From the News You Can Use Archives 11/28/06
November News Digest
Ian Crawford, Editor
Washington Update Financial Aid Administrators are Still the Go-To Guys! E-learning Still Growing Fast Fund Your Future Series Is Ready for You and Your Students
The national congressional mid-term elections resulted in both the House and Senate swinging to Democrat control. In the Senate, the Democrats gained six seats to achieve a majority of two. In the House the gain was 30 seats, giving the Democrats a projected majority of 16 as of November 22.
When the new session begins in early January 2007, there will be fresh faces in charge of the committees that influence higher-education policy:
- Rep. George Miller (D-CA), Democrat of California, is expected to become the next chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
- Rep. Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ), Democrat of New Jersey, may lead the House education panel's Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness.
- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), Democrat of Massachusetts, will probably be chair of the Senate's Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
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Financial Aid Administrators are Still the Go-To Guys!
The financial aid administrator (FAA) is still the primary resource for information and advice about lenders. This is the conclusion of a recent survey carried out on behalf of Access Group, Inc. a nonprofit student loan provider.
A mix of existing, previous and prospective student loan borrowers were asked a series of questions online. Despite the growth of Web-based research, the survey shows that the Internet has not replaced the FAA for information, but rather compliments their recommendations.
Of current borrowers:
- 52 percent depended on their FAA when researching loan providers
- 44 percent consulted with their FAA when choosing a provider
- 45 percent depended on the FAA when researching loan consolidation information
Of borrowers in repayment who consolidated their loans:
- 50 percent consulted with their FAA for information on consolidation
- 35 percent researched the Internet for information on consolidation
Of prospective borrowers:
- 59 percent first heard about their lender from a FAA
- 44 percent depended on the FAA for advice on selecting a lender
- 52 percent consulted with their FAA when researching loan providers
- 38 percent researched the Internet when researching loan providers
According to Daniel R. Lau, president and chief executive officer of Access Group, “Making a choice about a student loan provider is a vitally important decision for most students and they need the advice of seasoned professionals to help them in this effort. Even with the popularity of Internet resources, these survey results show that the financial aid administrator still has a significant role to play in assisting students.”
Press Release —Survey Shows Students Rely on Financial Aid Advisors for Lender Information and Advice
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There was a sharp rise in the number of students taking online courses last fall, defying predictions that online learning growth had leveled off. This is the conclusion of a recent report entitled Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006 by the Sloan Consortium and the College Board.
Some highlights:
- 3.2 million students took at least one online course from a degree-granting institution during the fall 2005 term, up from 2.3 million in 2004 and 1.6 million in 2003
- 80 percent of students taking online courses are undergraduates
- About half are taking online courses through community colleges
- 13 percent are taking online courses through doctoral and research universities
However, only one in four academic leaders said their faculty members “accept the value and legitimacy of online education.” Even fewer faculty members of private nonprofit colleges saw value in online programs. These figures have remained constant throughout the surveys, suggesting some hesitancy in taking up the new medium by higher education educators.
Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006
—The Sloan Consortium and the College Board
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Fund Your Future Series Is Ready for You and Your Students
EDFUND's flagship publication, the Fund Your Future® series of workbooks, counselors' guides and brochures, is all new for the upcoming school year, and it's ready to order.In a News You Can Use article this month, we reported that the series has been updated to reflect all the changes from the Higher Education Reconciliation Act (HERA). The 2007-08 edition of Fund Your Future has a bright new cover illustration that will attract the attention of high school-age students. Inside, the workbook and brochure tell students everything they need to know about preparing for college — in terms they can understand.
Complete Article — Fund Your Future Series Is Ready for You and Your Students
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Story posted November 28, 2006.
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