President's Corner

It’s already busy on campuses and the peak season is just around the corner.  With it comes new audit requirements around data security policies and practices.  The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has suspended several colleges’ access to federal systems due to suspicious cyber activity. These changes are necessary to keep student information safe.  However, this impacts the financial aid processing cycle and institutions’ ability to draw down federal funds.  There are unanswered questions in several areas, specifically the acceptable means for data sharing. We hope ED will issue further guidance shortly. 
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FAS & Western Team Up to Finish NASFAA P&P Builder

Western Technical College (Western) serves all or part of eleven counties with six campuses, offering more than 100 programs designed to deliver skills and expertise that students need in today’s workforce. Founded in 1912, Western offers interactive classes, service learning experiences and internships to its 10,000 students. As previous FAS clients, Vice President of Special Projects, Dr. Denise Vujnovich, and Manager of Financial Aid Jerolyn Grandall, called on FAS to help get Western’s existing policies and procedures converted into the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) P&P Builder, a powerful new online resource. P&P Builder allows schools to transfer and format new and existing policies and procedures content in one centralized tool...Read More

Compliance Corner

The U.S. Department of Education has released several important updates, including the new award year’s Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement Schedules and further guidance for institutions and students impacted by last year’s hurricanes and tropical storms...     Read More

Consultant Profile:  Michael Shields

Michael Shields has over 30 years of student financial aid experience in two-year and four-year public, for-profit private and four-year private institutions.  Michael came to FAS in 2017.  As a consultant, he supports financial aid offices across the country.  He has a strong knowledge of federal regulations and regulatory guidelines to assist clients in strengthening their compliance efforts.
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Consultant Profile:  Chris Steckmann

Chris has over 16 years of student financial aid experience in both two-year and four-year private and four-year public institutions. Chris also served seven years with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General as an Investigator. Chris came to FAS in 2017. As a consultant, he supports financial aid offices across the country.  He provides Interim Staffing, Consulting and Assessment services to improve business processes, strengthen compliance efforts and enhance student satisfaction...Read More

The FAS Verification Compliance Checklist

Request your free copy of our 2018-2019 Verification Checklist.  To request one, go to our Resources Page and select "Verification Checklists - Request a Digital Copy".