1. Advising and Financial Aid Building a Collaborative Campus
Meeting a Mandate: Financial Aid Regulations and Implications for Academic Advisement
Advising and Financial Aid Building a Collaborative Campus
Dr. Natalie Brown
Program Director for Academic Advisement, Transfer Center and International Student Services
Sharon Wurm
Executive Director for Financial Aid and Student Success
Truckee Meadows Community College

2. Introduction Key facts about Truckee Meadows Community College
Demographics Fall 2016:
FTE: 6, Headcount: 11,325
Advising facts
7 full-time Academic Advisors, 2-4 Peer Advisors
Main duties include advising, orientation, and transfer center services
FA facts
7 full-time FA professionals, 5 full-time classified, 1 Peer Advisor and 16 student employees
Introduction
Sharon

3. Collaboration Definition Types of collaboration
Working together to achieve a goal
Mutually beneficial relationship
Sharing responsibility, authority, and accountability for achieving results
Types of collaboration
Peas in a pod
New partners in crime
Challengers
Collaboration
Natalie

4. Successful Collaborations
Good timing and clear need
Strong stakeholder groups
Broad-based involvement
Credibility and openness of process
Ability to overcome mistrust or skepticism
Realistic expectations
Successful Collaborations
Natalie

5. Big Picture Unique organizational structure Buy in
Promote the effort
Build leadership capacity of all stakeholders
Potential Challenges
Increased complexity of communication
Unanticipated costs in resources
Benefits of collaboration
Maximize limited resources
Access specialized knowledge or skills
Improve efficiency
Big Picture
Natalie

6. Organizational Structure
Re-org of student services in 2012 reassigned academic advisement reporting
FA Director became Director of FA and Student Success
Executive Director of Financial Aid and Student Success
Academic Advisement, Transfer Center and International Student Services
Access, Outreach and Recruitment
Financial Aid and Financial Literacy
Veterans Services
Organizational Structure
Sharon

7. Working Together Students Collaborations between departments
Academic Advisement
Access, Outreach and Recruitment
Financial Aid and Financial Literacy
Veterans Services
Working Together
Natalie

8. “THE” Financial Aid Regulation
Purpose:
To develop an implementation plan for compliance with 34 CFR 668, which restricts federal financial aid (FA) funding to students as it relates to the courses or credits that are not within their degree program.
Sharon

9. Financial Aid may only be awarded for classes required for a student’s degree program
Students are not restricted from exploration
Will improve transferability
Will lead to a more coherent academic program experience for all students
Will not be dropped or have holds
Degree programs will be evaluated and modified as needed - department chairs support this
Students will avoid the excess credit fee and excessive debt
Will help ALL students to better stay on track to graduate
The Regs
Sharon

10. Partnership Partnership Student Financial Aid Academic Advisement
Sharon
Financial Aid
Academic Advisement

11. Approval and Denial
The Mod
Updated after student appointment
Sharon

12. 2016-2017 Course Applicability Mod
Summer 2016
Fall 2016
Spring 2017
Total
# students selected
312
1,372
1,240
2,154*
# courses flagged
484
2,803
2,404
5,691
Repeat Indicators** 7 28 35 70
Exceptions
271
1,517
1,161
2,949
Denials
206
1,257
1,208
2,672
Data
Natalie
*2154 unduplicated students throughout the academic year
**Repeat indicators are automatically processed without being reviewed by Academic Advisement

13. Course Applicability Exception Data
Natalie

14. Course Applicability Denial Data
Natalie

15. On the Same Page Coding Natalie/Sharon
Course Denials - non-FA eligible courses
Denial Reason
Code
No advising ever or in last 12 months D1
Course for non-TMCC degree (e.g. UNR nursing, IETP, upper level COs) D2
Another course for same GE requirement in progress in same or previous term D3
Has other elective credits in progress in same or previous term D4
No advising notes on allied health program D5
Course already dropped by student D6
Wrong math/eng for degree program D7
Needs to update degree declaration D8
Other - include specific notes D9
Course Denials - FA eligible courses
Approval (exception) Reason
Ok based on placement A1
Blanket or approved substitution A2
TMCC allied health requirement A3
Dual degree declared A4
Degree change updated A5
Prereq or co-req to degree requirement A6
Diversity A7
US/NV Constitutions A8 A9
On the Same Page
Coding
Natalie/Sharon

16. Take Aways Tips for Success
Involve as many colleagues on campus as possible
Admissions, Records
Student Accounts
Institutional Research
Academic VP’s office
Faculty
Deans
Students
Marketing
Take Aways
Sharon/Natalie

17. Take Aways Possible Pitfalls Leadership buy-in
Ensure a win-win for colleagues
Know that there will be obstructionists and develop strategies to deflect (wine?)
Strength in your convictions
Data-driven decision making
Ensure student support
Take Aways
Sharon/Natalie

18. Take Aways More students are seeking academic advisement
Students are finally allowed to declare dual degrees
Academic programs are constantly evaluating their curriculum to best meet the needs of students
Next goal is to better understand course applicability in general through constant analysis
Take Aways
Natalie

19. Dr. Natalie Brown Program Director
Academic Advisement, Transfer Center and International Student Services
Sharon Wurm
Executive Director of Financial Aid and Student Success