 | A word from... | |
| | | | |  | Simplification | | | President Lois Hollis:
Dear Colleagues,
On October 23, 2009 NASSGAP submitted its comments on the proposed draft of the 2010-2011 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It is a thoughtfully-crafted letter about, without a doubt, a form that is most critical to every state grant agency. You can find it in the "Don't Miss" section on the homepage (up top on the left-hand side). I encourage all members to read it.
NASSGAP is also providing comments on the proposed changes to the FAFSA on the Web (FOTW) as described in supplemental documents available on the USDE (Department) web site.
On 1/21/09 OPE released their “Report to Congress on Efforts to Simplify the FAFSA”.
As noted in the Transmittal Letter the Report was written in response to provisions included in the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act which required the Secretary Spellings to submit a report to Congress on her efforts to simplify the FAFSA.
The materials sent to Congress include the truncated and relatively ominous FAFSA draft the Depart. circulated months ago.
Efforts to simplify the FAFSA are serious. Many of the suggestions on how to accomplish it – including the President’s suggestion of eliminating the FAFSA in favor of using IRS filings - have been offered with the best of intentions.
However, NASSGAP fears few public policy figures realize the degree to which states use FAFSA data to compute state grant awards. | | Thanks Marilyn, Welcome Lee - Presidental Changes | | | NASSGAP’s Fall 2008 conference in New Orleans was a tremendous success; conference presentations have been posted to the site. Members extend their sincere gratitude to outgoing NASSGAP President Marilyn Cargill for her relentless work this past year in representing the organization by tracking issues ranging from The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, and The Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 2008.
Much work remains ahead of us all with respect to determining the impact that the various provisions in the Reauthorized Higher Education Act of 2008 will have on states, from simplification to GAP.
NASSGAP’s new President, Lee Andes, is well equipped to lead the organization forward but will need input and support from member states in crafting positions with respect to the new provisions, including others that are in the offing.
In the meantime members and interested parties are invited to investigate and use NASSGAP’s newly-deployed "Online Library" of research, articles of interest and related data. NASSGAP's Online Library is a powerful new tool which will grow over time. Soon Research Committee Chair, Cheryl Maplethorpe, will develop a process that will allow members to submit articles to the Research Committee for library posting consideration. Stay tuned! | | NASSGAP's 38th Annual Survey Report | | | ...President Cargill.
I’m pleased to announce the publication of NASSGAP's 38th Annual Survey Report. This is the only survey of its kind and is used by respected researchers nationwide as the definitive source of state-funded student aid.
Survey data show that in 2006-2007, states awarded a total of $9.3 billion of student financial aid of all types, an increase of 10 percent from the $8.5 billion awarded in 2005-06. States continue to focus on grant aid making more than 3.7 million awards representing $7.6 billion in need and non-need-based grant aid. Despite the downturn in the national economy, state undergraduate grant aid efforts increased more than 4% in real terms, demonstrating the importance placed on investing in higher education by NASSGAP member agencies, state legislatures, and state leadership. Aid of all types that considers financial need, important to working families across the country, accounts for more than $5.2 billion of the $8.2 billion in aid reported as awarded to undergraduates. States have also remained committed to awarding special purpose aid targeting veterans and National Guard members, as well as teachers and nurses who serve in needy communities.
I want to bring your attention to a powerful online Query Tool we developed to assist interested parties in mining Annual Survey data further. The Query Tool is available to members and nonmembers provided you register per the instructions. You can find, register, log in, access the tool and save your data at: http://www.nassgap.org/customquery
We'd love to hear from those who have used the data for published research, internal reports, white papers and the like and we're are also interested in hearing about ways the survey could be improved.
Finally, in addition to thanking states for participating in the survey, I want to acknowledge Mike Solomon and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) for the outstanding work done in collecting and vetting the data and publishing the Report. Questions regarding survey data should be directed to me at 802-655-9602 or Mike Solomon at 217-524-7933. | | |
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