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December 2006
Welcome to the December 2006 ISAC Update for financial aid administrators and business officers. This version of the electronic ISAC Update is a compilation of e-Messages sent through College Zone’s e-Messaging service throughout December. This e-Messaging service has replaced ISAC’s use of printed newsletters, the ILASFAA ListServ, 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 FAA 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 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 We appreciate having the opportunity to serve you, and look forward to working with you throughout the next year. May 2007 be a healthy, peaceful, and prosperous year for all. 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 a.m. - 5 p.m. CT). Processing Schedules Click on the appropriate link(s) to access holiday processing schedules for loan records [CommonLine and Common Account Maintenance (CAM) files] and/or Monetary Award Program (MAP) and Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program records.  MAP Plus Payment Status Update We continue to accept MAP Plus payment requests via MAPnet and File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Information regarding MAP Plus payment processing is available in the MAP Plus section of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area of the FAA Zone at collegezone.com. Payment claim deadline dates have not yet been established, but will be determined by the Commission once funding for the program has been secured. As you're aware, MAP Plus will be funded through the restructuring or sale of part of ISAC/IDAPP's student loan portfolio. It is anticipated that the transaction will be finalized sometime during the first quarter of calendar year 2007, with actual payment of fall term MAP Plus awards following shortly thereafter.
2007-08 Teacher Program Applications Available - Due on or before March 1, 2007 ISAC is pleased to announce that the interactive application for 2007-08 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. Now in its third year, 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 2007-08 teacher shortage disciplines for the IFTC Program, is available within the ISAC Gift Assistance Program 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. 2007-08 Illinois SETTW Program Application Available The 2007-08 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. 2007-08 Nurse Educator Scholarship Program Application Available The 2007-08 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. ISAC Names New Executive Director Andy served as an ISAC Commissioner from October 2005 to September 2006, at which time he was named Special Assistant to ISAC's Executive Director. Prior to joining ISAC, he had extensive experience with the investment and securities industry, as well as 15 years of service on the Beloit College Board of Trustees. As stated by ISAC Chairman Don McNeil in ISAC's Press Release regarding Andy's appointment, "Andy Davis' record of achievement in the world of high finance as well as the world of higher education makes him uniquely prepared for this challenge". Please join ISAC Commissioners and staff in congratulating Andy on his appointment. FINANCIAL AID ADMINISTRATOR Just Added! John A. Logan College and Chicago State University - "FAFSA Expert" Sessions – Register Now Learn how to answer the questions that even the most experienced professionals may find difficult to answer:
Space is limited so choose from the following dates and locations below and register here: January 19, 2007 Rock Valley College, N. Mulford Road, Rockford, IL Woodward Tech Center, Rooms 117/119/121 Campus Map January 24, 2007 Moraine Valley Community College, 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills, IL College Center, Moraine Room 1 and 2 Campus Map January 26, 2007 Spoon River Community College, 23235 North County Rd. 22, Canton, IL Engel Conference Center, SRC Conference Rooms A and B Campus Map January 30, 2007 Danville Area Community College, 2000 East Main Street, Danville, IL Vermilion Hall, Room 306 Campus Map January 31, 2007 Chicago State University, 9501 South King Drive, Chicago, IL Room To Be Determined (Check before date) Campus Map February 1, 2007 College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, IL Room SRC 2800 Campus Map February 2, 2007 East St. Louis Community College Center, 601 James R. Thompson Blvd., East St. Louis, IL Building "D", The Multi-Purpose Room Campus Map February 6, 2007 Illinois Student Assistance Commission, 1755 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, IL Room 3030 Driving Directions February 8, 2007 John A. Logan College, 700 Logan College Road, Carterville, IL Conference Center, Room F119 Campus Map February 9, 2007 Truman College, 1145 West Wilson Avenue, Chicago, IL Room To Be Determined (Check before date) 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. Make sure you submit your registration and print the confirmation page for your records. "FAFSA Expert" Sessions – Register Now Learn how to answer the questions that even the most experienced professionals may find difficult to answer:
Space is limited so choose from the following dates and locations below and register here: January 19, 2007 Rock Valley College, N. Mulford Road, Rockford, IL Woodward Tech Center, Rooms 117/119/121 Campus Map January 24, 2007 Moraine Valley Community College, 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills, IL College Center, Moraine Rooms 1 and 2 Campus Map January 26, 2007 Spoon River Community College, 23235 North County Rd. 22, Canton, IL Engel Conference Center, SRC Conference Rooms A and B Campus Map January 30, 2007 Danville Area Community College, 2000 East Main Street, Danville, IL Vermilion Hall, Room 306 Campus Map February 1, 2007 College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, IL Room SRC 2800 Campus Map February 2, 2007 East St. Louis Community College Center, 601 James R. Thompson Blvd., East St. Louis, IL Building "D", The Multi-Purpose Room Campus Map February 6, 2007 Illinois Student Assistance Commission, 1755 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, IL Room 3030 Driving Directions February 9, 2007 Truman College, 1145 West Wilson Avenue, Chicago, IL Room To Be Determined (Check before date) 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. "Understanding Financial Aid Packaging" Sessions – Spring 2007 Registration begins February 6, 2007 Would you like to help your students identify a good financial aid package? This spring, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) will wrap up its three part Professional Development Series by offering "Understanding Financial Aid Packaging" sessions throughout the state. These sessions will guide you to help your students and their families decipher award letters and compare aid packages, thereby allowing them to identify the best college fit. We will offer a general perspective about the components of aid packaging. Overall, these sessions aim to provide you the opportunity to participate in comprehensive consumer education about higher education. How to Register Registration details, including dates and locations, will be available online through the Outreach & Training Calendar in the Counselor Zone at collegezone.com. We will also be sending e-Messages with the latest information and updates about additional training events. Make sure you submit your registration and print the confirmation page for your records.
MAPNET USERS Shortening Processing Time for MAPnet File Extractions and Reports File Extractions and Reports Now Have Separate Processing Queues Effective immediately, there will be two separate queues - one for file extractions, and the other for reports. This means that file extractions and reports can be processed simultaneously. Prior to this enhancement, only one process - either a file extraction, or a report - could be run at a time. We anticipate that this change will help reduce the amount of time it takes to process these requests. Note that, while this change should improve processing time, jobs will still be run in the order that they are received within each queue. Consequently, if several schools submit large file extraction (or report) requests at the same time, each request will be processed only after all previously-submitted jobs for that queue have completed. Length of processing time will vary depending on where a particular school's job is located within the queue. Multiple jobs submitted at the same time will impact file extractions the most, since these jobs take longer to run than reports. Steps to Further Reduce Processing Time The following are steps that schools may wish to consider in order to further reduce the amount of time it may take to process file extractions and reports:
FFELP PARTICIPANTS Latest School DAAR Report Available The Notification of Student Loan Borrower DAAR Status report (School DAAR Report) for your school is now available on College Zone's My Zone. This online version has replaced the paper rosters ISAC sent in the past. The School DAAR Report is non-cumulative and is available twice a month to those institutions with students for whom ISAC, as the guarantor, has received a Default Aversion Assistance Request (DAAR) during the reporting time period. Each time a new School DAAR Report is made available online, an e-Message will be sent to the "FFELP Participants" e-Messaging subscription group. Accessing School DAAR Reports at My Zone My Zone is a portal available in the FAA Zone at collegezone.com that allows postsecondary schools online access to student-specific data in a secure environment. If you have not yet signed up to participate in My Zone, proceed to the FAA Zone front page and select the My Zone Quick Link. For complete information and instructions to access your school's DAAR Report, proceed to the FAA Zone front page and select the My Zone Quick Link in the right margin of the page. ISAC UPDATE GROUP Electronic ISAC Update for November 2006 Available at College Zone Topics covered in the November 2006 ISAC Update include:
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