| collegezone.com | Print page | Close window | |
| |||
| |||||||||||||||
|
October 2007 - December 2007
Welcome to the October - December 2007 electronic ISAC Communiqué, which is a quarterly compilation of e-Messages sent through College Zone’s e-Messaging service throughout October, November and December. This e-Messaging service has replaced both printed newsletters and special e-mail lists as ISAC’s primary means of communicating information to you. The articles in this electronic Communiqué have been organized according to the Counselor Zone subscription groups to which the messages were distributed via College Zone’s e-Messaging service. Questions? Questions regarding information in this electronic Communiqué can be directed to School Services at 866.247.2172 or at schoolservices@isac.org. 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.
Multiple Subscription Groups Happy Holidays from ISAC Our entire organization would like to wish all of our high school, college, community organization and library partners a safe and very happy holiday season. Holiday Schedules Due to the holidays, ISAC staff will be unavailable on the following dates:
Remember that you can access collegezone.com anytime, or send an e-mail message to ISAC's School Services Department. With the exception of holidays (such as those indicated above), ISAC staff will review and respond to messages during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. CT).
College Zone Web Site Temporarily Unavailable on December 18th The following Internet applications will remain available during the temporary College Zone outage, and will be accessible via the URLs indicated:
We apologize for any inconvenience this rescheduling may cause you. Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated as we perform required maintenance on the College Zone Web site.
"FAFSA Expert Training" & "Understanding Financial Aid Packaging" - Register Now Beginning with our most popular session, the "FAFSA Expert Training" builds on the information and case studies presented in "The FAFSA Made Easy" and goes far beyond the line-by-line review of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Complex tax, asset, eligibility and need analysis questions are discussed. You will complete a hand calculation of the Federal Need Analysis Methodology and learn how the information provided on the FAFSA is used to determine the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). In response to feedback from high school counselors and community based organization members, an afternoon session has also been added to this training event. Last year we introduced "Understanding Financial Aid Packaging." This highly rated session provides an overview of the elements involved in financial aid packaging as well as comprehensive consumer education information designed to assist you as you help your students prepare for the financial responsibilities associated with financing college. These free sessions (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.) will be offered at 11 locations throughout the state. Counselor Professional Development Units can be earned at each session. Space is limited, so choose from the following dates and locations below and register online: Dates & Locations January 18, 2008 Chicago State University, 9501 South King Drive, Chicago, IL University Library, Sun Room Campus Map January 24, 2008 DePaul University, Lincoln Park Campus, 2250 North Sheffield Avenue, Chicago, IL Student Center, 3rd Floor, Room 314 A & B Campus Map January 25, 2008 Lincoln Land Community College, Capital City Center, 130 West Mason, Springfield, IL Lower Level Conference Center Campus Map January 25, 2008 ISAC Deerfield Office, 1755 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, IL Room 3030 Driving Directions January 29, 2008 Rock Valley College, North Mulford Road, Rockford, IL Woodward Technology Center, Rooms 141 & 142 Campus Map January 30, 2008 Lake Land College, 5001 Lake Land Boulevard, Mattoon, IL Webb Hall, Room 081 Campus Map February 1, 2008 Joliet Junior College, Joliet Junior College, 1215 Houbolt Road, Joliet IL Room To Be Determined (Check before date) Campus Map February 4, 2008 College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, IL Room SRC 2800 Campus Map February 5, 2008 John A. Logan College, 700 Logan College Road; Carterville, IL Main Facility First Floor, Room F119 Campus Map February 8, 2008 Harry S. Truman College, 1145 West Wilson Avenue, Chicago, IL Faculty Dining Room, First Floor Campus Map February 11, 2008 Eureka College, 300 East College Avenue Eureka, IL Cerf Center, Terrill Room Campus Map Continental breakfast will be provided and registration begins at 8:30 a.m. We look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming sessions.
2008-09 Teacher Program Applications Available - Due on or before March 1, 2008 The interactive application for 2008-09 Teacher Education Scholarship Programs (TESP), used to apply for the Illinois Future Teacher Corps (IFTC) Program and the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program, is available at collegezone.com. This online application offers such benefits as providing program information at the applicant's fingertips, performing online edits to prevent errors, allowing faster delivery time, and generating immediate confirmation that the application has been received. As a reminder, only applicants with a valid digital ID from the State of Illinois will be able to access the online application. Applicants who had obtained a digital ID for a previous year's TESP application process will use that same digital ID this year. Additional information regarding the IFTC Program and the MTI Scholarship Program and the application process, including 2008-09 teacher shortage disciplines for the IFTC Program, is available within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area. These resources will assist you with questions you receive from students regarding the TESP application process. The Student Zone provides applicants with direct access to details about the IFTC Program and MTI Scholarship Program. Applicants will have access to information regarding the application process, including instructions for specific application fields, once they access the Teacher Education Scholarship Programs area and launch the application. 2008-09 Illinois SETTW Program Application Available The 2008-09 Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Application is now available to print, complete and submit. Students pursuing a degree in special education who are willing to commit to teaching in Illinois after completing their degrees may be eligible to apply. Details about this program, including eligibility requirements, are provided in the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Program section of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area. 2008-09 Nurse Educator Scholarship Program Application Available The 2008-09 Nurse Educator Scholarship Program (NESP) Application is now available to print, complete and submit. Graduate-level students pursuing a career in professional or practical nursing education who are willing to commit to teaching in Illinois after completing their degrees may be eligible to apply. Details about this program, including eligibility requirements, are provided in the Nurse Educator Scholarship Program (NESP) section of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area.
CAP Committee Seeking Your Help to Make a Difference The College Awareness and Preparation (CAP) committee invites high school counselors and college admission and financial aid professionals across the state to participate in the 2008 FAFSA Workshops this coming winter. With your help, our goal this year is to continue raising the awareness about college financial aid for the thousands of families who will be filing their 2008-2009 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Register now via e-mail at outreachtraining@isac.org and include your name, institution and the location you want to attend, and you will receive room and parking details. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Registration will be open up to three days before the training.
College Zone Web Site Temporarily Unavailable on In order to perform necessary maintenance, the College Zone Web site (collegezone.com) will be temporarily unavailable during the evening of Friday, November 30, 2007, beginning at 7 p.m. (CT) and continuing until approximately 1 a.m. (CT) on Saturday, December 1st.
Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated as we perform required maintenance on the College Zone Web site.
"The Financial Aid Process" PowerPoint Presentation Available ISAC is pleased to announce the availability of "The Financial Aid Process," a PowerPoint presentation created to help you present a financial aid workshop for your college-bound students and their families. In addition to the presentation, we've also provided suggested talking points to aid you in identifying the key pieces of information to highlight when speaking to students and parents about the financial aid process. The talking points that accompany the PowerPoint presentation may be used alone or in conjunction with the presentation.
The presentation, which may be accessed via the Ready-to-Use Presentations page within the e-Library at collegezone.com, is available to be downloaded in English and Spanish, and with narrated slides.
College Illinois! Enrollment Open College Illinois!, the state's prepaid tuition program, recently launched its 10th annual enrollment period. Designed for families who are seeking ways to ease the cost of a college education for their children, a College Illinois! plan locks in a price that will cover future tuition and fees, eliminating the impact of tuition inflation.
ISAC Announces Workforce Reduction Like so many of our partners who also administer Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) loans, ISAC will suffer a substantial impact from the recent passage of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (CCRAA). As a result of the revenue reduction imposed by the CCRAA, coupled with an unstable credit market, the agency has made the difficult decision to eliminate 68 positions from its payroll. Fifty positions are currently held by employees; the remainder are vacant.
Additional "The FAFSA Made Easy" Site Added Due to an increased demand, we have added an additional site to our Professional Development Opportunities, "The FAFSA Made Easy" & "Planning a Successful Financial Aid Event" sessions. These free one-day sessions (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.) are designed to help high school counselors, community organization members, financial aid administrators and other professionals involved in assisting Illinois students and their families along the path to college. Counselor Professional Development Units can be earned at each session.
Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming Important Dates The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) would like to make you aware of the following information, which may be of interest to you and/or your college-bound students and their families.
Remember that you can access collegezone.com anytime, or send an e-mail message to ISAC's School Services Department. With the exception of holidays (such as those indicated above), ISAC staff will review and respond to messages during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. CT).
High School Counselors/Teachers Illinois State Scholar Program Information Press Release Available A sample press release, usable by high schools to announce this year's State Scholars, is now available at collegezone.com. The press release indicates that 18,178 Illinois high school seniors were named winners this year, and describes the selection process, which is a combination of exemplary college entrance examination scores and high school achievement. The release can be customized with the high school name and the number of Illinois State Scholars at the school, and used to announce the winners' names to local media, including school and community newspapers, and television and radio stations. There is also an area that will accommodate quotes from the high school principal and/or guidance counselor. Please take advantage of this avenue to recognize the hard work and resulting success of your most accomplished students. Program Reminders High Schools that need to request a corrected Certificate of Achievement (for example, to correct the spelling of a Scholar's name) can do so via an e-mail message to School Services at schoolservices@isac.org. A new Certificate will be provided upon request. Student-written letters of appeal for those students who the counselor feels should have been designated as State Scholars, but weren't, are due to ISAC by January 28, 2008. After the end of the appeal period, forms to order a State Scholar finalists listing and/or set of mailing labels will be made available.
Default Fee Change Approved and Other Action Taken at November 16, 2007 Commission Meeting At its November 16th meeting, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) took action on several items as part of the agenda.
Information Items
Future Meetings
New Sections Added to Student Zone: "Medical Professions" and "Loan Repaymnet/Forgiveness Programs" Be sure your college-bound students are aware that these resources are available. Medical Professions Information for college-bound Illinois students who plan to become medical professionals - including how to become licensed, and salary outlooks - is provided within the Student Zone. Topics covered include nursing, allied health, and physician programs. Students will also find details regarding programs that can help pay for college. Loan Repayment/Forgiveness Programs Although loan repayment may seem a long way off for college-bound students, they can benefit from understanding available forgiveness options before they borrow. Students can learn about programs designed to help with student loan repayment (for Illinois residents who qualify based on certain eligibility requirements, such as making a commitment to work in Illinois for a specific amount of time as a teacher or nurse) within the Financing area of the Student Zone. Applicants also are now able to download and print applications for the new Nurse Educator Loan Repayment Program and the Veterans' Home Nurse Loan Repayment Program from within the Student Zone. These new sections, along with all the resources available at collegezone.com, are part of ISAC's ongoing commitment to ensuring that the students and families of Illinois have access to affordable educational opportunities.
Important Dates - Default Fee Policy Effective December 1, 2007, ISAC will, as announced earlier this fall, pay one-half of the default fee on behalf of borrowers. However, we have revised the requirement that the lender pay the remaining half of the fee, and will continue to guarantee loans for lenders currently participating in our guaranty program. The Commission will consider the revised policy at its November 16th meeting.
Financial Literacy Resources Available for Your Students The cost of college has nearly doubled over the past two decades, and students are borrowing even more than before to help pay for their higher education. Now, perhaps more than ever, students need to become financially literate so they can make informed decisions that will positively affect their futures. ISAC offers a free high school literacy program, which includes personal finance seminars and materials for your students. Many of you have already contacted us to schedule this presentation at your school. If you haven't yet done so, consider taking advantage of this opportunity to have ISAC staff visit during the spring 2008 term and provide a one-hour interactive session on personal finance education. For those who prefer to present their own session, the Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation created and used by ISAC staff is available online via the Ready-to-Use Presentations area of the e-Library at collegezone.com. Financial literacy is an essential tool for students, to help them plan for an economically stable and prosperous future and avoid credit and debt problems. ISAC can provide the resources needed to assist your students in reaching their goals. Help your students learn about borrowing responsibly and protecting their credit, before they attend college. Contact Patrick Elliott, Financial Literacy Program Coordinator, to discuss the proper session for your school by calling 847.948.8500 (extension 3827) or sending an e-mail message to pelliott@isac.org.
ISAC Communiqué New ISAC Communiqué Available at College Zone The latest “electronic-only” edition of the ISAC Communiqué is now available for your review within the ISAC Publications section of College Zone's e-Library. This electronic version of ISAC's newsletter is a quarterly compilation of information provided to Counselor Zone partners via College Zone's e-Messaging service during the months of July, August and September. Topics covered in this electronic Communiqué include:
Electronic newsletters are available at the beginning of each quarter (January, April, July, and October), and are the compilation of information announced via an e-Message to any of the Counselor Zone subscription groups during the previous quarter. |
||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
© 2003-2007 Illinois Student Assistance Commission
