students at risk: the financial aid and billing perspective
TRANSCRIPT
STUDENTS AT RISK:The Financial Aid and Billing Perspective
Ithaca College – Ithaca, NY• Cost of Attendance = $58,865/year• Undergraduate enrollment – 6,323• Students = 59% female, 41% male• Faculty of 730 – 226 part-time, 504 full-time• Administration/Staff = 1,074 – 268 part-time, 806 full-time
Office StructureStudent Financial Services
• Combined Bursar’s and Financial Aid Offices in 2008• One fully integrated service center
• Staff fully trained on both aid and billing• Separation of duties, but consistent messaging
• 20 staff members, 3 student workers• 8 staff dedicated to front line service• 2 staff dedicated to counseling and verification• 6 staff dedicated to packaging, counseling and program
responsibilities• 4 others dedicated to communication, billing, and technology
Office of Institutional Research, Ithaca College, Fall 2015
Office of Institutional Research, Ithaca College, Fall 2015
Office of Institutional Research, Ithaca College, 2015
What does at risk mean?• An at-risk student is generally defined as a student who is likely
to fail at their educational goals (Hernandez, 2015)
• Students can be considered at-risk for achieving academic success for a variety of reasons (Hackett, 2013)• Poor choices/decisions• Adult student returning to school after an extended absence• Students with academic or physical limitations• Financial challenges
What does at risk mean?• A student group considered to be at risk at one institution may
not be considered at-risk at another
• Many at risk students feel that “someone like them” are not college material
• First generation students make up a larger percentage of our student body and the number increases annually
• A strong commitment to diversity via the College mission statement and enrollment goals
The SFS Approach• SFS has worked hard to develop a plan to work with all
students and their families
• Staff awareness is key to success• Understanding office bias and personal bias• Commitment to campus engagement• Strong, unified approach to training with continuous updates• Commitment by internal and division leadership allowing staff to
develop campus connections
Develop a Strong Campus Network• Identify campus partners who have a student first
orientation• HEOP/CSTEP Office• Office of Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs• Center for Counseling, Health and Wellness (Includes Health
Center, Counseling, Health Promotion, LGBTQ Center)• Student Accessibility Services• Academic Advising Center• International Programs• Career Services• Athletics• The Chapel• Dean’s Offices
Develop a Strong Campus Network• Create a discussion group of campus partners
• 3SN (Student Support Network) meets monthly during the academic year• Provides an ability to support those who are practitioners and who work
directly with students• Creates a strong outlet to discuss the issues our students are facing on
a daily basis• Provides updates and an ability to work across divisions• Allows us to network and create strong professional bonds that can be
called upon when we need to confront a complicated student issue
Develop A Strong Campus Presence• Office Visibility is a must
• Invite campus partners to staff meetings to provide background on their areas and meet SFS staff
• Attend campus partners’ events• Staff participation in on campus events including campus groups• Find where your students are and what they are attending and be
sure to have a presence
Resources• Flexibility—how flexible can you be?
• Billing and aid in the same office provides substantial flexibility• Students don’t need to navigate between two offices• Issues can be resolved quickly in most cases• Staff are able to assess a student’s needs and provide resolution.
• Emphasis on staff training• Cohesive training to provide a seamless approach to aid and billing
• Flexibility in custom payment options• Currently have Higher One payment options• Create custom payment arrangements on a limited basis
Resources• Emergency scholarships
• Fortunate to have a number of endowed resources that are specific for dealing with students who have emergencies or unexpected financial challenges• Scholarships are not renewable and are expected to help a student through a
short term situation
• College Chapel• Emergency resources available• Will help students with meal passes, Wegmans gift cards, bus passes
• Food resources• Created a detailed listing of food offerings in the community including
food distribution centers
What is your office reputation?• Are you accessible to your students?• What is the student perception of your office?
• Are you viewed as the office that exists only to take opportunity away from the students?
• Do you have a welcoming environment?• Do you answer the phone or have an automated answer?• How do you greet students when they come to your office?
• Does your office resemble your student body? How diverse are you?• For parents whose first language is not english, do you have staff that
speak other languages?• Are you ADA accessible?
Resources• Implementation of ICare by the College
• Focus on identification and supportive outreach to students in distress
• Staff, faculty and students are able to submit concerns through a dedicated website
• Allows us in SFS the ability to work with campus partners when we identify a student who may be distressed due to financial, academic or social issues.
Focus on Service• Phones are answered by full time staff
• July phone volume of incoming calls was 3700• August phone volume (peak) 4100
• Timely and accurate communication• Website includes all pertinent information but limits the number of
words on the site• Communication plan and all publications and documents reviewed
each year for accuracy and whether they still meet office requirements and student needs
Focus on Service• Email responses
• All attempts are made to answer emails within 48 hours except during peak processing. However during peak, we do allow for overtime to manage email responses.
• Our peak volume occurs in July with over 1800 messages answered by staff with more than 3400 email messages received
• Phone messages• Expectation that staff will respond to phone messages within 24
hours
• Service both walk in traffic and scheduled appointments• Staff available at all Admission events and other student
events on campus
Our Challenges• Accessibility
• Location of SFS Office hinders student access• Office located in administrative building that houses our president
• Appearance of the reception area is not welcoming• Students have compared our reception area to a courthouse
• Received negative student feedback which impacted our perception of ourselves• Complaints about service and friendliness of staff• How seriously do you take complaints
What doesn’t work well• While we work to keep all students, we do have many
students who simply cannot afford the educational choice they have made• Work to educate students through the college decision process, but
many times they are unable to see the true cost of education
• Access is limited, though we have a large Pell Grant eligible student body, we still have strict funding limitations• 20% of the student population is Pell Grant eligible• Demand for resources exceeds the supply
What doesn’t work well• Lack of understanding
• Many faculty and staff outside of the enrollment division do not understand what it costs to attend IC
• Campus community does not understand the limits of aid distribution
• Working to share the message from higher administration, but a challenging message to convey
• Limited focus on retention• Many first generation students and other at risk groups do not feel
connected to campus• Evaluation of the treatment of various groups on campus due to
recent press attention
Questions to ask at your institution• What characteristics do students who succeed have in common with
those that do not reach their goals?
• Do first-generation students succeed at the same pace as students whose parents had attended college?
• Do students from minority ethnic and racial groups succeed on campus?
• Are students in certain groups at risk of failure in particular courses? In which courses did entering students have the most trouble?
• What academic support services exist to help students succeed?
Questions to ask at your institution• Your student population—what are considered to be your most
vulnerable student populations• Review your student demographics• Look for patterns
• What are your ultimate goals; and do you have buy in from your staff and your leadership
• How strong is your campus network
• How flexible are you
• What are your resources
Contact Information
Julie Hickman-Godoy, Associate Director
607.274.3131
Barbie Bargher, Assistant Director
607.274.3131
Office of Student Financial Services
Ithaca College
www.ithaca.edu/finaid
Questions and Discussion
How do you define at risk on your campus?
Is it more an approach of at success?