News to Know Office of Student Financial Assistance

News to Know Office of Student Financial Assistance Florida Department of Education May 2005

State Program Renewal Application v OSFA is pleased to announce the development of an online Renewal Eligibility Application for Institutional Participation in State Programs. Florida Statute requires that OSFA annually evaluate all institutions for participation in these state scholarships and grants. To access this pre-filled online application, go to: Need help? Contact Vicki Eddy at (850) 410 -5192 n www. Florida. Student. Financial. Aid. org. § Select “State Grants, Scholarships & Applications. ” § Go to “Postsecondary Institutions” and select “Institution Information, ” then “Institution Application – Renewal. ”

Grade and Hour Reporting v The 2004 -05 OSFA Grade and Hours (G&H) Report is available by batch or online via the state student financial aid database. The report is requested from each institution within 30 days after the end of the spring term. The deadline for all reports is June 30, 2005. This one electronic report collects G&H information for all students who have received statefunded financial aid from the following programs: Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG), Bright Futures, Florida Resident Access Grant (FRAG), José Martí Scholarship Challenge Grant, Rosewood Family Scholarship, Florida Work Experience Program (FWEP), Scholarships for Children of Deceased or Disabled Veterans (CDDV), Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship, and Mary Mc. Leod Bethune Scholarship (MMB).

Annual Review of User Security v OSFA is conducting an annual review of security rights for SSFAD users. At this time, security designees should review the status of: n Users: · Delete users no longer at your institution · Change the security role of an existing user · Create new users in the proper format · Create a new userid in the proper format for an Need existing user whose name changed help? Contact n Contacts: Neil · Review and update contact information for your Walter at institution. (850) 245 -1915.

Congratulations! v. Armando Salas-Amaro will be leaving OSFA effective May 27, 2005 to pursue a new opportunity at Am. South Bank. We wish him well in his future endeavors! Stay tuned for information regarding our new South Florida Outreach Representative. In the interim, clients in his region can reach Lori Auxier at 561 -434 -3993 or lori. auxier@fldoe. org.

Welcome Aboard! v Effective May 16, 2005, Kelly Bernhardt has joined the OSFA Outreach Team as the Northwest Florida Outreach Representative. Kelly has over 15 years of student lending experience, most recently as a Regional Account Executive for Am. South Educational Lending. She looks forward to working closely with the schools and students in Region I. Kelly’s hire will allow Jacqueline Hill to transition full time into the role of Manager of Default Prevention Services. Join us in congratulating both of them in their new roles!

Guarantee Fees v. OSFA is pleased to announce that we will continue to offer 0% guarantee fees! Waiving this fee is just one more step in OSFA Providing Access to Education.

Origination Fees v. Our current process is to reflect a standard 3% origination fee on the Notice of Guarantee for all Lenders. If you are a Lender who discounts the origination fee, please notify a member of the Outreach Team (if you haven’t already) so that we can update our system and reflect the correct origination fee on the Notice of Guarantees that we distribute on your behalf.

NASFAA Core Materials v CORE is a comprehensive set of instructional materials designed by NASFAA for training financial aid professionals with less than two years of experience. CORE's 13 modules cover financial aid administration from A to Z. It includes topics such as application processing, need analysis, cost of attendance, verification, return of Title IV funds, professional judgment, and more. Complete information and an order form for the 2005 -06 edition of CORE are available on-line (PDF).

Mid Level Financial Aid Workshop v. It’s time for the SWASFAA/SASFAA Mid Level Financial Aid Workshop. The Workshop is scheduled for June 12 -14, 2005 in Dallas, Texas. Participation is limited to 60 participants, so register quickly! For more information visit the SWASFAA website.

2005 -2006 EDExpress Training Sessions v 2005 -06 instructor-led online training on Pell Grant Processing using EDExpress and the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) system will continue to be offered through July 2005. Registration is required for these two hour sessions. Please visit the FSA website to choose the class that best fits your schedule.

Consolidation Loan Options v. Experts predict that student loan interest rates will rise between 1. 5 and 2 percent on July 1 st. This expected increase has borrowers who are considering consolidation to review their options. To address permitting borrowers to enter repayment early, and therefore take advantage of lower loan consolidation interest rates, DCL GEN-05 -08 has been issued.

Access to and Use of NSLDS Information v. DCL GEN 05 -06 was posted on April 11, 2005. This letter reminds member of the financial aid community who have access to information contained in NSLDS that they are responsible for using their access properly and for protecting the sensitive data contained in the system. Please forward this information to all staff that have access to NSLDS.

Integrated Common Manual v. The Integrated Common Manual was updated in April 2005. The online version can be reviewed on the NCHELP website. v. If you would like a hard copy of the Common Manual for your office, please contact your Outreach Representative.

Mission Statement v. The Florida Department of Education, Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA), serves as a guarantor for the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), and the administrator of Florida’s scholarship and grant programs. The OSFA Mission is to facilitate higher education access and services by providing exemplary customer attention, comprehensive financial aid information, and convenient and efficient products.

Philosophy v As a public agency, OSFA has the ability to offer its partners and customers something few guarantors can: the ability to shape OSFA programs and services based on their specific concerns. Earnings generated from OSFA’s loan programs are used to help fund scholarship and grant programs, financial aid workshops and publications, and to provide better services for our participants. When schools and students choose to use the OSFA guarantee for student loans, they are actually helping countless other needy and deserving students by investing in education programs. So, if a participant has a problem or suggestion, OSFA administration listens and does whatever it takes to implement a solution that meets their needs. Public dollars deserve that kind of accountability in education finance.

2005 Important Dates v June 8 -10, FASFAA Spring 2005 Conference, Miami Beach, FL v June 19 -24, SASFAA Summer New Aid Officers Workshop, Asheville, NC v July 3 -6, NASFAA Annual Conference, New York, NY v October 25 -27, FASFAA Fall 2005 Conference, Orlando, FL v October 31 - November 3, SFA Electronic Access Conference, San Diego, CA v November 29 - December 2, SFA Electronic Access Conference, Atlanta, GA v February 12 -15, 2006, SASFAA Annual Conference, Greensboro, NC v April 5 -7, 2006 SFA Spring Conference, San Antonio, TX For more information about these events and other future scheduled events, please visit www. fasfaa. org and click on calendar.

Outreach Team Contact Information v Ernest Smith, Director of Market Development n 850 -322 -6498 v Jacqueline Hill, Default Prevention Manager n 850 -212 -1108 v Lori Auxier, Manager of Outreach Services/Outreach Representative n 850 -212 -2997 v Karen Hurrell, Senior Outreach Representative n 904 -745 -3091 v Stephanie Durdley, Outreach Representative n 850 -322 -6219 v Kelly Bernhardt, Outreach Representative n 850 -277 -2331

Regional Contact Information v Lori Auxier, Manager of Outreach Services/Outreach Representative 3715 Kirkwood Circle, Boynton Beach, FL 33436 561 -434 -3993 (office) 850 -212 -2997 (cell) lori. auxier@fldoe. org

Closing v. Confidence in the institution’s ability to determine our integrity, character, and truthfulness is of the utmost importance to OSFA. The Office of Student Financial Assistance wants to know and deliver what you seek in a partner. You have the right to choose. Together, we have the power to make a difference. Trust the Office of Student Financial Assistance to help your students. They are our future.