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News to Know. Office of Student Financial Assistance Florida Department of Education February 2005. Navigating Your Financial Future.
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News to Know Office of Student Financial Assistance Florida Department of Education February 2005
Navigating Your Financial Future • We are pleased to announce that the finishing touches are being put into place for our Default Prevention Kit, “Navigating Your Financial Future.” Your Outreach Representative will be contacting you shortly to determine how this product can enhance your institutional Default Management Plan.
Web Enabled System • We are entering the testing phase for OSFA’s web enabled front end system. The web-enabled front end system will allow applicants and educational institution to perform loan origination functions via the internet in a secure environment. The system will continue to allow for ‘real-time’ loan guarantees and is the first step of many in improving OSFA’s loan technology. Special thanks to the institutions that have agreed to pilot the web enabled system. Once the testing is complete, we will roll the product out to the Financial Aid Community.
Financial Aid Chats • We are pleased to announce the following financial aid chats available in March and April. These chats are FREE to you and your students through our sponsorship of Mapping Your Future. If you need additional information, please contact your Outreach Representative. • Tuesday, March 8, 2005 @ 3 PM • Online and distance education • Tuesday, April 12, 2005 @ 7 PM • Deferments, forbearances, and default prevention
Spanish Stafford Loan Entrance Counseling • Mapping Your Future has completed the testing phase of the Spanish Stafford Loan Entrance Counseling and the counseling is now open to all institutions that would like to participate. If you currently do not participate in MYF’s Online Student Loan Counseling, you may request participation by completing the school submission form at mapping-your-future.org/fao/signup/. • Spanish Exit Counseling is ready to pilot, and will be open to all institutions once the pilot phase is complete. If you would like to participate in the pilot phase of this program, please contact Carianne Behr at: carianne.behr@mapping-your-future.org.
OpenNet • Sallie Mae has released OSFA from the pilot phase of OpenNet and we are now fully functional within the OpenNet program. Schools interested in using OSFA as a guarantor through OpenNet can request OSFA be added to their guarantor list by contacting their Sallie Mae Representative.
Enhanced DER Reporting • For Term 2 of the 2004/2005 Academic Year, OSFA has enhanced the functionality and efficiency of the DER reporting in order to facilitate disbursement activities. The Term 2 DER’s are pre-filled with the same data that was submitted, by program, in the Term 1 DER. This additional functionality for all programs should help to expedite the web based disbursement activity. This functionality was previously available for Bright Futures, CDDV, Rosewood, Jose Marti, and Byrd. Now the following programs also have this capability as a new feature: • Access to Better Learning and Education (ABLE), Florida Resident Access Grant (FRAG), Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG), Florida Work Experience Program (FWEP), and Mary McLeod Bethune Scholarship (MMB) • Institutional responsibilities remain the same. Each institution is to verify the number of hours enrolled/funded and the amount of the disbursement, and update the Disbursement Code before submitting.
SSFAD Database Upgrade • The SSFAD databases is scheduled to be brought off-line for migration to a new server on Friday, February 25, 2005 at 6:00 p.m. It is expected to be returned to service by Monday, February 28,2005 at 6:00 a.m. During this time, the interactive SSFAD portion of our website will not be accessible. Thank you for your patience while we upgrade our system to serve you better!
OSFA’s NSLDS Submission • In January 2005, OSFA began submitting records to NSLDS on a semi-monthly basis. Our submissions are processed by NSLDS on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month. The first February submission occurred on February 10 and the second will occur on February 24th.
Blanket Guaranty Agreements • OSFA welcomes 1st Student Financial as the newest lender to execute blanket guaranty agreements with our Agency. If you would like to learn more about the blanket guaranty agreement process, please contact a member of the Outreach Team for more information.
FY 2003 Cohort Default Rate Calculations • The DRAFT FY 2003 Cohort Default Rate Calculations were released February 14, 2005. The OFFICIAL FY 2003 Cohort Default Rate calculations will be calculated on July 30, 2005 and released on September 12, 2005. Please review your DRAFT report in a timely manner so that you may review the data included before the calculations become final.
FY 2006 Budget Proposal • The President's FY2006 budget proposal includes $13.59 billion for Pell Grants (5,468,000 recipients), a $10 billion decline in Consolidation Loan volume, and eliminating both the Perkins Loan and LEAP programs. Both the SEOG and Work Study programs will remain the same. New programs include: $100 million for "Presidential Math and Science Scholars,” $33 million for "Enhanced Pell Grants for State Scholars,” and $283 million for "Loans for Short Term Training." • The budget confirms that the Perkins loan program will be eliminated and the Federal portion of the revolving funds will be recalled. The Bush administration is also proposing to require guaranty agencies to collect the 1% guarantee fee. • To review the proposal in it’s entirety, please visit the website: • http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2006/pdf/appendix/edu.pdf
Mapping Your Future Upgrades • Mapping Your Future upgraded to Version 3.2 during February 2005. This version provides school users with a higher level of security and required all users to change their passwords. In Spring 2005, Mapping Your Future will upgrade to Version 3.5 and will include new methods for establishing accounts, assigning user names, and resetting passwords. In addition, the release will give schools greater flexibility in setting up and assigning account authority for staff. In Version 3.5, each OSLC account will need an account super user to administer the account and authorize additional users. We will provide more details as they become available.
T-FAP (Training for Financial Aid Professionals) • Training for Financial Aid Professionals (T-FAP) replaces the FSA University website; you can use it to find a complete list of current and future training activities and learning resources provided by the Federal Student Aid programs. Please visit the T-FAP website for further information: • http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/training/index.html
USDOE Conference Presentations • If you were unable to attend the USDOE Conferences held in 2004, copies of the presentations are now available on the IFAP website for your review: • http://www.ifap.ed.gov/IFAPWebApp/currentCPresentationsYearPag.jsp?p1=ED+Conferences&p2=c
Black History Month • In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, an African-American historian, writer and educator, established Negro History Week during the month of February to honor the contributions of African-Americans. During the early 1970s, the name of the celebration was changed to Black History Week. It was expanded to Black History Month in 1976. Use this Web special, which contains background information, activities, keywords and online resources, to help your students understand and appreciate the history, culture and achievements of African-Americans. For more information, visit the CNN website: • http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/2005/fyi/special/black.history.month/
Important Dates For more information about these events and other future scheduled events, please visit www.fasfaa.org and click on calendar. • March 15-16, 2005 - FASFAA Region III Workshop, Orlando, FL • March 17-18, 2005 - FASFAA Region V/VI Workshop, Boca Raton, FL • March 22-23, 2005 - FASFAA Region II Workshop, Jacksonville, FL • March 22-24, 2005 - SFA Spring Conference, Sparks, NV • April 7-8, 2005, FASFAA Region I Workshop, Panama City, FL • April 27-29, 2005 - Mapping Your Future Annual Conference, Fort Worth, TX • June 8-10, 2005 - FASFAA Spring 2005 Conference, Miami Beach, FL • July 3-6, 2005 - NASFAA Annual Conference, New York, NY • October 25-27, 2005 - FASFAA Fall 2005 Conference, Orlando, FL
Mission Statement • The Florida Department of Education, Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA), serves as a guarantor for the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), and the administrator of Florida’s scholarship and grant programs. The OSFA Mission is to facilitate higher education access and services by providing exemplary customer attention, comprehensive financial aid information, and convenient and efficient products.
Outreach Team Contact Information • Ernest Smith, Director of Market Development • 850-322-6498 • Jacqueline Hill, Default Prevention Manager and Outreach Representative • 850-212-1108 • Karen Hurrell, Senior Outreach Representative • 904-745-3091 • Lori Auxier, Manager of Outreach Services and Outreach Representative • 561-434-3993 • Stephanie Durdley, Outreach Representative • 850-322-6219 • Armando Salas-Amaro, Outreach Representative • 305-267-5528
Regional Contact Information • Customer Service is our #1 Priority! Call us today! • Lori Auxier, Manager of Outreach Services and OSFA Outreach Representative • 3715 Kirkwood Circle • Boynton Beach, FL 33436 • 561-434-3993 (office) • 850-212-2997 (cellular) • lori.auxier@fldoe.org