John Lerma UNC-Pembroke 2016 Spring Conference

 The U.S. Department of Education awards about $150 billion a year in grants, work-study funds, and low-interest loans to more than 15 million students.  In order for this to take place, you and your team of Financial Aid Administrators and office support staff, must ensure that proper communication, consistency and the correct marketing tools are in place, in order for your office to deliver the best information to your students and families.

 Consistency is key when marketing your financial aid office.  The following departments on campus are vital when forming a committee that can help you determine the best ideas for your department. Also, choosing a few students to be a part of this committee would be beneficial as well. AdmissionsRegistrarStudent Accounts/ Bursar Academic SupportTransfer Student LiaisonsDistance Education Liaisons New Student OrientationAlumni/Advancement Office Housing and Residence Life

Communication Collaboration CreativityClarity Conversation

 Collaboration allows you to work with other departments on campus to formulate ideas regarding how to reach out to students. This could be in the form of working at an information table in the Student Center or working with the Alumni Office to host a scholarship contest. By working together, brainstorming, and piecing together different ideas, collaboration will challenge you and your team, but it will also help with your one- on-one communication with your students as well.

 Creativity, branches out from the collaboration process and allows you to begin creating innovative projects that will assist you with properly marketing your office. Items that garner attention such as flyers, publications, contests, and prize giveaways. Take this opportunity to think outside the box.

 Clarity, is one of the most important parts of this process. This function gives you the opportunity to clearly state your message about the financial aid office and what they have to offer. Clarity is extremely important when working with other departments on campus who interact with students. The message they convey about your office depends upon how well YOU have made their office aware of updates and changes within financial aid. Mixed messages an ineffective communication can cause lots of confusion among your students, which in turn creates a more frustrating process for the student.

 Conversation, brings the Four C’s of Communication to a close. The final stage in the process gives you the opportunity to extend your knowledge of the financial aid process to additional faculty/staff, one-on-one meetings with students and formulating social group studies by implementing focus groups and round table discussions. Through these conversations, you are able to connect with your campus community and share what important changes your office will have.

 High Schools  Boys and Girls Clubs  Community Centers  Community Colleges  Career Fairs  Local National Guard Armory

 Freshman Seminar’s  Student Success Courses  New Student/Transfer Student Orientations  Financial Aid Newsletters  Veterans Affair Financial Aid Newsletters  Internal Financial Aid Publications  Student/Faculty/Staff Listservs  FSA Publications  FAFSA Day  Financial Literacy Courses

 UNCP Financial Aid Website: information/financial-aid information/financial-aid  UNCP Financial Aid Reference Sheet: ions_and_Aid/Cost_and_Paying_for_College/1617_Forms/1617 %20Reference%20Sheet.pdf ions_and_Aid/Cost_and_Paying_for_College/1617_Forms/1617 %20Reference%20Sheet.pdf  Financial Aid Newsletter: ions_and_Aid/Cost_and_Paying_for_College/FA_Newsletters/Ma rch%202016%20FA%20Newsletter.pdf ions_and_Aid/Cost_and_Paying_for_College/FA_Newsletters/Ma rch%202016%20FA%20Newsletter.pdf  VA Financial Aid Newsletter: ions_and_Aid/Cost_and_Paying_for_College/VA_Newsletters/VA %20Newsletter%20March% pdf ions_and_Aid/Cost_and_Paying_for_College/VA_Newsletters/VA %20Newsletter%20March% pdf

 In progress…