Is There Something Going On Outside the Financial Aid Office?
David G. Sheridan, Stevens Institute of Technology

For many of us, the beginning of the traditional school year means scrambling around with a last minute rush of students desperately needing our assistance, (not to mention that the FISAP is hanging over our heads). We all know the stories…they’ve just been admitted, they didn’t know they had to file a FAFSA every year, they just decided to live in an off-campus apartment that costs $3,000 a month, they shift between full- and part-time every other hour and need to know immediately what the impact on their aid is going to be.

But, while helping students is what we do, let’s not forget that there are others around the campus we need to communicate with too. The least effective environments I’ve worked in or witnessed have been those in which Financial Aid and other offices exist as stovepipe systems, willfully disconnected from virtually everything else and interacting with other offices only as absolutely necessary. Is financial aid highly specialized? Do we need to know things that sound like a foreign language to other offices? Yes, but if things are going to work for students, we have to work seamlessly with other offices. Get out of the office sometime and share!

For instance, do you know the Bursar’s billing schedule for the year? If not, you should. Perhaps he or she runs a list of students with outstanding balances on a regular basis because the VP for Finance wants this information for cash flow planning. Isn’t that a list of potential alternative loan borrowers? Or maybe some of them haven’t completed their FAFSA’s yet and need a reminder. Do you know when the Registrar's Office plans to start next semester’s registration? That’s a time when students come in with lots of questions, your staff needs to be ready for it. Does the Academic Advising staff know all about SAP or requirements for scholarships, and does your staff know their procedures? The Admissions staff is about to start hitting the road – do they have all of the financial aid information and knowledge they need? They’re the first point of contact for all of those students and their families; they need to be well versed in the basics so that the student is getting accurate initial information.

These are just a few examples, and everyone’s school is a little different. But the point is that no Financial Aid Office should be an island. Communicate with the other offices, and let your boss know that you’re doing it. The students will benefit from it, and so will you.