TG Updates

Boost your regulatory IQ with TG's training sessions at the NASFAA Annual Conference

Looking for an effective yet 'painless' way to learn some of the latest federal regulatory changes? Try some participatory training. TG offers two opportunities with sessions at this year's NASFAA Annual Conference.

• Policy Potpourri (Sunday; July 6, from 2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.) allows audience members to answer questions on timely student aid topics in a game format. You'll learn facts, test your knowledge, and take away valuable, practical regulatory information.
• Regulatory Perils in Graduate/Professional Aid (Monday; July 7, 2008, 2:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.) focuses on the regulations that govern the administration of financial aid for graduate and professional programs. The interactive format will help participants explore a variety of current regulatory issues that affect these programs.

Co-presenters for both sessions are Kelly Kaelin, TG senior policy advisor, and Gordon "Dino" Koff, director of financial aid and admissions, Dartmouth Medical School.

TG also presents other sessions that examine the effects of changing student demographics on financial aid and financial literacy services for low-income and first-generation college students.

More information
To learn more about the conference, and to view a preliminary agenda, visit NASFAA Annual Conference 2008. To learn more about TG's regulatory training offered through the TG Speakers Bureau, review the online training catalog at www.tgslc.org/speakers/basics.cfm.

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TG's Carmen Dominguez focuses full time on the needs of corporate schools

Over the last decade, distance education has exploded in popularity at colleges and universities. Nearly one in five higher education students — roughly three million annually — take at least one class online, according to the Sloan Consortium. For some years, certain corporate schools and other institutions have offered entire degree programs online.

While distance education provides a unique learning environment for students, it also poses a different administrative experience for financial aid offices. Carmen Dominguez finds both aspects of the medium fascinating.

"Whether they offer distance learning, traditional classes, or a combination of both, corporate schools help many different students," said Carmen. "I really enjoy this sector of higher education because it is constantly evolving."

Carmen has spent her entire professional career working with financial aid offices or in student lending. She also completed her undergraduate degree online through the University of Phoenix.

As TG's account executive for corporate schools, Carmen is putting her varied background to good use. She devotes much of her time to listening to school customers and learning the technical challenges they face. Oftentimes, she can recommend a solution or a different approach based on her experiences.

"I keep abreast of regulatory changes through a lot of reading, and I'm very familiar with the business needs of corporate schools," said Carmen. "If I hear about an issue, I can suggest some kind of alternative according to what I've read or seen."

Helping hundreds of students and parents
Carmen got a thorough grounding in financial aid early in her career. She accepted a position with the United States International University (now Alliant International University) in the late 1980s and then worked a series of other financial aid jobs, including several in compliance and training with the corporate owners of the University of Phoenix, the Apollo Group.

In 1997, Carmen began learning the student lending side of the student loan industry when she started with Bank One. She's represented various other student lenders, including the College Loan Corporation, where she was responsible for the Western Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (WASFAA) area.

Her experiences — as student, financial aid officer, and lending representative — have given her insight about what students value in a corporate school and what they expect for service. She supplements this with significant research online and the informal sources she's developed over a life-time in the industry.

"I am fortunate to have great friends who work in compliance, and in various other areas, who I can lean on for information," said Carmen.

How does Carmen stay focused in her work? She's motivated like many in financial aid by the good she provides to students and families.

"What draws me to education finance and higher education in general is the fact that I know I have a hand in helping people make their college careers a possibility," said Carmen. "I have talked with hundreds of students and parents throughout the years. I am always reminded why I do this when I know I have helped demystify the process in some way for them."

To contact
Carmen can be reached at (800) 252-9743, ext. 6709, or by e-mail at carmen.dominguez@tgslc.org.

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