| EDFUND Updates Higher Education Tax Benefits Flyer
The holidays are almost over. It's time to think about filing taxes again! But EDFUND is making it easier with an update of the flyer, Federal Tax Benefits at a Glance: A Guide for Students and Parents.
This is a one-page sheet summarizing information on taking advantage of tax credits, deductions and savings incentives/tax-free withdrawals for tax year 2007.
The flyer can be downloaded and reprinted as many times as you need.
Federal Tax Benefits at a Glance: A Guide for Students and Parents 
EDFUND Offers Free Training Opportunities
One of the hallmarks of EDFUND excellent customer service is the free training we offer year-round through the EDFUND Institute.
Any organization seeking to improve productivity and performance needs to continually freshen and hone the skills of its staff. For those who work in financial aid, the need to comply with federal regulations and policies, which can change often, makes regular training even more critical.
For 2008, there is a vast array of training topics to choose from in both webinar and national in-person workshops.
Registration is now open!
EDFUND is committed to being your first choice for all your training needs.
How to get the most out of training?
A great deal of time and effort is put into providing exceptional training opportunities. In future issues of EDFUND LINK, we will provide helpful suggestions in the areas of listening skills, note taking, and other tips on how to get the most out of the training webinars and workshops you attend. We look forward to partnering with you, the participant, to engage in successful training events.
Listening Skills
Infoplease offers these tips for being a good listener:
- Give your full attention to the person who is speaking.
- Make sure your mind is focused, too. If you feel your mind wandering, change the position of your body and try to concentrate on the speaker's words.
- Listen for main ideas. The main ideas are the most important points the speaker wants to get across. Pay special attention to statements that begin with phrases such as "My point is..." or "The thing to remember is..."
- Ask questions. If you are not sure you understand what the speaker has said, just ask.
- Give feedback. Sit up straight and look directly at the speaker. Now and then, nod to show that you understand. Remember, you listen with your face as well as your ears!
Report Forecasts Continuing Boom in Minority College Enrollment
Minority enrollment in college has increased markedly in the last few years and will continue to grow in the next decade. The numbers of female, full-time and graduate students are also slated to increase significantly according to a recent report by the National Center for Education Statistics.
The number of Hispanic students enrolling in colleges has increased by 25 percent since 2000-2001 while the number of white students saw only a 3 percent increase.
Increase in College Enrollment between 2000-2001 and 2006-2007
| Hispanic |
25 percent |
| African-American |
15 percent |
| Asian-American/Pacific Islander |
15 percent |
| White |
3 percent |
This pattern is set to be repeated throughout the next decade. Minority enrollment in college in 2016 will comprise 35.8 percent of total enrollment, compared to 30.9 percent in 2005. These and other notable statistics are included below:
Projected Increase in College Enrollment 2006 to 2016
| Hispanic |
45 percent |
| African-American |
29 percent |
| Asian-American/Pacific Islander |
32 percent |
| White |
8 percent |
| Total Enrollment |
17 percent |
| Women |
22 percent |
| Men |
10 percent |
| Aged 18 to 24 |
15 percent |
| Aged 35 and older |
7 percent |
| Full-time |
23 percent |
| Part-Time |
6 percent |
| Undergraduates |
16 percent |
| Graduates |
21 percent |
Projections of Education Statistics to 2016 – National Center for Education Statistics: Section 4. Degrees Conferred:
Talk to Your Students in a Language They Understand
Blending whimsy and technology, Merriam-Webster selected “ w00t ” as the 2007 word of the year.
W00t, a hybrid of letters and numbers used by gamers as an exclamation of happiness or triumph, topped all other terms in the M-W publisher's online poll for the word that best sums up 2007.
In context: “Your next financial aid award letter may have your students saying w00t!”
2008-09 PDF Versions of the FAFSA—Now Available
The 2008-09 PDF versions of the FAFSA are now available. This official application can either be submitted by the applicant to the Department of Education for processing or maintained by a school that chooses to provide the information from the FAFSA to the Department using FAA Access to CPS On-Line.
FSA continues to encourage students to use the online method for filing the application. To that end, the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet will still be available for bulk order by schools.
EDFUND LINK Archive 2007
As the year draws to an end, we will close the book on EDFUND LINK volume 1. Volume 2 will open with our next issue on January 11; all the stories from past issues of the newsletter, since our first issue on September 21, will continue to be available online.
Go to the top of the current issue and look on the left for the EDFUND LINK archive.
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“A Good New Year to one and all and many may you see.”
(old Scottish Hogmanay (New Year) saying).
See you all in 2008.
How Did We Do?
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