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TG Updates

Shoptalk Online 491, February 17, 2009

TG Updates

Get the training advantage: Register for the 2009 TG Annual Training Conference

Each year, TG hosts a training conference on industry issues that draws hundreds of attendees and earns high marks for content. If you're looking for more return on your training investment, consider the varied menu of the 2009 TG Annual Training conference, which will feature sessions on the latest legislative developments (including the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act (ECASLA)), workshops on financial literacy, and seminars to help sharpen your professional skills.

The 2009 TG Annual Training Conference, to be held at the Renaissance Hotel in Austin, Texas, from April 22-24, is themed "Stepping Up for Students — The Rhythm of FFELP." This year's event throws a spotlight on the dedication, energy, and momentum of financial aid professionals who help make college a reality for millions of students.

The 2009 conference offers over 60 sessions and kicks off with a conference overview from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 22. This session provides a comprehensive look at the conference agenda and a short preview of special events. After a full first day of workshops, including sessions on default management and Income-Based Repayment, attendees will gather for a special reception roundtable called the TG Jukebox Jam, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Meet and greet TG's many experts
From borrower benefits to policy and technical expertise, TG works to offer great service to schools and lenders. The TG Jukebox Jam will provide a forum for learning about these offerings in a roundtable format with TG team members. Conference attendees will hear from TG experts on customer service, TG's financial literacy and default management tools, as well as TG's products and services that can help schools and lenders in their work with students.

Learn more about products with the help of TUG
Board members of the TG Users Group (TUG) will serve as speakers in several sessions focused on TG products. TUG board members will also work as facilitators for product sessions that offer opportunities for providing feedback on TG tools. Note that the TUG meeting will not be held the morning prior to the start of the conference.

Other sessions consider the role of creativity in a productive work life, the growing importance of financial literacy skills in college and career, and an effective approach to customer service. Attendees will enjoy musical entertainment during the Thursday evening reception, which follows "in step" with the conference theme.

The conference's closing day begins with a general session on the state of student aid and concurrent sessions on varied regulatory and industry topics, including entrance and exit counseling and the Return of Title IV funds.

To learn more and register
Find out more about this year's varied agenda by visiting TG Online at www.tgslc.org/tgconference/index.cfm. You can register for the conference at www.tgslc.org/tgconference/register.cfm.

TG to host Student Success Symposia

TG offers a series of workshops for community colleges, independent colleges, and public universities interested in improving student persistence and success. These workshops, or Student Success Symposia, will focus on a variety of enrollment factors, for example:

the state of institutions within the given sectors;
the redefinition of retention and student success; and
ways to create a culture of engagement.

Inside the seminar
Attendees will learn about comprehensive enrollment management planning, including some practical steps to serve students, such as discussing financial management alongside academic issues and lifestyle choices.

TG's Student Success Symposia are designed to provide unbiased, unaffiliated training for all industry practitioners interested in improving student enrollment, retention, and graduation rates across the academic community. The views expressed by the symposia presenters are their own, not necessarily those of TG, and do not represent an endorsement of any particular program or policy.

Symposia dates and locations

Columbus, Ohio — community colleges (March 20)
Austin, Texas — independent colleges and universities (May 21-22)
San Antonio, Texas — four-year public universities (June 4-5)

To learn more and register
To register for this event, visit TG Online at www.tgslc.org/training/symposia/register.cfm.

From R2T4 to customer service, TG offers spring training to suit your needs

This spring conference season, TG will participate at a variety of conference events designed to sharpen your knowledge on financial aid and give you a fresh perspective on work. Over the coming months, TG will offer sessions at conferences in West Virginia, Kansas, Arizona, Oklahoma, and other places. To learn more about these trainings, read through the following short session descriptions. You'll find a complete listing of events that TG will attend at www.tgslc.org/abouttg/calendar.cfm.

West Virginia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (WVASFAA) Conference, Canaan Valley, W. Va., April 1-2

Best Practices in Customer Service: Participants will share specific steps and procedures that have proven successful in serving students. Participants will also take away a list of best practices for implementing these customer service principles.
What's My Communication Style?: This interactive workshop is designed to help the financial aid professional discover the strengths and weaknesses of different communication styles. Using an assessment tool, the financial aid professional will learn their preference for one of four communication styles, identify the various facets of communication, and learn how to use their own style to improve communication with students, parents, and their colleagues in the higher education industry.

Kansas Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (KASFAA) Spring Conference, Topeka, Kan., April 2

Dealing with Difficult Students: Explore a six-step model to defuse confrontational customers and handle difficult situations. Participants will practice via role-playing exercises based on real financial aid scenarios.

Arizona Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (AASFAA) Spring Symposium, Phoenix, Ariz., April 9

R2T4 — Basics and Beyond: The Return of Title IV funds (R2T4) calculation is one of the most challenging duties that a financial aid officer must perform. This session will help demystify the R2T4 calculation for new and seasoned financial aid officers. The course provides some general principles of the R2T4 process, explains the elements of an R2T4 calculation, and provides recommendations on how to avoid some of the more common R2T4 findings in a program review.
Verification in the Financial Aid Office: Whether you're a new or experienced aid administrator, verification can be a frustrating and intimidating process without the right knowledge and tools. In this session, participants review basic verification requirements, discuss what information must be verified versus what schools may choose to verify, and address common, recurrent questions.

Oklahoma Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (OASFAA) Conference, Midwest City, Okla., April 16

Pizza Cravings and Credit Cards: It's tempting for students to obtain a credit card when they're pressured almost daily to apply for one. But do they know the real cost of items purchased on a credit card? Come see this presentation of TG's Positive+Balance™ financial literacy session on credit cards, which includes a demonstration of TG's virtual credit card purchase simulator.

Delaware-District of Columbia-Maryland Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (DEDCMDASFAA) Spring Workshop, Annapolis, Md., April 16

Working with You Is Killing Me™: Feeling caught in an emotionally distressing situation at work? This session helps participants unhook from emotional pitfalls in the financial aid office as well as manage difficult personalities.

To learn more
Would you like to learn more about the many industry training opportunities TG offers through its Speakers Bureau? Visit www.tgslc.org/speakers/index.cfm to review the complete training catalog. Keep in mind that TG can adapt a particular training session to meet the needs of your financial aid office. To find out how, contact your account executive at (800) 252-9743, or send an e-mail message to relationship.management@tgslc.org.