ISAC Update

Welcome to the March 2005 ISAC Update for Lenders and Servicers, which is a compilation of e-Messages sent through College Zone’s e-Messaging service throughout March. This e-Messaging service has replaced ISAC's use of printed newsletters and special e-mail lists as our primary means of communicating information to you. 

The articles in this Update have been organized according to the Lender Zone subscription groups to which the messages were distributed via College Zone’s e-Messaging service.

Questions?

Questions regarding information in this ISAC Update can be directed to Lender Services by sending an e-mail message to lenderservices@isac.org or calling 800.899.ISAC (4722) and speaking with one of the following staff members:

• Sharon Bankston, extension 2826
• David Barinholtz, extension 2822
• Sondra Gardner, extension 2827
• Julie Henschel, extension 2823

On occasion, you may be directed to a specific contact person or area; when this occurs, we will provide the appropriate information in the individual article or message.

See You at the ILASFAA Conference! 
Sent on March 28, 2005

We're looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new colleagues at the 36th annual Illinois Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (ILASFAA) conference being held April 3rd - 5th at the Holiday Inn Select Hotel & Convention Center, Chicago-Tinley Park. Be sure to stop by and visit Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) and Illinois Designated Account Purchase Program (IDAPP) staff during the conference, either at our booth in the vendor area or at one of the following sessions in which we are participating: 

• Cohort Default Rate Reduction - FFELP (Monday, April 4th from 10 - 10:45 a.m.) - Tom Cox (Assistant Director of Outreach Services) will explain how ISAC, including the Default Prevention Outreach (DPO) Department, has been successful in helping schools keep cohort default rates in check.

• Mapping Your Future: Getting the Most from this Award-Winning Web Site (Monday, April 4th from 11:15 a.m. - noon) - Sam Nelson (Assistant Director of Client Development) will co-present this session designed to help you discover the many resources and services available at Mapping Your Future, as well as how to best utilize them in your office. Eddie Brambila (Manager of Client Development) will moderate the session.

• Business Side of Loans (Monday, April 4th from 11:15 a.m. - noon) - Tom Sakos (Director of IDAPP) will discuss the business side of a student loan, including what happens "behind the scenes" at the lending/servicing organization.

• ISAC Operational Update (Monday, April 4th from 2:15 - 3 p.m. and then repeated Tuesday, April 5th from 9:30 - 10:15 a.m.) - Joanna Dill (Assistant Director of Partner Services) and Jacqui McMahon (Manager of Training and Information Services) will provide a comprehensive operational update on ISAC-administered programs, including the impact of any legislative and proposed rules changes. Sam Nelson will moderate the session.

• Section 529 Update: Prepaid & Savings (Monday, April 4th from 3:30 - 4:15 p.m.) - Randy Erford (Director of College Illinois!) will present a general overview of Section 529 plans (savings and prepaid tuition), with a primary focus on how Illinois' College Illinois! prepaid tuition program, administered by ISAC, allows participants to cover future college tuition and fees, providing protection against tuition inflation. The presentation will include an update regarding program tax benefits and financial aid treatment of prepaid tuition plans. Sam Nelson will moderate the session.

• School as Lender: Reflections on Success (Monday, April 4th from 3:30 - 4:15 p.m.) - Steve Di Benedetto (Assistant Director of Compliance and Quality Assurance, IDAPP) will be part of a panel reviewing the steps that lead to becoming a lender in the "school as lender" program. The operational side of the program, as well as benefits for participating schools, will be discussed. Tom Sakos will moderate the session.

• Illinois Student Assistance Commission General Session - State Update (Tuesday, April 5th from 8:30 - 9:15 a.m.) - John Jennetten (Chief Program Officer) and Chris Peterson (Director of Program Services) will provide a state legislative and budget update, a federal issues review, the latest information on many of the programs ISAC administers, and ISAC's plans for the future.

• IllinoisMentor (Tuesday, April 5th from 10:45 - 11:30 a.m.) - Eddie Brambila will provide specific information on a comprehensive, free service for Illinois students to be launched in December 2005. A major enhancement to the College Zone Web site, this online system will provide students and their families a simpler way to identify a career, choose a college, apply for admission, and finance their college education. This session will describe each of the interactive Mentor modules, as well as provide an overview of the "digital application package" which will allow a student to electronically send their online application and transcript to Illinois colleges. John Jennetten will moderate the session.

• Preparing for a Journey, Training New Staff for the Adventure (Tuesday, April 5th from 10:45 - 11:30 a.m.) - Jacqui McMahon will share information regarding resources available to those responsible for training new staff in the financial aid office. Shared resources (including those provided online) will be discussed, with special attention given to the new "Financial Aid 101" curriculum-based training materials available through ISAC. Best practices for training, collected from throughout the ILASFAA community, also will be presented.

For more details regarding the 2005 ILASFAA Conference, visit the Conferences page of the ILASFAA Web site.

Mapping Your Future Web Site Temporarily Unavailable on Wednesday, March 16th 
Sent on February 8, 2005

The following is based on a recent electronic announcement from Mapping Your Future, and is being shared for your information.

The Mapping Your Future Web site (mapping-your-future.org) continues to grow and, as a result, the site has outgrown its current co-location hosting facility. Consequently, the Mapping Your Future network will be moving physical locations to a new site. The actual physical relocation of equipment will take place between March 15th and March 16th. As part of this process, the Mapping Your Future Web site will be unavailable for periods of time between the hours of 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday, March 16, 2005. Mapping Your Future staff will work to minimize the outage as much as possible, and visitors will receive a "site outage" message if they attempt to access the site while it is unavailable.

It is the goal of the Mapping Your Future staff to make this transition as smooth as possible for all users of the Web site. Your patience is appreciated during this equipment relocation.
 
Mapping Your Future is a national collaborative public service project of the financial aid industry, including ISAC - bringing together the expertise of the industry to provide free college, career, financial aid, and financial literacy services for schools, students, and families.

Online and Distance Education Chat Event - March 8, 2005
Sent on March 1, 2005

Lenders and Servicers: Please share the following information with your student loan borrowers.

On Tuesday, March 8, 2005, Mapping Your Future will offer an "Online and Distance Education" chat from 2 to 3 p.m. (CT). The chat is designed to help students and their families learn about the types of online and distance education that are available. Also discussed will be the effect that online and distance education may have on financial aid eligibility.

At the time of the event, you can access Mapping Your Future by selecting "Mapping Your Future" from the Helpful Links page that is located in the "Resources" section of the Lender Zone.

Students can use the link on the right side of the Student Zone front page.

Mapping Your Future can also be accessed directly at mapping-your-future.org.

The calendar of upcoming Chat Events is in the Outreach Activities section of College Zone, which can be accessed in the center of the College Zone home page. Remember, also, that a poster (in .pdf format) listing 2004-05 Chat Events is available via the "Live Chat Events" page of the Mapping Your Future Web site. You may wish to consider printing (on 8½" x 11" paper, in color or black & white) and displaying this poster in areas that can be easily viewed by individuals seeking information about the college process.

Archived Questions and Answers from earlier chats can be accessed by visiting the section entitled "Chat Transcripts" at mapping-your-future.org/services/chatnight.htm.

The above is based on information from a Mapping Your Future E-Update. Mapping Your Future is a national collaborative public service project of the financial aid industry, including ISAC - bringing together the expertise of the industry to provide free college, career, financial aid, and financial literacy services for schools, students, and families.

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Electronic ISAC Update for February 2005 Available at College Zone
Sent on March 1, 2005 

The February 2005 edition of the ISAC Update is now available for your review within the ISAC Publications section of College Zone's e-Library. This version of the monthly electronic ISAC Update is a compilation of e-Messages sent to Lenders and Servicers in February via College Zone's e-Messaging service.

Topics covered in the February 2005 ISAC Update include:

• ISAC Offices Closed on February 21st for Presidents' Day
• FAFSA, Financial Aid, and Careers Chat Event - February 8, 2005
• Electronic ISAC Update For January 2005 Available At College Zone

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