Publication Date: January 10, 2003
Author: COO | Chief Operating Officer of the Student Financial Assistance
Summary: Invitation to Second Annual Spring Conference
Posted on 01-10-2003
Dear Partners:
We might take a plane, we might take a train
If we have to walk, we're going there just the same
We're going to Kansas City, Kansas City here we come
They got some exciting finaid info there and we're going to get us some.
(With apologies to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller)
The Department of Education is pleased to invite you to attend the second annual Spring Conference to be held March 5-7, 2003, in Kansas City, Missouri. The conference will focus on the loan programs and program integrity.
Could your students attend your institution without the loan programs? What would happen if your students did not have access to Federal student aid funds? In order to maintain strong political and public support for the Federal student aid programs, we need to ensure that the programs are operated in the most efficient and effective manner with the highest levels of integrity and responsibility. This conference will provide lots of information on how you can do your part to maintain and improve the integrity, effectiveness, and operations of your Federal student aid programs.
Default Prevention - You're the Key. While cohort default rates remain at historically low levels, the dollar amount of defaulted loans is still very substantial. We need to continue our efforts to reduce loan defaults and otherwise maintain the integrity of the Federal student loan programs. This conference will offer plenty of information and examples of best practices on how you can implement and operate successful default management and prevention programs.
The Right Aid Dollars
to the Right Students at the Right Time
The conference will include a number of sessions designed to highlight our continuing
efforts to ensure Federal student aid funds are provided according to programmatic
objectives and that the correct amounts are provided to the designated students
in a timely manner. We will discuss the Federal need analysis formulas, our
verification selection methodology, and the requirements for schools to ensure
accuracy in the determination of eligibility.
Based on your feedback from previous conferences, we have reduced the number of general sessions so that we may offer more focused interest sessions more frequently, on such topics as cohort default rates and default aversion, loan consolidation, Title IV loan policy, NSLDS, collections, needs analysis, verification, and the resolution of conflicting information. Does your school know how to use the Common Record feature of EDExpress? Learn that and more. We have also added some "Birds of a Feather Meetings" for schools with common characteristics to meet and discuss issues of particular concern to them. On the last day of the conference, we will focus on reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, to give you another opportunity to express your views on what changes need to be made to make the HEA more responsive to the needs of America's students.
The conference will bring you up-to-date on what's happening with the loan programs; share with you best practices from other institutions, lenders, and vendors; and demonstrate that you are the key to successful default prevention.
For all of the latest conference information, please visit the conference's official web site http://edeworkshop.ncspearson.com. You may register for the conference on-line. You also have the option to download a registration form and FAX your registration. We encourage your immediate response. If you have questions regarding the registration process, please call Jackie Miller at 319-665-7797, or send an e-mail message to confsuggest@ncs.com.
The conference will be held at the Westin Crown Center Hotel, One Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO. We have reserved a block of rooms at the hotel at special conference room rates. Further information on hotel room rates, telephone number, and address, as well as other information about reserving your hotel room can be found on the conference web site. This conference generates a great deal of interest, and more than 1,000 participants typically attend. Consequently, we encourage you to make your hotel reservations as soon as possible since the special conference room rates sell out quickly. To reserve lodging, please contact the hotel directly at 816-474-4400, and ask for the Department of Education room block. Discounted travel to Kansas City has been arranged with American Airlines and Delta Airlines. You can find additional travel information and suggestions for getting to and from the hotel on the conference web site.
There are no registration fees for the conference. However, attendees are responsible for all other expenses including meals, lodging, and travel. The conference will begin at 9:00 am on Wednesday, March 5, with a general session, and end at 4:30 pm on Friday, March 7.
For your pre-planning purposes, we'd also like to announce the dates and locations for our two Electronic Access Conferences for 2003. The first conference will be held November 2-5, in San Diego, CA, and the second will be held December 2-5, in New Orleans, LA.
I hope you will join us for this exciting and informative conference in Kansas City.
Sincerely,
Terri Shaw
Chief Operating Officer
Federal Student Aid