Prepared By: Neville Hiscox May 2004

1. Prepared By: Neville HiscoxMay 2004 Student Debt Management Versus Customer-first Service Philosophy

2. Overview • What is debt management in Student Administration? • Who benefits? • How do we manage fee collection and debt? • What facilities are there to assist students with the payment of their fees? • What is required for a successful debt management process? • How do you educate stakeholders? • Anger management! • Conclusion

3. What is debt management in Student Administration? • Expediting collection of student fees • Reducing the amount of uncollected fees

4. Who Benefits? • Faculties • Allows accurate monitoring of load and revenue against set targets • Central Services • Accurate DEST submissions • Assists university cash flow • Assists in meeting revenue forecasts

5. Who Benefits? • Finance Divisions • Financial Resources Management - Less adjustments to fee distributions • Corporate Finance – Less write offs • Students • Equity for all • No unnecessary debt owed to Monash or deferred to the ATO

6. How do we manage fee collection and debt? • 0 days: Fees Unit assess and invoices students • Fees Unit (FU) sends hard copy invoice via post and emails students informing them of the ability to view their invoice online. Due date 11 days after issue date. • + 12 days: (due date passed) = unpaid fees • FU sends students a hard copy Final Notice via mail. • FU sends student an email informing them of the amount due and the consequences of non-payment of the overdue fees. • + 19 days: Unpaid Fees • FU sends students an email informing them of the impending encumbrance.

7. How do we manage fee collection and debt? • + 22 days: Unpaid Fees • FU encumbers students. • FU sends students a letter via mail informing them of the encumbrance and further consequences if their debt with the university is not extinguished. • + 36 days: Unpaid Fees • FU sends students a letter of Invalidation via mail informing them their enrolment is no longer valid and to have their enrolment reinstated they must first pay a reinstatement fee • Pre-census, FU discontinues the student from their course and units, fees and load are removed. • Post-census FU discontinues the student from their course and units, fees and load remain.

8. What facilities are there to assist students with the payment of their fees? • Fee extension facility for full-fee paying students • Final year final semester payment plan • Discount for fee paying students who pay for a full years tuition upfront • Discount for siblings who are concurrently enrolled • Management and invoicing of over 120 Sponsors

9. What is required for a successful debt management process? • A robust Student Administration System with a WEB enabled environment • Callista • Online services • Motivated and informed staff • In the Service Centres • In the Fees Unit • Solid business processes • Methodology • Work process instructions • Reports • Defined timelines • Support from senior management • Fee Policy • Systems support • Where possible automation of processes

10. How do you educate stakeholders? • Regular communication with Student Service Centres • Presentations to faculties • Communication to students • via email • ask.monash: Monash’s online self-help facility • on the web • by mail • presentations • word of mouth

11. Anger Management? • Communicate the process • Introduce a robust appeals process • Support frontline staff

12. Conclusion • Debt management when managed effectively can deliver benefits for all stakeholders • We believe it is successful at Monash because: • we treat students as our customers • it is a fair, equitable and transparent process • the team of people who administer the methodology take pride in the process

13. Quality of service depends on quality of process