Federal Updates

R2T4 playbook: Strategies for a winning calculation
Do the rules for the Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) process make about as much sense to you as the rules for the Bowl Championship Series selection system? TG believes that ensuring that your school is in compliance with federal R2T4 regulations should not feel like a contact sport. In this article we will tackle some of the more common R2T4 issues to help keep your team on the right track.

Closed school corner
The Department of Education announces one new closure.

TG Updates

Use TG's List Assist^SM to help document your lender survey process
TG recently unveiled a new electronic tool for creating and managing lender surveys used in producing a recommended lender list. List Assist makes information-gathering easier by offering a ready-made library of questions from which to choose. It also provides an assortment of reports that schools and lenders can use to document their process, tabulate responses, and even print out for recordkeeping purposes.

TG co-sponsors study on student borrowing
A TG co-sponsored report just released by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) and Excelencia in Education contends that a large percentage of students do not use student loans to help pay for their college expenses, even if there is a financial need to do so. For many, the lack of funding or the choice not to use student loans could result in these students not acquiring a degree, potentially undermining their ability to realize the increased earning power a degree can bring.

TG updates New Directions publication to help graduating students into repayment
New Directions: A Guide to Repaying Your Stafford Loans offers graduating students useful information on their repayment obligations with regard to Stafford loans and provides tips on budgeting, estimating loan payments, deferment, forbearance, and avoiding default.

TG and University of Nebraska publish third edition of Enrollment Management Journal
TG, in collaboration with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has released the third issue of a scholarly publication on enrollment management.

Order your 2009 TG Calendar
If you're looking for a convenient tool for tracking conference dates and holidays, one that fits on your office or cube wall and doubles as a source of inspirational art for you and your staff, order the 2009 TG Calendar.

TG's holiday hours and Shoptalk Online publishing schedule
TG will be closed on Thursday and Friday, December 25-26, for the Christmas holiday and on Thursday, January 1, for the New Year's holiday.

Trends and Issues

Policy potpourri
We are reviewing our exit counseling materials for students who are graduating this month. Can you remind me of the new requirements for exit counseling?

This, That, and the Other...

If you've wondered whether children who believe in Santa are psychologically-harmed when they learn he's a myth, two Canadian psychology researchers provide an answer. The researchers compared a survey of children (7 to 13 years old) carried out in 1896 with subsequent studies, done in 1979, 1980, and 2000. The researchers said most children learn that Santa isn't real from other children and then ask their parents for confirmation. Once they find out the truth, children don't suffer any ill effects, even going along with the myth for the sake of younger siblings or other kids who still believe. The researchers did note that modern-day parents are more likely to tell their children Santa is real than parents from the turn of the 20th century. Only about half of parents told their sons and daughters about Santa in 1894, while a full 80 percent went along with the story in 2000.

You can read more about the Santa research in the online Chronicle of Higher Education at http://chronicle.com/news/index.php?id=5628&utm_source=pm&utm_medium=en. Note that some articles in the Chronicle are available only to subscribers.