or connection between its selection of recipients for grant awards and an institution's or individual's business relationship or potential business relationship with TG. Participation in TG's Charley Wootan Grant Program does not require or impose any quid pro quo condition.

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2008 TG Annual Training Conference focuses on latest retention research and other topics

TG crafts a consistently varied menu of workshops and trainings for its Annual Training Conference. This year's conference, for example, offers sessions on default aversion, program integrity, and college access. Other sessions highlight recent changes in the FFELP, developments in the world of Consolidation loans, effective entrance and exit counseling, and trends in private loans.

The 2008 TG Annual Training Conference — to be held April 23-25 at the Renaissance Austin Hotel in Austin, Texas — provides a foundation in the basics of managing a financial aid program but considers a host of other topics, including the latest research into retaining students through to graduation.

Agenda close-up
To give you a sense of the variety of sessions that offer you resources for managing in a changing regulatory landscape, consider the workshop descriptions that follow.

• New Rules — ACG and National SMART Grant: This session will review the final regulations published on October 30, 2007, that regulate the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant Programs. Attendees will have the chance to review the final regulations; discuss general issues affected by the new regulations; and learn how a school determines a student's academic year for purposes of establishing eligibility for ACG and National SMART Grant.
• Retention Rx: Are Career Connections the Key to Student Success? Student motivation is the key to persistence in higher education, and this session will explore how data, networking, and partnerships with the business community can help your campus successfully retain and graduate more students. Learn what the research says about career connections as a motivation tool for students, and find out how one community college is working with area business and industry groups to align curriculum with employment market demands.
• Reach Out and Get Results: Attendees to this session will learn strategies to use — and pitfalls to avoid — when providing resources to students for going to college. Digital media as a communication tool with students and families will be one area of focus. Participants will also find out how to organize a successful financial aid event — like College Goal Sunday or a scholarship workshop. Tips and tricks on hosting a successful scholarship workshop will be a highlight of the session.

To register and to learn more
Visit TG Online at www.tgslc.org/tgconference/index.cfm to register or to find out more about the 2008 TG Annual Training Conference. Online registration is available through April 11; however, attendees can register at the hotel during the event. Registration fees are waived for school attendees. Note that this year's conference will begin with the noon lunch-time session on Wednesday, April 23.

If you prefer to speak with someone directly, contact Judith Cunningham at (800) 252-9743, ext. 2905, or send an e-mail message to judith.cunningham@tgslc.org.

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Three ways to learn about TG products: webinars, an upcoming TG User Group meet, and the TG Annual Training Conference

An integrated and important part of TG's role as a FFELP guarantor is to provide training to FFELP participants. TG has consistently offered a wide range of training opportunities to our customers — the TG Annual Training Conference, regional training, teleconferences, and more. In FY 2008, TG has tried to expand the audience of our product training, by regularly scheduling product training webinars.

The webinar advantage
TG scheduled four webinars in October and December of the first quarter of FY 2008 and another four webinars in January and February. Although in-person training has been preferable in the past, webinars do offer personal interaction with both audio and visual interfaces, as well as a chat feature that facilitates question and answer interaction between customers and TG product experts.

TG customers have appreciated training via the Web — TG averages about fifty school and lender participants for each webinar. The webinar venue offers a way to provide training quickly when developments arise in a given technical area, and, at the same time, minimize time away from the office for both trainer and trainees. Of course, it also eliminates travel expenses. Participants have rated TG's Webinars consistently high, with customer satisfaction scores averaging 4.28 out of 5.

Upcoming webinars
The next scheduled product training webinars will be held the first two weeks of April to provide customers with information related to TG's spring product enhancements; enhancements will be implemented the weekend of April 5.

To register, access TG Online at www.tgslc.org/training/webinars/index.cfm.

TG User Group meeting
In addition to product training webinars, the spring TG User Group (TUG) meeting — to be held April 23 from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. — just before the 2008 TG Annual Training Conference, will focus on opportunities to learn more about TG products.

The TUG meeting agenda includes three panels of school and lender representatives who use TG tools. The panels will discuss the following topics:

• Utilizing TG Reports through AdvanTG Web™
• Private Loan Processing
• Integrated Default Assistant™ (IDA™) Tool Capabilities

Paul Lewis, TG's assistant manager of product management, will also provide a TG product update.

TG Annual Training Conference product sessions
The TG User Group sessions will precede and reinforce content for the TG Annual Training Conference, which dedicates two of eight conference tracks to exploring TG tools. The TG Tools Track will consist of sessions presented both by team members and customers using AdvanTG Web, change transactions (both of these sessions will be repeated), Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), private loan processing, and TG Loans By Web™ along with PLUS Credit Connection™ and e-sign. Conference attendees will have two additional opportunities to hear the TG product update.

The TG Demo Room Track will include open time periods each day of the conference. At these times, customers can get one-on-one assistance in handling their data with TG products, as well as opportunities to attend scheduled hands-on demonstrations on the following TG tools:

• Ask TG™
• AdvanTG Web Reporting
• Change Transactions
• Real Time Access for Lenders
• EFT Web site
• IDA

To learn more
If you would like more information about either the spring TG User Group meeting or the 2008 TG Annual Training Conference, visit TG Online at www.tgslc.org/tgconference/index.cfm. You can register for one or both of these events at www.tgslc.org/tgconference/register.cfm.

TG looks forward to addressing your product training needs through each of these training venues.

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Latest Edufacts™ offers tips on searching for scholarships

Scholarships and grants, or gift aid, are the ideal form of financial aid for students, since, unlike loans, they do not have to be repaid. Unfortunately, many students do not bother applying for scholarships because they don't know where to search or don't believe their grades are good enough; the process may also seem daunting.

Internet help
In reality, schools and other institutions offer a wide variety of scholarships, many targeted for different achievements, interests, and affiliations. Aside from the financial aid office and high school guidance office, the Internet has become a powerful tool in helping students find college scholarships. It should be one of the first places students and parents turn to when searching for scholarships.

However, when using the Internet, students must be careful, especially if they use a search company to find scholarships.

Scholarship search companies often charge a fee to locate scholarships for which students are eligible — but do not actually apply for them. It is wise to remember that students can perform their own research for free. Also, most reputable foundations and other organizations that award scholarships will not charge an application fee.

Experts also warn to never pay a company that advertises it will find students or parents "guaranteed" scholarship money. No search service can control the decision of a scholarship sponsor.

It may be prudent for students to do their own scholarship searches and forego any use of a search service.

To learn more
To read the complete edition of this Edufacts, visit www.tgslc.org/edufacts/2008/edufacts_0308.cfm.

For TG search help
Adventures In Education's Scholarship Search feature contains information on more than 10,000 scholarships worth more than $7 billion. Students can do simple, or global, searches in the site, which yields a lot of scholarship information. Or they can use the Advanced Search to find more specialized scholarship opportunities. The Scholarship Search can be found at www.aie.org/scholarships/.

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