Federal Updates

Neg Reg: Two down, one to go
Teams I and II have completed the second round of meetings on the loan-related topics under discussion this year.

ED releases Volume 2 of the 2009-10 Federal Student Aid Handbook
ED has published Volume 2: School Eligibility, of the 2009-10 Federal Student Aid Handbook (FSA Handbook).

New resources provide help in understanding PLUS auction and IBR
TG is pleased to inform its customers about two new resources available for schools, lenders, and servicers that address questions and concerns about the Competitive Loan Auction Pilot Program (PLUS auction) and the Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR).

TG Updates

TG to provide $2 million to students through its Charley Wootan Grant Program for academic year 2009-10
TG has allocated $2 million to the Charley Wootan Grant Program. Of these funds, $1 million will be distributed to Texas students, and another $1 million will be distributed to students in other states, the District of Columbia, or U.S. territories, to help pay for college education. Applications for grant consideration will be available beginning April 2, 2009.

TG Annual Training Conference offers comprehensive training with multi-track format
Each year, TG offers a training experience designed to appeal to a broad range of financial aid interests, from topics in legislative and regulatory change to default prevention strategies. The 2009 TG Annual Training Conference is another example of this kind of comprehensive approach to training, offering over 50 specialized sessions and workshops covering seven different subject areas, or tracks.

Positive+Balance™ presentation teaches students the value of saving now rather than later
Positive+Balance™, TG's financial literacy training program, offers help to students just learning the fundamental concepts of saving. What's in Your Piggy Bank? encourages students to make a habit of saving money while they are young.

Reminder: Product webinars for enhanced AdvanTG Web™ and TG Loans By Web™ offered
Last week, TG unveiled a variety of enhancements to AdvanTG Web and TG Loans By Web. To help users benefit from these modifications and incorporate them effectively into their loan processing, TG has scheduled various webinars that explain the changes and offer time for customer Q&A.

Common Manual

Common Manual Updates
Information on recent updates to the Common Manual.

This, That, and the Other...

Community colleges continue to see increases in distance education enrollments, according to a report released at a recent annual meeting of the American Association of Community Colleges.

A national survey of colleges by the Instructional Technology Council found that distance enrollments grew 11.3 percent from fall 2006 to fall 2007. Last year, the survey found an increase of 18 percent over the previous year. Given several recent years of significant gains in distance enrollments, such increases "could not be sustained indefinitely," says the report.

Even if the rate of growth has slowed, the report notes that distance enrollments are increasing at a faster rate than are other enrollments. And in a further sign that distance enrollments are not likely to plateau any time soon, the study notes that 70 percent of respondents said that student demand for distance options at their institutions exceeds current offerings.

Read the complete Inside Higher Ed article on the report at www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/04/06/distance.