Transcript Synergy: Financial Aid in the Combined Office Model

Synergy:
Financial Aid in the
Combined Office Model
MASFAA 2002
November 14, 2002
Moderated by Daniel Barkowitz, MIT
What is Synergy?
1.
2.
The interaction of two or more agents or
forces so that their combined effect is
greater than the sum of their individual
effects.
Cooperative interaction among groups,
especially among the acquired subsidiaries
or merged parts of a corporation, that
creates an enhanced combined effect.
Today’s agenda
A Rationale for Synergy in Action
Some examples:
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Overview of structure / Customer Interactions /
Lessons learned / Transition
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Kim Downs, Boston College
Michelle Mattie, Westfield State College
Patty Reilly, Tufts University
Michele Kosboth, Lasell College
Questions and Answers / General Discussion
Moving from Vertical to Horizontal
Views of the Organization
The old way
VP / Dean or President
Financial
Aid
Registrar
Bursar
“In this environment, subordinate managers tend to perceive other functions as enemies,
rather than as partners in the battle against the competition.” – Rummler & Brache,
Improving Performance
The new view:
One example
Financial Aid
Student Acct.
Registrar
Customer
Paying the bill
Awarding
Billing
Enrollment
“…the greatest opportunities for performance improvement often lie in the functional
interfaces – those points at which the baton… is being passed from one department to
another.” – Rummler & Brache
The Federal Challenge
Under 34 CFR 668.16 (c) (2), (Standards of
Administrative Capability):
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Divides the functions of authorizing payments and disbursing or
delivering funds so that no office has responsibility for both
functions with respect to any particular student aided under the
programs. For example, the functions of authorizing payments and
disbursing or delivering funds must be divided so that for any
particular student aided under the programs, the two functions are
carried out by at least two organizationally independent individuals
who are not members of the same family, as defined in Sec.
668.15, or who do not together exercise substantial control, as
defined in Sec. 668.15, over the institution
How to work with this?
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What makes up an office?
How is someone organizationally independent?
By student
Definitions from 668.15
The Secretary considers a member of a person’s family to be a parent,
sibling, spouse, child, spouse’s parent or sibling, or sibling’s or child’s
spouse.
The Secretary generally considers a person to exercise substantial
control over an institution or third-party servicer, if the person—
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(i) Directly or indirectly holds at least a 25 percent ownership interest in the
institution or servicer;
(ii) Holds, together with other members of his or her family, at least a 25
percent ownership interest in the institution or servicer;
(iii) Represents, either alone or together with other persons, under a voting
trust, power of attorney, proxy, or similar agreement one or more persons
who hold, either individually or in combination with the other persons
represented or the person representing them, at least a 25 percent
ownership in the institution or servicer; or
(iv) Is a member of the board of directors, the chief executive officer, or
other executive officer of
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(A) The institution or servicer; or
(B) An entity that holds at least a 25 percent ownership interest in the institution or
servicer
Ways of organizing
Enrollment Management
Student Service Models
Financial Services
 General Services
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MIT’s Answer
Other?
Outreach to customers
Financial Aid – use the term?
Web Presence
 Phone lines
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Titling of staff
Designated Account Reps / Account
Teams?
Officer of the Day model?
Benefits
Manage the “white space” effectively
Budgetary savings
Build linkages with account teams
Unified vision of student service
Michelle Mattie
Patty Reilly,
Tufts University
Tufts University
Medford Campus
5000 Undergraduate Students
2000 Graduate Students
3500 Receive Financial Aid
Financial Aid Professional Staff of Six
Tufts University
Why?
Student Service Improvement
Dowling Hall Space
Increased Efficiencies
Tufts University
How?
Hired Outside Consultant – August ‘98
Redesign Team – November ‘98 – May ‘99
10 people x 2.5 days/wk for 6 months
Nine implementation Teams – June ‘99 – June ‘00
met once a week for 9 months
Moving Day – June ‘00
Tufts University
Tufts Student Services
3 Functional Teams:
Financial Services – Financial Aid, Bursar, Student Employment
Academic Services – Deans Office, Registrar, Advising
Career Services
3 Support Teams:
Student Service Desk
Program Support
Technology
Tufts University
What works well?
Families Love It
Coordination of Services
Some Staff Savings
Tufts University
What Doesn’t Work Well
Communications
Priority Setting
Staffing Issues
Tufts University
Lessons Learned
Learn From Site Visits to Other Schools
Use Technology as Problem Solver
Pay Attention to Space Issues
Staff Support is Crucial
Michele Kosboth
Enrollment Management
at Lasell
Enrollment Management Model:
Financial Planning, Registrar and
Admissions report to VP for Enrollment
Management.
 Bursar/Student Accounts reports to VP for
Finance, but is housed in same building
with Financial Planning and Registrar.
Admissions is in the house next door.
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Lasell College
1000 Full time students
New Grad program – 13 students
Financial Planning staff of 2: Director,
Assistant Director but share half of two
support staff – one with Registrar, one
with Bursar
Lasell College
Key to success at Lasell College: Student
centered, customer service oriented philosophy
that begins at the top with the President.
Access to each others databases and cross
training to be able to provide information
without shuffling students around.
Admissions staff trained on basic FA
information, helps during peak season with
contacting students for missing paperwork,
answering questions etc.
Communication and Coordination – we are
small so it is easy, but critical.
Kim Downs
Boston College
Integration for the Future 2002
Student Services - A One Stop Center
Presented at MASFAA
Nov 13-15 2002
Boston College
15,000 students
Jesuit-Catholic University
4 undergraduate schools
6 graduate schools
Woods College of Advancing
Studies
Current Organization
Student Services Director
Director of
Financial
Services
• General Services
Customer
Support
Phones
ID Cards
Parking
• Academic Services
• Records
• Transcripts
• Cross Functional
Responsibility
• One Card Services
Meal Plan
Dorm Access
Outside Vendors
• Processing
• Bursar
• Local and Technical
Support
• Fin Aid
• Student Loans
• Collection
• Student
Employment
Research & Strategy
Director of
Operations
Undergraduate Admission
Director of
Academic, &
General Services
Dean
Enrollment
Mgmt
BC Office of Student Services
BC Student Services General Services
BC Student Services General Services
Financial Services Counselor Row
BC Student Services Financial Services
BC Student Services Processing Support
BC Student Services Processing Support
Lyons Hall - Center of
BC Campus
Agora on the Web (BC’s
Meeting Place)
Features Include: Informational
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View/Change Directory Information
Obtain Email Address
Check on the Status Of Loans
View Classmate Roster
View Course History, current schedule and grades
View Degree Audit
View Employment information
View financial aid application and awards
View Student Account
View Eagle One Card Balances
Agora on the Web (BC’s
Meeting Place)
Features Include: Transactions
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Complete a Medical Insurance Waiver
Complete Stafford Entrance Counseling
Create or add money to Eagle One Card
Deactivate ID and request replacement
Create a second billing address
Generate a degree audit
Simulate a degree audit
Set Privacy preferences
Request a refund
Make an ACH Payment
Request transcripts or enrollment
certifications/track request
Successes
One-stop location
Space
Training
Student and parent surveys
Staff development
Process redesign
Parent Survey
93 percent of parents who had visited the office were
“satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the in-person
assistance they received.
88 percent were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the
ease of reaching BC by phone.
95 percent said they son or daughter was “satisfied”
or “very satisfied” with the university’s secure Web
site for student services.
82 percent of respondents reported they would use a
secure Internet site for conducting business with the
university.
Student Survey
Importance rankings:
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Answering questions accurately
Courtesy and respect
Within promised time-frames
Convenient operating hours*
Correct the first time
Prompt service*
Confidence that employees will provide service correctly*
Clarity of written communication
Clarity of voice procedures
Clarity of web procedures
Ability to do business on web
Attractiveness of web materials
*High importance; low satisfaction
Challenges
Telephone calls
Staff turnover
Continuous activity
Learning and development
Communication
Campus cultural differences
Process Redesign
Fees
ID photos
Overrides
Orientation
Meal plan
3rd party servicers
Databases
Academic
regulations
Commencement
Study abroad
ACH/Credit Cards
Parking
Student Services
Lessons Learned
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Start with more people then you will eventually need,
then reduce
Drive organization & technology components with
process changes
Protect your team members
 Train them, leave them alone, then train them
again
 Patience
 Rewards
Location, Location, Location. Make your space fit
your organization
Maintain timelines & workplans, no matter how much
they change
Break out of the hierarchy
Student Services
Facts of Life
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Time will solve many things.
 It will take one to two years to settle the dust
 Staff can not learn all there is to know in a short
time frame.
 There is more to organize than you can organize
 One day at a time
There will be staff who will and will not accept change
 Good people will leave…hire new good people
 Protect key roles
 Management must be part of daily operations
Operational Role is critical
Questions and Answers /
General Discussion