As a new financial aid representative, classes such as this and others will help me to be compliant and remain compliant throguhout my career.
I enjoy the fact that we have Disclosures. It provides me with a clear and concise manner in which to deliver such information that is constantly being asked for.
Bill,
Thank you for sharing your campuses best practice. It is great that students have the opportunity to meet with several employees and departments prior to enrollment. Clear concise communication is the key to running a successful campus. :)
Cindy Bryant
For our institution, the best practice that will keep us compliant is our level of oversight. Prospective students interact with so many members of the staff that any miscommunicated information is corrected long before a student is able to sign an enrollment agreement. This level of oversight helps management keep on top of each employee's approach to interacting with prospective students by addressing "weak links" in the chain and helping those associates learn where they were incorrect so that the information is corrected in the future.
Jane,
There is no reason that admissions and financial aid can't thrive in a cohesive and collaborative environment. We can learn so much about our sector and overall operations from information sharing.
Cindy Bryant
I am at a very small school where there is only 1 of us in each department. We all know about the "thin line" between departments, but we bounce ideas off each other all the time.
Maybe now is the time to have everyone understand those "thin line" parameters and why they are there -- so maybe the ideas we bounce off each other are better.
Simply allow the prospective student to make an informed decision based on the value mission of the school by presenting the disclosures with factual, documentable impartial statements. Know where the disclosure information is located either electronically or printed out and that it is easily accessible allowing quick referencing. Also, be aware of management or supervisors who can assist with gray areas and provide guidance.
The best practice that will keep me in compliance with Rules and Regulations is to make sure no short cuts are made, to stay updated with Federal Guidelines, and to adhere to all regulatory rules for Title 4 Funding.
As the campus executive director, I am responsible for establishing a complaint culture on our campus. An environment where expectations for ethical and compliant conduct are unambiguous provides support and guidance for staff who want to do the right thing, and puts less principled individuals on notice that any thing less will not be tolerated. Every staff meeting begins with a recitation of our mission statement and values. Staff are asked to share recent experiences that required them to take action in the light of these foundational principles. Self-audits allow us to identify and correct unintentional deviations from full compliance. Administrative spot audits allow for recognition of individuals who consistently implement compliant practices, and for disciplinary follow-up for individuals who, through willfulness, carelessness or intentional misconduct, act outside of the compliant boundaries.
Melissa,
Welcome to the forum. You have brought up very valid points regarding "buy-in." This is a common mistake that many schools make-they implement compliance programs without the feedback from faculty or staff. The best way to compose any new program is through forming a committee and soliciting feedback. Taking the feedback and analyzing it to determine whether or not it fits into the master plan. I am totally in favor of soliciting "buy-in."
Cindy Bryant
My company strives to stay compliant with all we do throughout each individual department.
Workshops and team building exercises created around compliancy and transparency are one tool used to update, communicate and reinforce regulations across all departments. Done in a team approach, it allows for all departments to see the impact that each individual has on the students experience within the school.
Keeping abreast of changing rules and regulations, having a leadership team who keeps an eye on these changes, and effectively disseminates and implements those changes to their employess, helps to provide the quality learning experince that our students want and require.
The key factors to staying compliant with the various rules and regulations is not only understanding and effectively communicating them but getting buy-in from team members.
Attending the right regulatory workshops, knowing when regulations have been modified or added, informing and training the appropriate departments, and monitoring compliance is essential in maintaining a compliant culture.
An institution must have a strong compliance program with clear and concise policies. Staff and faculty must have ready access to a compliance manual that is easy to navigate, understand and is consistently updated.
Developing a compliant culture means working together as a team to achieve success. Without the various departments buying in to compliance, a compliance program will never fully succeed.
Communication, training and having the staff and faculty on board is essential to any compliance program.
The best practice in my department to keep in with compliance is our policy and procedure handbook. We have this so we can refer to it when we may have questions about what can and can not be done in a situation. It also gives us a reference to how to complete different tasks in a compliant manner. I think this has become exceptionally helpful because it is a universal handbook without all of our campuses.
I appreciate that we have disclosures and I can share those with prospective students, students and graduates. For example, Employability rates give me a chance to discuss opportunities for growth and help me give them hope – yet give them full accountability for their own employability. It also keeps me off the hot seat of having to answer specific rates dependent on graduation dates, cohorts etc. To be honest, admissions was always more pushy when it came to “full disclosure†than students. I’m very appreciative that we ALL had to go through this course.
Nicholas,
Great advice! Many times there is a person who is aware of regulatory changes that take place. A good thing to remember is that many times department heads are familiar with the changes specific to their department only. If this is the case on your campus consider the students question carefully and direct them to the right department.
Cindy Bryant
I think it is imperative that the "higher ups" of the university are in communication with the complaince office and trust them. Sometimes they will want to take a short cut in order to save money short term, when all that can do is cost you more long term.
knowing and understanding the federal regulations is first. holding meetings to make sure everyone is on the same page for all federal regulations, and maybe even creating a manual for all employees, so that every employee is kept up to date about any changes in regulations.
Usually there is a person in the company dedicated to be aware of any changes, you just have to make sure your team leader is always up to date with that person.
Staying in compliance means everyone is responsible to know the rules and regulations. Training on and updating current and new regulations. Always remain transparent and truthful.
Rita,
Becoming and staying compliant takes the entire school, even more importantly, management has to lead the way. Learning all of these regulations is not an easy task, especially, for busy school associates.
Cindy Bryant
