ISAC Programs Update

1. ISAC Programs Update

2. Session Agenda • ISAC Gift Assistance Programs • E-Business • News & Reminders • Resources & Training • Q & A

3. ISAC’s Gift Assistance Programs

4. 2014-15 (FY15) Appropriations

5. Monetary Award Program • 2014-15 maximum annual award is $4,720 • Suspense date is February 28, 2014 • Initial FAFSAs received by CPS on or after this date are in suspended status for 2014-15 MAP

6. Monetary Award Program • Priority claim deadlines for 2014-15 MAP payment processing are: • Initial claims must be submitted to ISAC via the GAP Access portal or File Transfer Protocol (FTP) no later than 7 p.m. (CT) on the deadline date to be considered timely

7. Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) Program • Packaging reminders • A veteran cannot decline IVG to use MAP • If a veteran is using IVG with VA Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, the IVG benefits must be applied first • A veteran can choose to not use their IVG benefits and use only the federal Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit

8. Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) Program • Claim processing is done via My Zone or FTP • Fall term processing began on September 16 and claims are due on or before January 15, 2015 • Spring term processing begins January 16, 2015 and claims are due on or before May 25, 2015 • Claim results are provided in My Zone • Even though there is no appropriation to reimburse schools, claims must be submitted to track veterans’ usage of IVG benefits

9. Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant Program • Students must apply annually by application deadline dates: • October 1– full year • March 1 – 2nd semester, 2nd and/or 3rd quarter • June 15 – summer term only • Packaging reminders • A student cannot decline the ING Grant to use MAP • If a student is using the ING Grant with VA Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, the ING Grant benefits must be applied first • A student can choose to not use their ING Grant benefits and use only the federal Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit

10. Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant • A “10 Year Eligibility” field has been added to the ING Grant announcement roster, accessible in My Zone • A “Y” will display if the applicant has completed 10 or more years of active duty ING service. • The column will be blank if the applicant completed less than 10 years of active duty ING service • Applicants with 10 years or more of active duty ING service may receive the equivalent of six years of full-time enrollment (180 eligibility units) • Recipients who have completed less than 10 years of active duty ING service may receive up to four years of full-time enrollment (120 units)

11. Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant Program • Claim processing is done via My Zone • Payment rosters are due 30 days after generated by ISAC • Due date is noted on the roster • Supplemental rosters are due 45 days after initial roster date • Fall 2014 payment rosters were made available in My Zone on October 15 and claims are due by November 13 • Even though there is no appropriation, claims must be submitted to track Guard members’ usage of ING benefits

12. Teacher Education Scholarship Programs (TESP) • Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship and Golden Apple Scholars (GAS) are administered through My Zone • Several rounds of awarding have taken place for both programs • The most recent round of awarding was on September 9 • Use the sort functionality to identify students who have been recently found eligible for an award, or access the system-generated report that provides a list of eligible students by status date

13. Teacher Education Scholarship Programs (TESP) • 2014-15 application is still available at isac.org • Encourage students to complete the MTI online application as long as it remains available at isac.org • 2014-15 MTI awarding will continue as long as funds are available or until the 2015-16 MTI application becomes available in December 2014 • Once an application has been submitted to ISAC, certification must be completed by the school in My Zone • Continue completing and submitting Initial Certifications to ensure that any new applicants will be included in future rounds of awarding

14. Teacher Education Scholarship Programs (TESP) • Payment Processing • Fall term payment request rosters for MTI and Golden Apple Scholars can be completed online and submitted to ISAC via My Zone • Results for payment requests will be available on the first Tuesday after vouchers have been generated and the voucher numbers have been entered into the system • Colleges are encouraged to check My Zone every Tuesday morning for new payment results

15. Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) • 2015-16 application will be available in mid-December • Priority consideration date will be March 1, 2015

16. Grant Programs for Dependents of Police/Fire/Correctional Officers • Students must apply annually by application deadline dates • October 1– full year • March 1 – second semester, second and/or third quarter • June 15 – summer term only • Benefits • At MAP-approved publics: up to the cost of tuition and mandatory fees • At MAP-approved privates: up to the cost of tuition and mandatory fees, provided it does not exceed the maximum grant payable at the most expensive comparable program of study at a public institution • The Annual Maximum Award amount for 2014-15 is $20,606

17. Grant Programs for Dependents of Police/Fire/Correctional Officers • Qualified applicants may receive benefits for the equivalent of four academic years (eight semesters or 12 quarters) of full-time enrollment, which is measured in eligibility units • Recipients may accumulate up to 48 eligibility units • The amount of eligibility a recipient has used is determined by converting credit hours to eligibility units • Eligibility units are based on the enrolled hours for a particular term, not the dollar amount of the benefits paid

18. Grant Programs for Dependents of Police/Fire/Correctional Officers • Payment processing • Fall term Certification of Enrollment for Payment rosters were mailed to colleges on October 6, 2014 • Due back to ISAC by November 7, 2014 • Complete the columns labeled “Requested Amount” and “Total Hours Enrolled” • Return completed roster even if a student is not eligible for a payment for this term and provide the reason the student should not receive payment for the term

19. College Illinois! Prepaid Tuition Program

20. E-Business

21. ISAC Website • www.isac.org • Periodically review your school website pages and make sure your links are going to current, active pages and applications • Stay current through Message Boards and e-messages • Message boards are updated weekly, on Friday

23. ISAC Student Portal

25. Enhanced Security for GAP Access • In an effort to improve security, ISAC will be implementing a 2-step authentication process later this fall • This will be the first phase of an eventual implementation of a true 2-factor authentication • True 2-factor authentication makes the user provide two factors to log in: • Something the user knows (ID and Password), and • Something the user has (a one-time password provided by a token or sent to a mobile device or e-mail address) • In the first phase, after logging in with an ID and password: • The GAP Access user will be asked to answer one of the three security questions provided at the time they signed up for access • The user will be required to provide the 2-step authentication every second time they log in to GAP Access • Essentially, the user will need to answer one of the three security questions every other time they log in to GAP Access.

26. GAP Access Security • A school’s financial aid director is considered the primary administrator for GAP Access and is responsible for authorizing users as well as ensuring that non-active users are deleted in a timely manner • In addition to responding to periodic reminders from ISAC, schools should have a process in place to remove non-active users on a frequent and regular basis.

27. News&Reminders

28. Recommendations of MAP Advising Work Group

30. Resources&Training

31. ISACorps • Comprised of recent college graduates who serve as near peer mentors • Each ISACorps member is assigned to a community college district • Each district has one to four members • ISACorps members have been trained by ISAC to reach out to students and help them prepare for the college-going process

32. ISACorps

33. ISAC Training Events • College Access and Outreach Division • Financial Aid Certification Program & Professional Development • www.isac.org/financialaidcertification/for dates and registration • Program Services and Operations Division • Financial Aid 101 & 201 Workshops • Monthly Webinars • October 29, 2 p.m. – Grant Programs for Dependents of Police, Fire and Correctional Officers • November 19, 2 p.m. – Loan Repayment Programs • December 17, 2 p.m. 2015-16 FAFSA and Application Processing Updates • E-messages provides details and dial-in information

34. ISAC Contact Information • School Services Communication Center • Exclusively for school inquiries, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. CST • Phone: 866-247-2172 • Fax: 847-831-8549 • E-mail: isac.schoolservices@isac.illinois.gov • Student Services Communication Center • For student and parent inquiries, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CST • Spanish-speaking counselors are available • Phone: 800-899-ISAC (4722) • Fax: 847-831-8549 • E-mail: isac.studentservices@isac.illinois.gov

35. Presenter Contact Information • David Perry • Assistant Director, Partner Services • Phone: 800-899-4722, ext. 2112 • E-mail: David.Perry@isac.illinois.gov • Kim Eck • Training Coordinator, Training Services • Phone: 217-785-7139 • E-mail: Kimberly.Eck@isac.illinois.gov

36. Questions / Comments? Thank you for attending today’s session!