For Directors of Financial Aid - Volunteer 30 Minutes
Volunteer 30 minutes for an onsite interview related specifically to sharing important knowledge related to issues of college access and financial aid, for the direct benefit of first generation college students. Provide all learners access to a sample of your expert knowledge, experience, and skills related to the issue of paying for a post-secondary degree.
All interviews are recorded using only digital audio media and remain the sole property
of the participant. Recorded interviews will be edited into a catalog
of searchable mp3 files (1 - 3 minutes in duration) based on key words
related to the issue of increasing college access and financial aid awareness. The new media archive will be offered at no cost to all learners.
For the Directors of Financial Aid. Share your direct firsthand knowledge of financial aid issues in an on-demand searchable format that will be readly available at no cost for all students interested in pursuing a post-secondary degree.
Our Interview Design
To
provide additional information regarding our interview design, the
following interview standards are presented for your review. We are
committed to strict adherence of the standards identified below:
Our
sole focus is to provide directors of financial aid with a greater opportunity to
share their expertise related to issues of college access and paying for a post-secondary degree.
The
only effort required of the participant is to describe specific areas within their expertise related to issues of financial aid.
All
interviews will remain the property of the participant and will not be
posted on any website affiliated with Sage Leadership Partners, Inc., without the express written consent of the organization for which the participant is employed.
All interviews will be recorded strictly through the use of audio, no video will be recorded.
All interviews will be recorded in on-site settings of the participant's choosing.
All interviews will follow the same interview protocol and all organizations will be provided with the exact questions at least two weeks before each scheduled interview.
Our Interview Protocol for Directors of Financial Aid
Could you begin by stating the name of your institution and provide a general overview of its geographic location, general size, and institution type (e.g. public, private, comprehensive, liberal arts, college, university, etc.)?
Could you provide a general overview of your professional role at this institution and describe some of your key responsibilities in this role?
When considering issues of financial aid and college access what are some key issues you feel all aspiring applicants should understand about financial aid? specifically in regards to financial aid at your institution?
How important are dates and deadlines within the application process and what are key dates within your specific application process related to financial aid?
As your institution creates various financial aid pacages, what are the various factors considered?
Could you briefly provide an overview of the main categories within a financial aid package?
When a student receives a financial aid package from your institution, how long do they generally have before making a final decision?
If a student receives a financial aid package, but is still unsure about how to best interpret the package, what advice would you give them to gaining a better understanding?
As a student does become enrolled at your institution what are some key things to remember as an enrolled student related to issues of financial aid?
Some of the most recent research related to issues of college access reveals that, generally speaking, there still remains gap in what a financial aid package may expect of a student's family to pay and what a student's family is able to pay, particularly if they are the first in their family to go to college. If a student receives a package and feels this is the case what advice would you have for him or her? Are there specific actions they should take if they are applying to your institution?
The research generally shows that once a student is accepted to a higher ed institution, full-time enrollment is one of the best predictors of actual persistence towards a post-secondary degree. However, every student's situation is different. Generally speaking, it has been shown that students who are the first in their family to go to college are much more sensitive to the prospect of taking out loans, and in many cases decide to go part-time in order to save up enough money before enrolling full-time, do you have any advice for students that might find themselves in such circumstances, specifically in regards to the benefits of succesfully earning a post-secondary degree?
Finally, any parting words of advice for students specifically considering your institution, specifically in regards to issues of college access and/or financial aid?
Our
Deliverable for Emerging Student Leaders and Learners.
On or before
Fall of 2009, all emerging student leaders and learners will be
provided with a central destination to gain free, on-demand access to
the direct knowledge of the directors of financial aid for the nation's top
100 universities. Beginning in the middle grades, students will be
provided
free access to this new media archive with precise and clear examples
of issues related to paying for college, directly from the deans of
financial aid. Please send all inquiries
to the attention of Art Fuller at art.fuller@opensourceteaching.org.
