07 October 2008
site updated
9/18/2008
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Long
Range Strategic Planning Committee
2007-2012 |
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Appendix A
Environmental Scan
Issues to consider:
- Politics.
- The 2006 election has changed the majority in Congress from Republican
to Democrat.
- What will happen in the 2008 elections? Will the President be a
Republican or a Democrat? Will the Democrats continue to control the
Congress?
- Will budgetary pressures from the war in Iraq and desires for tax
cuts continue? What steps will organizations such as EASFAA need to
take in order to effectively educate legislators on the need for investment
in human capital that includes access to postsecondary education for
those from low income families, and affordability for those from middle
income families?
- Old issues, new focus:
- Access vs. affordability.
- We can expect continued public demand from middle and upper
class for more affordability of the cost of a postsecondary education.
- Challenges to affirmative action will likely continue. How do
we insure that the benefits of a postsecondary education are shared
by all members of society, without regard to race, ethnicity,
religion, gender, physical/mental challenges or sexual orientation?
- The demographics of the American public will change. How will
federal, state, and private student aid programs respond in terms
of program eligibility and funding? For example, is the exclusion
of non-citizens from ACG/Smart Grants the start of a new trend?
- Public attention is increasingly focused on the levels of student
indebtedness.
- New research suggests the 8% rule of thumb for repayment is
not adequate. It’s too low for higher earning students and
too high for those in low paying jobs.
- The public focus has led to interest in ethical issues regarding
lender incentives to schools and the marketing of student loans.
- Simplification of the FAFSA.
- This is a popular sound bite, but will there actually be fewer
questions?
- The potential of reducing the economic justification of distribution
formulas could further erode need analysis and move the financial
aid system in the direction of rationing of funds.
- How much “slop” are we willing to accept in the
need analysis system? How much is Congress and the public willing
to accept? Are we willing to accept that some percentage of funds
may go to students who are “eligible” but not “needy”?
- Can we phase out the paper form? How real is the digital divide,
and will we disenfranchise some groups of students in order to
gain efficiency?
- Enrollment management and tuition leveraging.
- This is now receiving negative publicity in the media. Will
this publicity force changes in how colleges award institutional
funds, or erode confidence in colleges and financial aid administrators?
- The continuing growth of computer systems to manage aid at
the campus requires changes in the skill sets of professional
and clerical staff. The emphasis seems to be shifting from people
skills to technical skills. How do we maintain our role as counselors/advisors
while managing complex systems? Are we drifting away from our
roots in access and choice, toward technology? The demands placed
on campus staffs to “make it work” impose new levels
of stress that affect the well-being of our members and their
families, and limit the ability of members to participate as volunteers
and leaders in EASFAA.
- Continuing complexity of regulations.
- Are we asking too many questions, looking for an “official”
answer to every possible situation? Is that the avenue to being
professional? Are we losing our ability to “interpret”
regs when we constantly seek the “right” answer?
- New issues, new concerns
- New federal programs have been created, and more may be created in
the future.
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Tax credits bypass the financial
aid system, and don’t necessarily target money to the neediest.
Can these be modified to be more effective?
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ACG and SMART grants have fragmented
the federal aid system through their emphasis on academic merit, specific
curriculums, and citizenship. If students choose to “follow
the money”, what are the implications for the United States
in terms of recruitment to nursing and allied health, teacher education,
or other equally critical national needs? In addition, the administration
of these programs has created a whole new bureaucracy of regulations
and procedures. On a positive note, these programs are entitlements.
Does this offer the possibility of Pell Grants finally becoming an
entitlement? How can EASFAA advocate for better, more effective programs?
- No Child Left Behind (NCLB) raises three concerns.
- First, as the Congress works to reauthorize this program over
the next year or two, it will detract from the needs of postsecondary
education. HEA reauthorization has been postponed for some time
now. What are the implications of this?
- Second, will Reauthorization focus the question of accountability
of postsecondary education? Issues such as the percentage of students
graduating in a given amount of time, and what those students have
learned, may take on new life.
- Third, to the extent that NCLB is successful at the K-12 level,
it will produce an increased number of college ready students, potentially
raising the competition for admission. More importantly from our
point of view, will financial aid funding levels increase to meet
the needs of this additional population?
- Membership issues
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The demographics of our membership
are changing. A majority of our members are female. What new services
can EASFAA offer to help these members?
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How do we insure participation by
all, regardless of gender, race, religion, culture, sexual orientation,
or disability in our Association?
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Our States continue to be our primary
interface with many of our members. How do we insure adequate participation
in EASFAA activities to continue this?
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New methods of communication are
developing at a rapid pace. Webinars, blogs, podcasts and such are
only a few of the most recent. How can these and other new technologies
be integrated into EASFAA’s training, its communication with
members, and its communication with students and the public?
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There is the reality of potential
new regulation in the area of Lender/School relations and inducements.
What will these possible new rules look like and will they impact
EASFAA’s relationship with its many business/vendor partners?
Campus aid administrators are expected to do much more that just administer
financial aid programs. We are involved in family financial planning,
credit counseling, debt management strategies, and income tax planning.
We leverage funds, assist in fund raising and development, operate complex
software programs, and stay abreast of legislative developments and
program regulations from federal and state agencies. We are an integral
part of the enrollment management team at the campus. We communicate
with students in a multi-tasking and multi-media format through print,
email, webpages, IM, blogs and ipods. While doing all of this we remain
counselors and advisors to students. How does EASFAA help train its
members to be effective financial aid administrators in the 21st century?
Are these same services appropriate for our associate members, or should
other services be offered?
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