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Shoptalk Online Contents

TG Updates

Shoptalk Online 524, October 6, 2009

TG Updates

TG unveils redesigned Adventures In Education

TG inaugurates a new academic year with a new look for its college- and career-planning Web site, Adventures In Education (AIE™). Now families and students have even more reasons to use AIE, including simpler navigation and additional information to help aspiring students achieve their higher education and career goals.

"Our goal was to produce a site that made the college-going experience smoother," said Bob Ugiansky, TG consumer Web site webmaster and an architect of the new AIE. "Finding relevant information can be needlessly complex. We worked to make information on scholarships or budgeting, for example, easier to locate and use."

Simplified navigation
AIE's content has been reorganized to correspond to the general stages of preparing for college and career, including planning and paying for college, finding a job, and managing money. The new home page features a navigational menu where users can easily access information according to these stages. Students weighing their college decisions can check out AIE's Planning for College section. A Paying for College tab guides users to information on how to finance an education. Finding a Career steers graduates through the intricacies of writing a resume, searching for a job, and preparing for an interview. And AIE's new Managing Your Money page offers helpful financial literacy resources to teach students critical personal-finance skills.

Cleaner design
AIE's information and resources are packaged in a new look designed to appeal to students of all ages. The sharp graphics entertain the eye, while the simplified layout makes researching information on college and careers easier. AIE rotates among a series of vivid backgrounds, which change with each visit.

Interactive content
AIE places an emphasis on interactive learning, especially in terms of its financial literacy content. The site features an array of interactive tools, including the True Cost Credit Card Calculator and the Credit Card Skills Builder, both of which illustrate the real cost of buying with credit. Other features include budgeting tools and resources, such as the new Money Management 101 interactive training module, and loan repayment calculators.

Find out for yourself
Learn more about AIE by exploring its features and information online. After you've browsed the site, please tell us what you think. To provide your feedback, send an e-mail message to communications@tgslc.org.

TG to offer Gulf Coast Consortium Community College Forum

Community colleges have long been a vital force in higher education. According to the latest figures from the National Center for Education Statistics, community colleges enroll more than 34 percent of all postsecondary students. With a changing economy and shifting financial aid landscape, the 2-year community finds itself facing new challenges, including growing enrollment and budgetary pressures.

TG offers help through its Center for Financial Aid Policy in Community Colleges. The Center works to raise awareness among state and national policymakers about effective financial aid policies and practices for community colleges and their students. The Center does this in a number of ways, including through small conferences or forums that bring together member organizations to discuss community college issues. The Center will hold its next meeting, the Gulf Coast Consortium Community College Forum, on October 21, at the San Jacinto Community College South Campus in Houston.

Forum's agenda
The Gulf Coast Consortium Community College Forum focuses on a variety of topics important to community colleges, such as default aversion and the latest legislative changes. Financial aid professionals from Houston-area colleges are invited to attend. The Forum is provided at no cost to schools.

Meeting time and place
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Central Time
San Jacinto Community College South Campus
Interactive Learning Center, Building 11
Room 11104
13735 Beamer Rd.
Houston, Texas 77089

To register
Join your community college colleagues at the Forum by registering at www.tgslc.org/cfapcc/forum/register.cfm.

To learn more
Find out more about the activities of the Center for Financial Aid Policy in Community Colleges at www.tgslc.org/cfapcc.

The TG Users Group (TUG) offers an online community for school and lender users who wish to learn more about TG products and services and share information with colleagues. TG hosts a TUG meeting in the fall and another in the spring in conjunction with the TG Annual Training Conference. The Fall 2009 TUG Meeting will be held on November 5 at the TG Campus in Round Rock, Texas. School and lender customers are encouraged to review the tentative agenda online. They can register for the Fall 2009 TUG meeting also.

TUG meetings provide a time to train TG users on new and enhanced products as well as a forum to discuss operational issues or changes in processing.

TUG board nominations complete
The TUG board helps to coordinate TUG activities and lead TUG events. The board is made up of both school and lender/servicer representatives who serve two-year terms. Three board members will be returning in 2010, including:

Stephen Brower, Hardin Simmons University, Texas
Cindi Pedersen, Bethel College, Indiana
Jason Lolley, Sallie Mae Servicing, Texas

New TUG board members will be introduced at the Fall TG User Group Meeting. These new board members will serve as TUG board members for the 2010-11 term.

For more information about TUG
Any school or lender that uses TG products is automatically enrolled as a member of TUG. To learn more about TUG, its board of directors and officers, its mission and goals, and other details, refer to TG Online at www.tgslc.org/tug/index.cfm.

For questions about TUG, contact Sheila Casey at (800) 252-9743, ext. 4576, or send an e-mail message to sheila.casey@tgslc.org.

Watch for a "new" Shoptalk Online

If you're curious about this week's peeling masthead for Shoptalk Online, you'll find the answer in next week's edition. Shoptalk Online is getting a fresh, new look and layout, though the e-newsletter will maintain a solid focus on the legislative information and regulatory developments that matter most to you. Keep an eye out for the next issue of TG's industry newsletter and be sure to tell us what you think — the edition will feature a special link for sharing your feedback.