Enrollment Management Archives | Page 2 of 2

FAS Helps Marymount University Keep Performance at a High Level

March 1, 2021

Challenge

Marymount is a comprehensive Catholic university that offers a wide array of undergraduate and graduate degrees through the Schools of Design, Arts, Humanities, Business and Technology, Sciences, Mathematics, Education, and the Malek School of Health Professions. With its Arlington, Va., location, students have a wide variety of internship opportunities in Washington, D.C., from Capitol Hill and the Smithsonian to the National Institute for Health and international corporations. When the school’s financial aid director’s position became available, Dr. William Bissett, Vice President for Enrollment and Student Affairs, reached out to FAS.

Solution

“I knew about FAS because I had a good experience working with them at another institution,” said Dr. Bissett. “We had an inexperienced team at Marymount, and I knew they needed guidance while we searched for a new director.” FAS Consultant Ron Elmore, who was familiar with Marymount’s software system, stepped in for three months to direct and oversee day-to-day operations and mentor the staff. When a new financial aid director was hired, his engagement was extended so he could help with her orientation.

Results

“FAS has the reputation for hiring very experienced, competent financial aid professionals who deal with a variety of situations, size up the issues and make an immediate impact,” said Dr. Bissett. He noted that Elmore’s recommendations and support kept operations running smoothly and helped improve student satisfaction. “In Ron, we not only found a good financial aid professional, but also were fortunate enough to find a good person who mentored and trained our staff with empathy.”

What’s In The Numbers

March 22, 2019

In over 31 years, we have seen many trends in higher education that were shaped by financial aid. Each year, students go through the application process. Unfortunately, hundreds of those students never go any further. Financial aid offices typically send a request for information but do not actively recruit these students. Data we have monitored for several years shows a direct correlation between early action and high interest level. Students who respond quickly to a financial aid information request, even from a college where they haven’t applied or been admitted, are expressing excitement about the institution.

Also, some colleges have measures financial aid applicants must take beyond the federal requirements. Recent research suggests the result is fewer students enrolling and a heightened possibility of non-compliance with the federal regulations. For colleges that award a significant amount of institutional aid, additional information may be necessary. If a college primarily offers federal grants, loans and student employment, using standard federal requirements has multiple benefits. This simplifies the process for the students and helps to eliminate access barriers. It also reduces the possible liabilities associated with extraneous and conflicting information. FAS works closely with our clients to help administer financial aid in a manner that is compliant and student-friendly. Contact us about assessing. your overall process or to discuss offloading some of the most time consuming parts of your operation.

FAS Helps Boost Student Satisfaction at NOVA

October 18, 2018

Challenge

With more than 75,000 students and six campuses, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) is the largest education institution in Virginia and the second largest in the U.S. NOVA is also one of the country’s most diverse colleges, with a student body consisting of individuals from more than 180 countries. For the past four years, NOVA’s financial aid office has been in a restructuring mode to better manage its double-digit growth in student enrollment and a dollar amount of financial aid that has tripled since 2008.

Solution

To serve students more effectively, NOVA contracted for a 24/7 call center, hired additional staff and reorganized its reporting structure. After working with a consultant, the college had not found the comprehensive support it needed with trained support people in one place to make sure everything was being done accurately and thoroughly. “We turned to FAS because it offered the whole package – professionalism, long-time experience in the business, a solid reputation and moderate cost,” said Director of Financial Aid Joan Zanders, a 26-year financial aid veteran. “We brought in FAS to provide analysis and file verification because we were not able to process the applications that came in during the summer peak season,” she said.

Results

Zanders says the “domino effect” from working with FAS has positively impacted student enrollment at NOVA. “We are able to process more financial aid in a timely manner,” she said. “Because of the volume of work, federal regulations, and multiple reports related to the verification piece, we would have had to hire a whole lot more additional staff to keep all the balls in the air,” she said. “We have a close working relationship with FAS, including weekly recalls and status reports. We talk through issues and develop solutions.” Zanders is proud that a recent survey showed that 95 percent of NOVA students were satisfied with their financial aid service. Her office was ranked in the top five of all college offices for student satisfaction. “This doesn’t happen very often in financial aid,” she said. “FAS is extremely professional, and I can’t think of a better partner.”

FAS ‘Well Worth the Investment’ for Peru State College

October 8, 2018

Challenge:

Founded in 1865 by members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Peru State College is the first and oldest institution in Nebraska. With 2,100 students, the four-year public college, located one hour’s drive from Omaha or Lincoln, offers undergraduate, graduate and online degrees. In September 2017, when newly appointed Financial Aid Director Mason White arrived at Peru State College, he turned to FAS to help get operations back on track, train staff and address compliance issues.

Solution:

“The financial aid office was short staffed, had two financial aid ‘newbies’ and was behind in processing, verification, awarding and disbursements,” said White. “My previous institution had worked with FAS, so I immediately contacted them for assistance.” FAS Consultant Joyce Sonenberg quickly arrived on campus to assess the situation and provide counseling. During her four-month tenure, Sonenberg trained the staff, updated policies and procedures, resolved compliance issues and helped catch up with verification and disbursements.

Results:

“Joyce fit in easily, with her soothing demeanor, positive attitude, depth of knowledge and excellent listening skills,” said White. “She quickly became part of our community and was a wonderful mentor to me as I adjusted to my new role as financial aid director. Our Vice President for Administration and Finance said he thought Joyce was doing a fabulous job and well worth our investment.” He noted that “FAS has a solid reputation for the highest level of professionalism and provides a wide variety of offerings. “I would highly recommend them for any institution needing assistance,” he said.

Tag Archive for: Enrollment Management

FAS Helps Marymount University Keep Performance at a High Level

What’s In The Numbers

FAS Helps Boost Student Satisfaction at NOVA

FAS ‘Well Worth the Investment’ for Peru State College

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