October 2009

Training & Events

Fall Workshop Wrap-up and Q&A

The MDHE's annual fall workshops present an opportunity for Missouri's financial aid community to take advantage of free trainings in addition to learning more about how financial aid offices across the state are meeting the demands of postsecondary students. With looming industry changes on both the state and national levels, more than 200 financial aid professionals traveled from near and far to participate in workshops held in Columbia, Kansas City, Springfield, and St. Louis.

Fall workshop participants attended a variety of sessions designed to help increase their knowledge of state scholarship and grant programs, federal and state regulations, financial literacy practices, and Missouri's strategic plan for higher education, Imperatives for Change. Session topics covered during this year's fall workshops included:

• MDHE Service & Product Summary
• Paint the Town Red (or not): Financial Literacy
• Imperatives for Change: Building a Higher Education System for the 21st Century
• RSVP: Simple Digital Forms
• Celebrating Success: "Surviving" a Program Review
• State Aid & Famous Merrymaking
• Industry Bash: Regulatory & Legislative Updates

For your convenience, all slideshows and handouts from the presentations are available on the MDHE Web site.

Thanks to the feedback acquired through workshop evaluation forms, we have a very helpful tool to help us determine future session topics. Thank you to all who returned the form. The evaluations also allow us to gauge our performance and, therefore, assist us in delivering even more effective, useful events in the future. The goal of any MDHE training is to provide you with the most relevant information, so your comments and suggestions are always welcomed and given due consideration.
We were appreciative of positive comments like these from you, our valued customers:

• "All presenters were great - very knowledgeable."
• "Thank you for the session on creating digital forms!"
• "I had no idea the MDHE conducted school program reviews...good information."
• "Thank you for offering the workshops for free!"
• "I love the MDHE's financial literacy ladies."
• "Thank you for the broad range of session topics."

Questions and Answers
We've highlighted a few of the questions presented by attendees at the various workshop locations. If you have additional questions, please contact your client service representative.

Q: Can you edit fields once a scanned document has been converted to a fillable PDF?
A: Yes, you can edit fields once a scanned document has been converted to a fillable PDF. In fact, once you import the scanned document and use the Forms Wizard to make it fillable, Adobe will take you straight to the form view. This action allows you to manipulate the form and add any necessary information.

Q: Can I inactivate more than one student at a time on FAMOUS?
A:  Inactivation occurs on the individual student record so it is necessary to inactivate students one at a time as each student is retrieved. However, the MDHE will consider adding the capability to inactivate multiple students at once as a future enhancement.

Q: Will the Imperatives for Change Plan focus on regional gaps in education?
A: Yes, the MDHE is working with the various sectors (public/independent/two and four-year) to see what gaps are present in the system and to determine strategies to address these issues. The Missouri P-20 Council has also directed attention towards this initiative by developing regional councils to address the individual needs of a region, along with the resources that are relative and available to that area. To date, regional councils have been established in the northeastern, southeastern and southwestern portions of the state. Discussions are underway to establish additional regional councils in central Missouri. The MDHE will continue to work with the various P-20 regional councils and institutions across the state to address any areas of concerns that may strengthen and produce a more efficient higher education system.

Q: How often should we update policies and procedures?
A: Policies and procedures should be updated as changes are made within your institution and as changes in federal law and/or regulations are mandated. It is a good practice to have one person assigned in each office to periodically and routinely update or coordinate all financial aid policies and procedures. All offices involved in the administration of Title IV programs should be included in the development and maintenance of an institution's policies and procedures. As stated on a Policies and Procedures template page found on IFAP, it is also suggested that a review of all policies and procedures be completed on an annual basis. The MDHE suggests utilizing the management enhancement worksheet located on IFAP at management enhancement worksheet and the FSA Assessment tools at FSA Assessment. Schools should follow recent guidance issued by DE via Electronic Announcement dated 09-10-09.

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College Goal Sunday 2010

The Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel (MASFAP) has managed the College Goal Sunday (CGS) program in Missouri for the last five or six years. Beginning with the 2010 CGS program, the MDHE is partnering closely with MASFAP to offer an expanded program in Missouri. Some of the exciting changes to CGS include:

• Three dates will be offered. Historically, CGS has occurred on the first Sunday following the Super Bowl. For instance, in 2009 the date fell on Sunday, February 8. Although this is early enough to be before most Missouri institutional aid deadlines, which typically are scheduled for late February through March, most families have not yet completed their tax returns this early. The three dates tentatively selected for 2010 are Sunday, February 21, Saturday, March 6, and Sunday, March 21. Each 2010 site will be allowed to select which of the three dates to offer. Dates and sites will be finalized soon and officially announced at the Fall MASFAP conference as well as in the November Digest.
• The name will be changed. Because not all CGS events will be on Sundays, it may be confusing to use the name "College Goal Sunday." The MDHE and MASFAP discussed naming options with the MDHE's high school counselor advisory committee, and decided to use the name "FAFSA Frenzy" for 2010. This term has been used by the Missouri Western CGS site for the last several years, and counselors agreed that using "FAFSA" in the title was critical. (Note: The CGS logo, colors, and branding will continue to be used on all promotional materials.)

As in past years, volunteers will drive the success of the 2010 CGS program. Missouri's financial aid community will be of critical importance, and more information will be available soon regarding how you can sign up to help at a CGS site near you.

If you have any questions regarding FAFSA Frenzy/CGS in Missouri, you may contact Julie Meyer, Angie Beam (MASFAP Early Awareness Committee co-chair), or your MDHE client service representative.