This year's conference theme, "A New Horizon — Sharing the Journey," focuses on the evolving legislative and regulatory changes within the student financial aid industry and the collaboration of industry participants to prepare for these developments. The agenda will include a number of tracks related to Awareness, Financial Literacy, Industry Topics, Default Management, Professional Development and TG Tools. Additional session topics information will be posted to the TG conference Web site as session topics and speakers are confirmed, but several topics that are sure to be included are: Starting a Financial Literacy program, 3-year Cohort Default Rate, Entrance/Exit Counseling, Default Aversion Best Practices, and Financial Aid Management System Breakout sessions.
Agenda development is under way. Submit suggestions for topics and speakers to Judith Cunningham at judith.cunningham@tgslc.org.
| Wednesday, April 7, 2010 |
| 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. |
Conference Registration and Information Booth Open |
| 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. |
Conference Overview for First-Time Attendees (and other interested attendees) |
| 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
Opening Session and Welcome |
| 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. |
Opening Luncheon |
| 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. |
Keynote Speaker — Dan Thurmon, "Off Balance – On Purpose" |
| 1:50 p.m. - 5 p.m. |
Cyber Café |
| 1:50 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. |
Concurrent Sessions
| Track |
Sessions |
| College Access and Success |
Disappearance of the African-American male on college campuses
(Dr. Ron Brown, Lone Star College System)
This session will present startling data on African American male enrollment and retention in higher education, why it is important for the state/nation to address this issue, and successful initiatives in African American male participation. |
| Financial Literacy |
Understanding the need for financial literacy
(Dr. Kimberlee David, Texas State University) |
| Industry |
Texas veteran/Hazlewood issues
(Connie Cooper and Kathryn Ford, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB))
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) will address the Texas perspective on legislative changes to the Hazlewood Exemption Program for veterans and qualifying dependents. The statutory changes to the Hazlewood program are substantial and impact not only the service members and their dependents, but also the colleges and universities. Since passage of the legislation, the THECB has fielded hundreds of calls from veterans, students, and schools regarding the new provisions. |
| Default Management |
Default 101
(Joe Braxton and Rett Anderton, TG Default Prevention)
Where do you start when you're given the task of addressing your institution's cohort default rate? Many resources are available to schools, but it can be difficult to locate the information you need and to decide what approach will work best for your campus and borrowers. Join us for a discussion on how to develop and integrate proactive default aversion techniques on your campus. In this session, you will discover how and where to start your plan. Gain knowledge of processes, strategies, and tools to help get started. Determine the next steps you need to take to get default aversion launched at your institution.
Entrance/exit counseling
(Maria Luna-Torres, TG Educational Alliances)
Participants will gain an understanding about the federal requirements schools must meet when conducting Entrance and Exit Counseling sessions. Also, participants will learn about resources and tools available to assist them in conducting the sessions. |
| Professional Development |
Leadership as a conglomeration
(Dr. Barry Simmons Sr., NASFAA National Chair)
This session posits that leadership is a combination of many different traits best embodied in an individual when she/he recognizes that the leader must first "know thyself." Included will be numerous leadership attributes for discussion in addition to quotes on leadership from historical as well as other well-known individuals in fiction and in fact. Participants will be encouraged to suggest additional attributes for discussion not contained in the presentation. |
|
| 3:10 p.m. - 4:10 p.m. |
Concurrent Sessions
| Track |
Sessions |
| College Access and Success |
Need and method for financial aid outreach
(Miguel Wasielewski, University of Texas)
This session is intended for new financial aid professionals who are attempting to establish a financial aid outreach program at their institution. This session will provide compelling data related to enrollment gaps and the need for outreach. This session will also provide information about the methods for conducting outreach both in person and in cyberspace. |
| Industry |
FFELP and Direct loan discharge/forgiveness Programs
(Michelle Anderson and Laura Kowalski, TG Policy and Regulatory Affairs)
The Department of Education has created loan discharge and forgiveness programs that provide borrowers with debt relief in certain circumstances. Generally, discharges help borrowers experiencing serious life disruptions, and forgiveness programs encourage borrowers to work in certain professions in exchange for forgiveness of all or part of their student loan debt. This session provides an overview of the programs available to both FFELP and Direct Loan borrowers.
Navigating student loan disclosures
(David Garza, TG Policy and Regulatory Affairs, and
Melet Leafgreen, Texas Christian University)
This session will explore the various requirements associated with student loan disclosures for federal and private student loans. Participants will discover the value of these consumer disclosures and learn how these disclosures fit within school and lender processes.
FAMS breakout: Peoplesoft®/Oracle®
(Julie Vance, Houston Community College)
Join Peoplesoft users in this open forum. Learn from others and talk about best practices. Share in a discussion as schools incorporate the Federal Direct Loan program into their system, as well as continue managing their FFELP volume. |
| Default Management |
Transitioning to a 3-Year cohort default rate
(Joe Braxton, TG Default Prevention)
This session will show how a school's cohort default rate (CDR) is calculated, and how the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) has impacted CDRs, including the shift from a 2-year to a 3-year calculation, the benefits for schools with low default rates, and the consequences of higher default rates. The webinar will also discuss TG's Integrated Default Assistant™ (IDA™) and how it can help schools to manage their CDR. |
| TG Tools/Technical |
TG product update
(Paul Lewis, TG Product Management)
Participants will learn about TG's future product strategy. |
|
| 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. |
Concurrent Sessions
| Track |
Sessions |
| College Access and Success |
Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA)
(Jane Caldwell, THECB, and Janie Alcala, Texas A&M University)
Presenters will offer information on purpose and process of the TASFA. |
| Financial Literacy |
Money Management 101
(Cindy Marrs, TG Default Prevention)
Learning important budgeting and savings skills can help students make sound financial decisions and avoid common financial difficulties. TG's Money Management 101 for students delivers essential knowledge on basic money management skills. This train-the-trainer session will equip financial aid administrators with the information and materials to conduct this workshop on their own campuses. |
| Industry |
Gearing up to implement Direct Lending — School panel discusses office and technical considerations
(Esmeralda Flores, Our Lady of the Lake University, and Terri Thompson, Weatherford College)
In this session, there will be a panel of DL processing schools ready to discuss their DL processing experiences. The panelists will speak to their transition experiences, lessons learned and how their offices operate under DL. The panelists processing experience with DL covers a wide spectrum, from newly transitioned DL schools to seasoned DL processing schools.
FAMS breakout: SCT®/Banner®
(Cristen Alicea, University of Incarnate Word)
Join Banner users in this open forum. Learn from others and talk about best practices. Share in a discussion as schools incorporate the Federal Direct Loan program into their system, as well as continue managing their FFELP volume. |
| Default Management |
Income-Based Repayment basics
(Laura Kowalski, TG Policy and Regulatory Affairs, and Joan Maddux, TG Default Prevention)
By now, many within the financial aid community have heard of Income-Based Repayment (IBR), the new student loan repayment plan that became available to FFELP and Direct Loan borrowers beginning July 1, 2009. IBR will benefit certain borrowers by minimizing monthly payments and by providing loan forgiveness in some cases. Educating borrowers about this repayment plan and its benefits, through the loan counseling process and other information dissemination efforts, will provide the key to realizing IBR's full potential. This session presents a high-level introduction to the IBR plan, including how borrowers qualify for IBR, the forgiveness component of IBR, the benefits IBR provides to the borrower and the school, and ideas for educating borrowers about IBR. |
| TG Tools/Technical |
AdvanTG Web™/alternative loans input
(Paul Lewis, TG Product Management)
We will discuss tools that may be offered for private loans after FFELP is eliminated. We will also solicit input from schools regarding our pending decision. |
|
| 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. |
Open Evening |
| Thursday, April 8, 2010 |
| 7:15 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. |
Continental Breakfast |
| 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. |
Conference Registration and Information Booth Open |
| 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. |
Cyber Café |
| 8 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. |
General Session
Department of Education Update — David Bergeron, Department of Education
David Bergeron will join us at the conference in Austin to discuss federal developments affecting the higher education community. Join your colleagues and peers for this important talk.
Direct Lending Transition — Patrick Kennedy, Department of Education
Patrick Kennedy, who serves on the Direct Lending Onboarding Team will be in Austin with us to present an insightful general session on the transition to the FDLP. This session will include question and answer opportunities. |
| 10:05 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. |
Concurrent Sessions
| Track |
Sessions |
| Financial Literacy |
Money Management 101
(Cindy Marrs, TG Default Prevention)
Learning important budgeting and savings skills can help students make sound financial decisions and avoid common financial difficulties. TG's Money Management 101 for students delivers essential knowledge on basic money management skills. This train-the-trainer session will equip financial aid administrators with the information and materials to conduct this workshop on their own campuses. |
| Industry |
Gearing up to implement Direct Lending — School panel discusses office and technical considerations
(Rhonda Beauchamp, Texas State Technical College - Waco, and Anne Walker, Rice University)
In this session, there will be a panel of DL processing schools ready to discuss their DL processing experiences. The panelists will speak to their transition experiences, lessons learned and how their offices operate under DL. The panelists processing experience with DL covers a wide spectrum, from newly transitioned DL schools to seasoned DL processing schools.
Private loan fundamentals — Talking to your borrowers
(Aubrey Stelly, TG Relationship Management and Consulting)
The goal of the session is to give financial aid professionals a basic understanding of the elements of a private loan and how to discuss private loans with borrowers. |
| Default Management |
Student debt in Texas — TG research
(Jeff Webster and Melissa Shook, TG Research and Analytical Services)
Are Texas students borrowing too much? Learn the latest research concerning student debt in Texas. The presentation will look not only at federal student loans, but also borrowing through private loans and credit cards. |
| TG Tools/Technical |
List Assist℠/alternative loans
(Blanche Crawford, TG Product Management)
Creating a recommended lender list can be a challenging task. List Assist℠ helps automate the process by offering an online tool for generating, distributing, and tracking lender surveys. Come by for an overview of List Assist enhancements, with the highlight of the session on the new alternative loan survey flow. See the process from start to finish — from a school's and lender's point of view. |
|
| 11:15 a.m. - 12:10 p.m. |
Concurrent Sessions
| Track |
Sessions |
| Industry |
Transfer 101: From community college to university
(Dr. Martha Ellis, The University of Texas at Austin)
Students are increasingly choosing transfer as a pathway to obtain a baccalaureate degree. In many cases this pathway is bumpy, circuitous and steep. Based on research data and student input, a statewide partnership between community colleges and universities is working to smooth the pathway.
How to find the best private loans for your students (Tim Ranzetta, Student Lending Analytics)
The private (non-federal) education loan market has undergone unprecedented changes during the last 18-24 months. This session will provide answers to key questions such as:
- What is the outlook for the private student loan market for 2010 and beyond?
- How has the competitive landscape changed during the past twelve months?
- Who are the recent entrants to the market?
- What are current pricing trends?
- What options do financial aid administrators have in presenting information to their students about private education loans?
- How are financial aid offices responding to the new preferred lender regulations and how will this likely impact lender marketing strategies in the future?
|
| Default Management |
IBR — A tool to help students manage repayment
(Melet Leafgreen, Texas Christian University; Elena Oliver, San Jacinto College; Rinn Harper, TG Operations; B. Sandlin, NTHEA)
A panel of industry experts will explore how Income-Based Repayment has been implemented into their business operations, processes, and communications. Panelists will speak about their efforts to educate borrowers about the value of this new repayment plan and answer questions from the audience. |
| Professional Development |
Coaching your team to success
(Ted Middleburg, MBA Systemic Leadership)
In this interactive workshop, we will explore a world-class model of coaching and practical templates that focus your coaching activities. We will explore the practices necessary to execute effective coaching conversations. We will hold a Q&A session to discuss how the above tools apply to the challenges facing your teams. |
| TG Tools/Technical |
Integrated Default Assistant™ (IDA™) overview
(Joe Braxton, TG Default Prevention)
Integrated Default Assistant™ (IDA™) is a tool for helping schools, lenders, and servicers to lower default. Topics discussed will include:
- Accessing and using a variety of preformatted reports to help schools, servicers, and lenders focus on at-risk student borrowers,
- Forecasting a school's 3-year Cohort Default Rate,
- Communicating only with specific groups of borrowers identified using key risk factors,
- And much more.
|
|
| 12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. |
Lunch |
| 1:40 p.m. - 2:35 p.m. |
Concurrent Sessions
| Track |
Sessions |
| College Access and Success |
The Texas P-16 Strategic Planning Pilot — What happened?
(Dr. Robert Wilkinson, Pittsburg State University)
Collaboration among state entities, secondary education, postsecondary institutions, local and regional organizations, business, industry, and the community maximizes our collective efforts to ensure that more students access, receive and complete postsecondary education. This is the foundation of the P-16 Council Initiative in Texas. Come learn what happened when TG walked to Councils through the strategic planning process. |
| Industry |
Show what you know
(Sarah Faszholz, TG Policy and Regulatory Affairs)
Show what you know (and anonymously discover what you don't) about recent changes in federal student aid policy, regulations, and law. During this interactive session, participants click their answers to challenging questions on a variety of current federal student aid topics in a game format. Enjoy the fun, interactive nature of the presentation and leave with valuable, practical information. It's entertainment and learning all in one package!
Navigating student loan disclosures
(David Garza, TG Policy and Regulatory Affairs, and Melet Leafgreen, Texas Christian University)
This session will explore the various requirements associated with student loan disclosures for federal and private student loans. Participants will discover the value of these consumer disclosures and learn how these disclosures fit within school and lender processes. |
| Default Management |
The truth about defaults
(Matt Steiner, TG Research and Analytical Services; Kelly Kaelin, TG Communications; Joe Braxton, TG Default Prevention)
Test your knowledge of student loan defaults. TG's panel of experts will explore common misperceptions about defaults from three perspectives: research, policy, and default aversion practitioner. Knowing the facts about defaults will improve your ability to keep cohort default rates low. |
| Professional Development |
Making a difference: One student at a time
(Wendy Rivera, TG Corporate Learning and Development)
Utilizing an inspiring video from award-winning photographer DeWitt Jones, this seminar helps you take the time to affirm your strengths and celebrate everything that's right in the financial aid industry. Recent trends will be reviewed to remind you of the difference you are making in the lives of your students and their families. |
| TG Tools/Technical |
List Assist℠/alternative loans
(Blanche Crawford, TG Product Management)
Creating a recommended lender list can be a challenging task. List Assist℠ helps automate the process by offering an online tool for generating, distributing, and tracking lender surveys. Come by for an overview of List Assist enhancements, with the highlight of the session on the new alternative loan survey flow. See the process from start to finish — from a school's and lender's point of view. |
|
| 2:50 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. |
Concurrent Sessions
| Track |
Sessions |
| Financial Literacy |
Building alliances with the Jumpstart Coalition
(TBD) |
| Industry |
Veteran issues and servicemember benefits
(Kerry Childe, TG Legal)
Kerry Childe, TG's Privacy and Regulatory Counsel and a former servicemember, will address federal loan benefits for military borrowers, including the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, military deferments, HEROES Act Waivers, and Veterans Disability Discharge.
FAMS breakout: Colleague®/Datatel®
(Stephen Brower, Hardin Simmons University)
Join Datatel users in this open forum. Learn from others and talk about best practices. Share in a discussion as schools incorporate the Federal Direct Loan program into their system, as well as continue managing their FFELP volume. |
| Default Management |
Creating a successful campus default aversion program
(Jennifer Steed, Grayson County College; Sarah Arno, Tri-State Cosmetology; Rett Anderton, TG Default Prevention)
This session will highlight the challenges of two campuses that have begun their own default aversion programs with TG's assistance. Though the two schools differ, both have incorporated using campus relationships to bolster their plans. |
| TG Tools/Technical |
Winding down: Transition from TG — Technical considerations
(Eric Falkenbury, TG Guarantee, Support and Reporting, and Jaime Hernandez, TG Customer Assistance)
In this session TG will talk with schools about best practices as they move away from TG FFELP and begin FDLP processing. We will discuss how to utilize TG resources to ensure that immediate and ongoing FFELP processes are supported, such as change transactions, and second and subsequent disbursements in the event that schools transition to DL. TG will provide tips and considerations for tying up loose ends with TG FFELP processing and will briefly discuss ongoing TG support in such areas as default management and alternative loan processing. |
|
| 4:00 p.m. - 4:55 p.m. |
Concurrent Sessions
| Track |
Sessions |
| College Access and Success |
An Enrollment Management Journal spotlight: Why do students persist?
(Matt Stillman, Southern Oregon University)
In challenging economic times, the retention of students becomes even more important for both the financial stability and reputation of the institution. How applicable are pre-enrollment variables in predicting first- to second-year persistence? Come learn the findings of a study conducted at Southern Oregon University that analyzed differences in demographic characteristics, secondary school experiences and socioeconomic characteristics of students who failed and managed to persist. |
| Financial Literacy |
Understanding consumer credit counseling centers
(Todd Mark, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Dallas) |
| Industry |
Social media trends — Communicating with students
(Jack Leblond, TG Communications)
Social Media, while not new is ever-changing. Along with tools and tips for effective use, this session will provide an introduction and overview of four currently popular platforms; Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare and UStream. |
| Default Management |
How TG can help with default management
(Rett Anderton and Joe Braxton, TG Default Prevention)
This session will demonstrate what TG can do to assist schools with default management. The session will highlight publications, electronic tools and consultation services available to campuses. |
| Professional Development |
Multiple generations at work in the financial aid office
(Leonard Gude, Regent Education)
Everyone tends to look at the world, define it, and evaluate it from the experiences of their own lives. A recent study on generational differences found that even though generations generally get along in the workplace, there is a lot of room for improvement. In this session, we will review the generational differences in life experiences and explore ways to improve workplace relationships among generations. |
|
| 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. |
Reception |
| Friday, April 9, 2010 |
| 7:15 a.m. - 8 a.m. |
Breakfast |
| 8 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. |
Information Booth Open |
| 8 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. |
Cyber Café |
| 8 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. |
General Session — Fred Sellers, Department of Education, Two Pells in One Award Year
In this general session, ED's Fred Sellers will present information on the new Federal Pell Grant Program statutory requirements via videoconference. |
| 9:35 a.m. - 10:35 a.m. |
Concurrent Sessions
| Track |
Sessions |
| College Access and Success |
Inspiring Generation Next: Promoting a college-going culture for K-12 students
(Amanda Dickinson, Association of Texas Lenders for Education, and Brian Sunshine, Nelnet)
This session highlights a promising program that helps inspire elementary students to think about college early. The Kindergarten 2 College initiative, available through the Association of Texas Lenders for Education (ATLE), includes strategies that range from games and activities to practical incentives to use with young students in the classroom. The program is designed to be flexible to fit the needs of the teacher, classroom and presenter based on the available resources and needs of the school. Find out how you can take part in this exciting program and help inspire a college-going culture in your community! |
| Financial Literacy |
TG's financial literacy initiatives
(Jacob Fraire, TG Educational Alliances, and Shelia Dunlap, TG Default Prevention)
This session will provide an overview of TG's services and product offerings in financial literacy. Topics of discussion will include TG's Positive+Balance™ financial literacy training program. |
| Industry |
FAMS breakouts: Homegrown systems, Powerfaids®, Poise®
(TBD)
This open forum is for users who use FAM systems other than Banner, Peoplesoft, and Datatel (for which individual break-out sessions are offered). Learn from others and talk about best practices. Share in a discussion as schools incorporate the Federal Direct Loan program into their system, as well as continue managing their FFEL volume. |
| TG Tools/Technical |
Winding down: Transitioning from TG — Technical considerations
(Eric Falkenbury, TG Guarantee, Support and Reporting, and Jaime Hernandez, TG Customer Assistance)
In this session TG will talk with schools about best practices as they move away from TG FFELP and begin FDLP processing. We will discuss how to utilize TG resources to ensure that immediate and ongoing FFELP processes are supported, such as change transactions, and second and subsequent disbursements in the event that schools transition to DL. TG will provide tips and considerations for tying up loose ends with TG FFELP processing and will briefly discuss ongoing TG support in such areas as default management and alternative loan processing. |
|
| 10:50 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. |
Concurrent Sessions
| Track |
Sessions |
| Financial Literacy |
An inside look at promising financial literacy practices
(Kristy Vienne, Sam Houston State University) |
| Industry |
Direct Lending servicing panel
(Cathleen Harmon, Sallie Mae; Jim Harris, Nelnet; Brett Lindquist, Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation; and Adele Marsh, AES-PHEAA)
This session will provide a panel of representatives from the four DL servicers awarded contracts by the Department of Education. Audience participants will be allowed to ask questions of panelists and also receive updates from the various companies represented. |
| Professional Development |
Lose the blues: Get motivated
(Tom Rebstock and Darron Grussendorf, TG Corporate Learning and Development)
Join "Jake and Elwood" on a wild and wacky mission to discover the secrets of a highly motivated financial aid office. |
|
| 12 p.m. - 12:50 p.m. |
Closing Session — Kathryn Childers, Do it Scared |
