Training and Workshops
 Professional Judgement
Tuesday, March 10, 2026 | 9:00-12:00 | Rhode Island College
Instructed by Charlie Baywood, FAAC, Associate Director, Financial Aid Systems, CT State Community College
This session will provide you with the meaning, purpose, and underlying principles of professional judgement (PJ); areas of financial aid administration to which PJ is applied; and general documentation requirements applicable when exercising PJ.
Key Concepts:
- Statutory authority
- Definition of PJ
- Unusual circumstances
- Special circumstances
- Purpose and principles of PJ
- PJ policies and procedures
- PJ triggers
- Areas of PJ; areas where PJ does not apply
- Role of PJ documentation; types of PJ documentation
- PJ during a disaster, emergency, or economic downturn
Registration deadline is Monday, March 9th.
Tues @ 2: Navigating Socioeconomic Bias in Financial Aid
Tue, March 10, 2026 @ 2:00 pm EDT
This interactive session helps financial aid professionals build awareness of how socioeconomic bias can influence their work. Participants will engage in discussions, real world examples, and practical activities that highlight how assumptions about income, resources, and student background can shape financial aid interactions and decisions. The session provides actionable strategies to recognize bias, support students with equity in mind, and create a more inclusive and fair financial aid experience.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Friday, March 13th | 9:00 a.m-12:00 p.m. | University of Vermont
Instructed by Tanner Matchus, FAAC®, Associate Director of Financial Aid, Community College of Vermont
Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will:
- Understand foundational concepts of satisfactory academic progress; and
- Learn about satisfactory academic progress consumer information requirements
Key Concepts
- Quantitative component; maximum timeframe; qualitative component; consumer information requirements.
Deadline to register is March 9th.
Tues @ 2: Building Strong Financial Aid Policies & Procedures (P+P): A Practical Guide
Tue, March 17, 2026 @ 2:00 pm EDT
This session explores how Emotional Intelligence strengthens communication, builds trust, and supports students facing financial stress. Participants will learn practical strategies to navigate difficult conversations and foster a more inclusive, culturally aware financial aid environment where students our counterparts feel respected and understood.
Tues @ 2: Best Practices on Communicating and Preparing Students and Families for Federal Loan Reform
Tue, March 24, 2026 @ 2:00 pm EDT
Federal loan reform is moving fast, and confusion spreads even faster. In this Tuesday@2 session, a panel of our EASFAA colleagues will share practical, communication strategies for preparing students and families for major federal loan changes, including the operational pressure many teams are experiencing in response to OB3. We will begin by mapping key stakeholders, including hidden partners who shape the student experience, and then discuss common challenges such as heavy oversight, unclear decision-making lanes, and the reality that aid offices are often expected to communicate before guidance is fully settled.
Participants will leave with adaptable methods and a simple planning approach they can implement right away. Panelists will share effective communication channels and sample messaging, demonstrate how AI can support drafting and scenario planning while maintaining accuracy, and highlight tools and resources that improve consistency across outreach. We will also cover borrower readiness conversations, including how to responsibly discuss alternative borrowing, lender tools, and preferred lender lists where applicable, and end with Q&A to workshop real campus scenarios.
Presenters:
- Amy Staffier (Simmons University)
- Marie Johnson (University of Vermont)
- Brianna Gomez (Harvard University)
- Robert Zasso (Dutchess Community College)
- Moderator: Jessica Calhoun (Syracuse University)
Requests to host a Tuesday @ 2 training can be made by any current member or committee. The training committee request that the following steps be followed when requesting a training session and date.
1. Please check the date on the EASFAA calendar to verify if the date is free of other activities.
2. Please have requested date, session topic/title, description, presenter, and presenter bio information ready upon requesting the training.
3. Complete the Training Session Request Form found below. Once submitted the Tuesday @ 2 chairs will review your request and be in touch.
(The above link is not to register for a training.)
Click the link below to browse through recordings and slides from past events.
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