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I believe our exit process is outdated.
My goal is to try to inter-mix online exit counseling with in person to maximize the necessary information. I am training a second FA person so there is more staff available for exit process.
Our business office is technologically up-to-date, however what I find cumbersome is two fold: one we encourage our students to walk around a withdrawal form --it may be the only time when we have their complete attention, but the R2T4 calc will never be done when the student is their standing in front of you because the LDA must be researched to be sure the date is correct, so the student walks away without knowing whether or not they may need to return funds. Estimates are provided, but the student is cautioned -- maybe over cautioned that the information provided is only an estimate, and warned be on the lookout for actual information in the mail. Secondly, recently several functions have been centralized and one would think this should expedite processing when in the past a question could just be answered here and now, but in reality now, sometimes is takes two or three phone calls or emails just to get the person who can get the information. Centralization of procedures seem to have the locals feeling a little out of control. We have begun working on better communicate and sharepoint areas to expedite questions and answers, so it is a work in progress.
Kimberly,
It is good to know that your office has kept up with the changes that take place in the financial aid world. As you know rules and regulations in financial aid seem to change on a daily basis and it is so important to stay on top of these changes, both for your students and your school. Regards, David
David McGuffee
In our Business office I don't find any processes to be anitquated or cumbersome. I can say the company is very open on ideas that make the department more efficient and effect. In life nothing is perfect but for the most part our processes and procedures are created with the students and staff in mind.
Rita,
It is great that you have a Business Office Team that can support the manual process of RT4; however, it is important that your team look for possible automation to improve the process flow and timing of deliver to support your students' needs. Based on your answer it appears that the team does have automation to assist in the overall process.
Best wishes in your continued pursuit of online FA knowledge.
Sincerely, Chyrl
The business office has many responsibilities that require the speed of technology. Unfortunately, R2T4 calculations are completed by hand due to the numerous calendars that would need to be created to process the returns and the time it takes to create them. Our business office does a great job in completing the returns in a timely manner.
Angie,
Based on your numerous post related to the Business Office process it appears that you and your team are focused on the right areas to ensure compliance and timely processing for the students. It takes technology, process and people to guarantee a successfully student experience. As long as you are working toward the success of the student your team should be growing in knowledge of the process.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Angie,
You point is excellent - technology can really improve the overall process and efficiencies in your production. Another good point you made was about structure. It is important for the Business Office to have structure along with being more efficient. Also, you knowledge that you have a Compliance Staff to ensure accuracy of the process and technology is very important. It is easier to focus on the needs of your students when you have strong internal systems and controls.
Best wishes as you continue your online financial aid experience.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Building relationships is a great thing; however there still needs to be best practices and processes in place as one may not always be in the same position or company throughout the students life cycle.
Debbie,
This is great! The only thing I think we all need to be cautious of is that there are still things technology will not catch, which is why it is so important to have processes in place.
This is so true. I think with all the changes over the past couple of years and technology this department is only going to improve.
I would have to say that as technology increases it has made our Business Office more efficient and up to date vs. outdated. There are so many things that are now automated that it has allowed processes to be more structured than in the past. There are things I am sure I am not aware of since we do not get involved with this function that much; however I feel confident no matter what that they are up to date since one of our compliance staff members knows this area inside and out.
Debbie,
Being part of a Technology College should afford you the ability to access to staff and students that can create some excellent opportunities through electronic means. The best time to lay the foundation is when you are just starting out - take the time to think through where you want the FA Office to be at 100, 500, 1000, 5000 students and implement practices and systems to support your growth.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Our school is in the process of building our Financial Aid Dept. We are an IT college with a great staff. I am hopeful we will use the latest technology for our staff and students.
Sheneka,
Building a relationship throughout the life cycle of the student's educational process is extremely important. Reinforcement of the importance of task that occur at different points in their education process is of great value to the overall responsiveness of students. Some institutions will use electronic tools to interact with their students from the counseling through to exit processing. The most important tools is to build the relationship.
Best wishes in your continued online financial aid education.
Sincerely, Chyrl
The process I discovered to be cumbersome or antiquated is contacting student to complete their exit interview. The changes I would make is to continue to build a rapport with each of my students so that when I contact them to complete their exit interview that it would be welcoming and not a bother since I have build up a strong relationship with the student.
The one thing that I have found to be cumbersome is trying to contact students that have withdrawn or graduated to complete the exit interview. The changes I would make is staying in constant contact with the student so when I contact them they are eager to answer because I have build a strong rapport with them during their enrollment.
Judith,
There are many Student Management Systems out on the market that provide this type of support; however, I really do not have one that I can recommend that would meet your specific needs. Maybe someone else on the message board will be a provide you some recommendations.
Sincerely,
Chyrl
Our business office has only one staff member as does the financial aid office. We have a compliance agency that is contracted to perform some of the functions in COD. Since certain functions the compliance agency was performing are now mandated to be performed by the school, I think the process could be much more efficient if data could be imported directly into and exported from our system to and from COD. We're currently using a file transfer protocol for some of the disbursement requests and functions the compliance agent performs and can import into our system some of the data. This is a manual process and extremely cumbersome. Unfortunately, the software developer has not caught up to our needs. Anyone have any suggestions on a new software system?
Sandra,
Providing support and being willing to assist is a great asset to provide to your Business Office as that team updates and moves forward in the processes. The better the environment the greater the overal experience will be for students and staff. Your support and advice on the proper methods to handle issues will benefit the Business Office team and improve the growth of the department.
Sincerely, Chyrl