End of the Year Report
2004 CASFAAHigh School Relations Committee
Prepared: November 3, 2004
NAME OF COMMITTEE
High School Relations Committee
COMMITTEE CHAIR(S)
BryanDickason,California Student Aid Commission
Dennis Schroeder,GlendaleCommunity College
GOALS FOR 2004
1. High School Counselor Workshops
The 2004 High School Counselor Workshops are co-sponsored by CASFAA in collaboration with the California Student Aid Commission and its not-for-profit loan auxiliary corporation EdFund each fall, for the last 11 years. The series includes sites in 14 locations statewide north to south, conducted in October and November.
The project is designed to primarily train HS counselors, but also trains student service providers from a variety of secondary and postsecondary outreach organizations throughout the state. The training focuses on the application and award process for federal and institutional student financial assistance programs, Cal Grants and other state aid, the application, award and notification processes for these various programs and a comprehensive review of the FAFSA. We believe the workshops are the best series of its kind in the state and represent the best value, time wise, for very busy high school counselors who have a choice on where to receive training and updates on the college financial aid process.
These workshops will serve between 2000 and 2500 participants this year* with increases in attendance every year. Past workshop surveys show a high level of satisfaction with the workshops and a great appreciation for the workshopmaterials and the opportunity to interface with college and financial aid staff. *EdFund indicates that nearly 2600 people have registered for the California workshops, which run from October 19 through November 18. Final attendance figures were not available at the time this report was created.
In 2004, we continued to provide a 6 hour format with general sessions in the morning and breakout sessions in the afternoon. This year, committee members collaborated to develop two new afternoon sessions aimed at our returning (“advanced”) counselors. The first session developed was Planning, Promoting, and Conducting Financial Aid Events. The other new session was titled Finding and Applying for Scholarships.
Currently the division of responsibility on the HS Workshop series is:
EdFund supported the project by:
arranging for and paying for equipment
arranging for and paying for facilities for the workshops
developing and disseminating the workshop announcement
handling registrations requests
providing staff time, travel and lodging expenses for staff to present at all of the workshops statewide
coordinating and paying for the development of printed workshop materials
developing and printing collateral materials provided for workshop resource bags
developing A/V presentation(s)
providing staff time, travel and lodging expenses for staff to participate in 2-3 committee meetings and conference calls
summarizing and disseminating the workshop evaluations
CSAC supported the project by:
arranging for and paying for equipment
arranging for and paying for workshop facilities (specifically, afternoon breakout session facilities)
maintaining the HS and Outreach mailing label databases
providing staff time, travel and lodging expenses for staff to present at all of the workshops statewide
coordinating the development of printed materials
developing and printing collateral materials provided for workshop resource bags
developing A/V presentation(s)
providing staff time, travel and lodging expenses for staff to participate in 2-3 committee meetings and conference calls
CASFAA supported the project by:
provide fiscal support for refreshments
providing volunteer support from membership, as well as some travel/lodging expenses for presenters at all of the workshops statewide
coordinating the development of printed materials
developing A/V presentation(s)
providing coordination of the project, providing fiscal support for volunteers to participate in 2-3 committee meetings and conference calls, and assist in registration dutiesat the workshops
2. Financial Aid Night Network (FANN)
The committee began work on this project in 2000 and continued to build on the concept through the 2003 year. FANN is being developed both as a resource tool box for volunteer participants involved in disseminating financial aid information and training for students and their parents in their communities. Included in the resource materials are generic reference pieces on financial aid (Pre-collegiate Calendar and activity checklist, various flyers), PowerPoint presentations (Completing the FAFSA and Nuts and Bolts of Financial Aid) and professional development training opportunities targeted at developing or enhancing presentation skills.
In addition the intent of the FANN was also to develop a referral list or database of trained and qualified volunteers for HS counselors and/or community service coordinators to contact for assistance with financial aid presentations or questions. Resources and materials available to FANN volunteers will also be accessible to HS counselors and/or community service coordinators.
3. New CASFAA website content development, management, and promotion
The committee will continue to evaluate materials currently available to members and to the public and recommend, develop and submit content consistent with the project work of the Team. This will require a subgroup to divide and review materials and make recommendations to the team. Included in website management for this team’s effort are:
FANN Resources for volunteers
FANN Resources for Counselors and service providers including access to volunteer listings
Valuable links to online resources for FA Applications, FA Information, Financial Planning for College, Scholarship Opportunities, College and Career Planning, Testing Information, Government programs and offices.
“Hot news” and “new resource” periodic announcements
4. Ongoing commitment to professional development of volunteer corps of financial aid presenters for speaker’s bureau and FANN
Over the last three years we have fulfilled a commitment to the professional development of membership in the area of public speaking, outreach and presentation development. In continuing the Association’s commitment to membership training, and extending the HS Relations Teams efforts to develop a volunteer corps of FA presenters, we will once again be sponsoring a training opportunity at the CASFAA Mini Conferences and again at the annual CASFAA conference. These training opportunities will provide for personal and professional development as well as encourage participation in our FANN, a developing speakers Bureau.
5. Establish a permanent CASFAA presence at the NACAC/WACAC College fairs
The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the Western Association for College Admission Counseling (WACAC) held annual college fairs in April and May. The fairs allow high school students and their parents to visit and talk with college marketing and admissions representatives. These fairs annually are attended by about 60,000 presumably college bound students. Each fair has a financial aid information center that has traditionally been staffed by high school counselors. The participation of CASFAA members at some of the financial aid centers has greatly improved the quality of financial aid information to the students and parents. The establishment of a permanent CASFAA presence at all the college fairs will benefit attendance as well as solidify CASFAAs reputation with high school counselors.
COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES/PROJECTS COMPLETED
High School Counselor Workshops
This project is currently underway, with workshops finishing in late November. As of today, over 2500 high school counselors and outreach personnel have registered for the 14 workshops in California.
Ongoing commitment to professional development of volunteer corps of financial aid presenters for speakers bureau and FANN
Although the committee was unable to further develop our FANN project during 2004, we were able to suggest two program ideas for inclusion at the CASFAA annual conference. Both programs will be presented this year at the conference.
Establish permanent CASFAA presence at the NACAC/WACAC College fairs
Our committee was able to provide a large number of volunteers to assist at the college fairs this past spring. It appears that we should be able to continue our presence in 2005 with continued coordination between NACAC and WACAC.
Review of CSAC and EdFund materials for suggestions and recommendations
As an ongoing project, the committee reviewed publications of CSAC and EdFund for suggestions and recommendations for changes for the 2005-2006 financial aid season. This project was completed in March 2004 with individual committee members submitting their suggestions to Christiana Mullen in the EdFund Communications Office.
Fund Development
With approval of the CASFAA Executive Council, the committee solicited funding to help allay the costs associated with the High School Counselor Workshops. This year, lenders represented on the committee provided funding to pay for the snack (granola bars) given to workshop attendees. Also, some lenders have provided financial support to the committee in exchange for the insertion of a premium item and printed item into the “goodie bags” provided to workshop attendees.
HOW MANY CASFAA MEMBERS WE SERVED THIS YEAR
The High School Relations Committee, in co-sponsoring the state-wide High School Counselor Workshops with CSAC and EdFund, will serve nearly 2500 high school counselors, college outreach coordinators, and other high school and college staff who seek information about financial aid. There may be some CASFAA members included in the total attendance at the workshops, but the major focus of this event is on high school counselors and outreach personnel.
The committee, in offering volunteer financial aid assistance at the state-wide WACAC and NACAC sponsored college fairs, reaches thousands of high school students seeking information about financial aid that assists them in making better decisions regarding their possible college careers. Although there are not any CASFAA members served directly through this activity, committee members are able to develop public speaking and service skills by volunteering at the college fairs. This also applies for those committee members who participate as presenters at the High School Counselor Workshops.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Deb Barker-Garcia, EdFund
Cheryl Barnes, Citibank
Sarah Coleman, Comerica CollEDGE loans
Cindy Contreras, EdFund
Ellen Cunningham, Chela Education Finance
Walter Desmond, San Diego
Bryan Dickason, California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) CO-CHAIR
Cheryl Foster, Azusa Pacific University
Alan-Michael Graves, Pepperdine University
Sherri Hancock, Skyline College
Marc Houston, California Bank and Trust
Doris Keller, CSAC
David Levy, California Institute of Technology
Shannon Little, Chapman University, resigned from committee in August 2004
Shelly Menzel, CSAC, resigned from committee in October 2004
Jack Millis, Claremont Graduate University
Melissa Moser, Orange Coast College
Ray Parris, SunTrust Education Loans
Frank Ramirez, CSU Bakersfield
Anafe Robinson, Los Angeles Mission College
Pat Robles-Friebert, Educaid/Wachovia, resigned from committee in April 2004
Carina Sanchez, ALL Student Loan Corp
Beryl Schantz, EdFund
Dennis Schroeder, Glendale Community College CO-CHAIR
Karen Sheppard, Financial Aid Advisor Services
Barbara Smith, Collegiate Funding Services
Kim Tillman, Citibank
Jenny Vu, Orange Coast College
APPROVED BUDGET AND ACTUAL EXPENDITURES
See the included Excel spreadsheet “cmtebudget-2004-blowout-eoyreport-11032004.xls.”
SUGGESTIONS FOR 2005
As Dennis Schroeder will be returning in 2005 as a co-chair, the committee should be able to start working on projects earlier than before. This will allow the committee to work on coordinating with the NACAC and WACAC college fairs earlier, thus securing more volunteers. Also, as the committee has developed and refined its information regarding the college fairs, we should see a smooth transition for this project, as it was primarily managed by Bryan Dickason in 2004.
The committee plans to tackle the FANN (Financial Aid Night Network) project early, as this is a project that has been sidelined due to the committee’s needed focus on more urgent projects like the college fairs and the High School Counselor Workshops. As a key component to the FANN project will be a web presence, we will be looking for tech-savvy members of the committee to help lead this project to its first rollout.
The committee will continue to recruit ready and able members to present at the High School Counselor Workshops, adding to our current roster of returning speakers. Also, the committee will attempt to meet earlier to discuss the workshop presentations, so that any new sessions can be developed earlier in the year.
As the Fund Development project (paid sponsorship of lender premium and printed items inserted into the bags handed out at the High School Counselor Workshops) appears to have been successful, the committee may again solicit the approval of the CASFAA Executive Council to create a similar Fund Development project in 2005. This will help allay some of the increasing beverage costs that the committee is currently budgeted to cover at the workshops. Costs are expected to rise as the number of attendees has increased steadily from year to year.
The committee will make a concerted effort to recruit committee members from the UC, CSU, and proprietary sectors, as we had a small number of members in 2004 from these segments. It is understood that staff at some of these institutions may already be heavily involved in outreach efforts to our high school counterparts, which only means that we could tap a well-seasoned group of possible volunteers to help us in achieving our goals in 2005 to further advance our projects.
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