TG Updates

TG sessions for NASFAA National Conference 2009 focus on financial literacy and college access

This year's National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrator (NASFAA) annual conference is set in Texas' River City — San Antonio, so named for the San Antonio River which runs through the city's center. Financial aid professionals from around the country will gather in San Antonio from July 12-15 to hear seminars on a variety of financial aid issues, including regulatory developments and ongoing changes in the industry.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan will deliver the keynote address on the conference's opening day. ED staff will lead various interest sessions, participate in two sessions with other NASFAA members, and answer audience questions.

TG's presence — booth and session
Join TG team members in Booth #311 to learn more about TG's many offerings for families, students, and financial aid professionals, including:

• Comprehensive default prevention tools and services;
• Financial literacy tools designed for the needs of students and financial aid professionals; and
• Valuable programs created to help promote educational access and awareness.

In addition, TG team members will present two financial aid business solutions seminars open to all conference attendees. One seminar will focus on ways that schools can develop financial literacy programs on their campuses; the other will spotlight ways to promote educational access and awareness.

Because the conference offers an opportunity for financial aid professionals to collect a great deal of useful information, TG team members have created a collection of tips for NASFAA 2009 available at www.tgslc.org/nasfaa09. These tips can help both first-time attendees and conference veterans maximize their conference experience.

More information
To learn more about the conference, and to view the agenda, visit NASFAA National Conference 2009. Find out more about TG's regulatory training offered through the TG Speakers Bureau by reviewing the online training catalog at www.tgslc.org/speakers/basics.cfm.

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Provide your feedback as TG redesigns Adventures In Education (AIE™)

TG offers comprehensive information about college and career planning through its award-winning Web site, Adventures In Education (AIE™). AIE offers students and families a variety of great resources to prepare and pay for college as well as tools for mastering basic skills of financial literacy, planning for a career, and more.

AIE, available at www.AIE.org, is slated for a redesign of content and look. TG's AIE design team is reviewing the current site with an eye to enhance services for students, families, and others who use the site. To improve the site, the team wants to hear from schools and all other prospective users.

Take the survey
Please take a few moments to complete this short survey about AIE available at www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB2295R4MS4CA. Your feedback will help make the site an even stronger resource for students and families.

To learn more about AIE
To explore the entire site, visit AIE at www.AIE.org. If you need more information about the site, contact TG's communications team at communications@tgslc.org.

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Join TG at upcoming 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, such as the state of institutions within the given sectors and ways to create a culture of engagement.

The symposium for independent colleges and universities will be held May 21-22 in Austin, Texas. The agenda for the event covers topics important to independent schools, including:

• Leveraging access in a world of uncertainty: This session will focus on the state of educational finance and the current threats to student funding and access. The presenter will examine challenges to future enrollment in higher education within the context of demographic changes and the related impact on enrollment, performance, and persistence.
• Leveraging access in a world of uncertainty — From theory to practice: Participants will apply their knowledge to issues identified in the first session. During open discussion, they will generate solutions useful for meeting institutional challenges.
• The dawn of a new era — Implications for your students and campus: This session will provide an insightful summary of the many issues affecting campuses today. Discussion will focus on finding opportunities with change and modifying the status quo to benefit students.
• Creating a culture of engagement and persistence — Case studies in connecting the campus for student and institutional success: This session will examine how two campuses crafted an approach to retaining students based on industry experience and statistical research.

Upcoming symposium
The third in the symposia series considers the challenges and issues that 4-Year public universities face. This workshop will be held in San Antonio, Texas from June 4-5. Watch for registration details in an upcoming issue of Shoptalk Online.

About the symposia
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.

To learn more
To learn more about the symposia, visit www.tgslc.org/training/symposia/index.cfm.

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Mapping Your Future recognizes TG's Cindy Marrs as one recipient for 2009 Award of Excellence

During its recent 2009 Annual Conference in Minneapolis, Mapping Your Future honored four volunteers with its Annual Award of Excellence, including TG's policy advisor Cindy Marrs.

Marrs provides expertise to both the Online Student Loan Counseling team and the content team of Mapping Your Future, reviewing material to help ensure it meets revised and new regulatory requirements. The organization cited Marrs for her outstanding research skills and dedication to enhancing Mapping Your Future services. She serves as a co-lead for the content team.

As a policy advisor and trainer on industry topics for TG's Speakers Bureau, Marrs responds to questions from internal and external customers. Marrs researches issues on behalf of customers and offers a practical interpretation of regulatory guidelines. Marrs finds the work gratifying, especially when she's succeeded in helping a customer.

Marrs's policy analysis has been instrumental in helping Mapping Your Future implement many regulatory changes, especially those of the last year. Marrs is dedicated to Mapping Your Future's mission, which she believes provides an essential service to students.

About Mapping Your Future
Based in Round Rock, Texas, Mapping Your Future is a national collaborative, public-service organization of the financial aid industry. Mapping Your Future provides step-by-step instructions on career, college planning, and financial aid. In addition, the site offers financial literacy information and tools, and online customer service for schools and their students.

About TG's training
TG offers a varied array of training opportunities through its Speakers Bureau. Visit www.tgslc.org/speakers/index.cfm to review the complete training catalog online. Keep in mind that TG can tailor training to meet the needs of your financial aid office. To schedule a program, contact your TG regional account executive at (800) 892-1357, or send an e-mail message to relationship.management@tgslc.org.

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