C
STUDENT SERVICES
A
2010 COMPREHENSIVE
M
PROGRAM REVIEW
P
Student Services Area: ___Financial Aid/Veterans/Scholarships_______
U
S
We certify that this program review document represents the plans, goals, and critical analysis of this instructional program. Please enter
name(s) and date
Author(s): _________Lynn Thiesen, Anna Duffy
Date: January 19, 2011
Department Director: _Lynn Thiesen______________________
Date: January 19, 2011
V. P.:
________Keith Snow-Flamer__________________ Validation: January 20, 2011
1
Student Services Mission Statement
To provide high quality support services that promote access to educational programs, foster academic success, and encourage
personal and social development of all learners. (Revised December, 2009)
I. Student Services Area Overview
1. Mission
The mission of the Financial Aid Office is to ensure student success by providing financial aid support and resources to students the larger
CR community in a professional, timely and courteous manner.
2. Philosophy Statement
The Financial Aid Office serves the mission of the institution by providing financial assistance to ensure student access and success by
alleviating financial aid barriers to attending college.
3. Staffing Level
Eureka
Financial Aid Director – full-time Classified Manager
Financial Aid Operations Manager – full-time Classified Manager
Financial Aid Computer Specialist – full-time classified
Financial Aid Technician II – two full-time classified
Student Services Specialist I – 1.5 classified
Scholarship Assistant - .5 classified
Veterans Coordinator – 160 days temporary
Office Clerk – 160 days temporary
Mendocino Coast
Student Services Specialist III – full-time classified does not report to Financial Aid Director but does perform mostly financial aid duties
for Mendocino Coast students and potentially Southern Humboldt.
2
Del Norte
Student Services Specialist III – full-time classified does not report to Financial Aid Director but does perform mostly financial aid duties
for both Del Norte and Klamath Trinity students. Note: retiring in June 2011
4. Summary
The Financial Aid Office provides:
 Information and assistance in completing financial aid, scholarship and veterans educational benefit applications
 Providing information to outside agencies (Department of Health & Human Services, Tribal Agencies, Child Care Services, etc.
 Determination of eligibility for local, state, and federal funding ( scholarships, Cal Grants, Chafee Grants, BOG fee waivers, Pell,
Supplemental Educational Opportunity and Academic Competiveness Grants, Federal work study, AmeriCorps, Bureau of Indian
Affairs, subsidized, unsubsidized and parent loans)
 Disbursement of funds to students
 Certification of student eligibility for veteran educational benefits
 Coordination of scholarship application process, review, disbursement
5. Goals and Objectives
6. Strengths



Ability to serve more students with less staff through more efficient use of Datatel and online processes
Willingness and ability to implement new initiatives that improve efficiency; i.e. CR Access Card, email notification to students,
Compliance with regulations as evidenced by ‘clean’ audits
7. Improvement Areas
Note: Identify specific issues and/or needs that are affecting the efficiency or effectiveness of your area.
 Training – consistency and difficulty due to large geographical area as well as oversight of other sites not w/in control of Financial
Aid Director. This will be more of an issue with the retirement of the Del Norte Student Service Specialist III.
 All staff needs training on how to effectively communicate and deal with students with mental health issues.
 Lack of permanent staff member assigned to Veteran’s Office is a hindrance in ensuring timely and accurate service to this
important population
 Lack of dedicated help-desk to assist students through issues with online services
3
8.Students Served
The number of Free Applications for Financial Aid (FAFSA) received over the past several years indicates more students continue to apply
for financial aid each year. There was a 50% increase in FAFSA’s received for last academic year vs. just two years prior.
Academic Year
FAFSA’s received
2007/08
5,155
2008/2009
6,361
% Inc vs. Prior Year
23.4
2009/10
7,703
% Inc vs. Prior Year
21.1
According to the Chancellor’s Office Data Mart, CR continues to serve a higher percentage of students than our neighboring California
Community Colleges. We also are significantly higher than the system statewide in terms of Board of Governor’s (BOG) fee waivers and
Pell Grants disbursed.
Percent of 2008/09 total headcount receiving:
Institution
CR
Siskiyous
Shasta
Mendocino
Statewide*
Pell Grant
28%
16%
17%
12%
11%
BOG
55%
35%
43%
33%
31%
*Per Student Financial Aid Programs prepared by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office dated September 2010
The Financial Aid Office disbursed over $15 million in scholarships, and state and federal financial aid funds during the 2009/10 year.
Listed below is a breakdown of some of our programs.
Dollars disbursed and number of students served per program in 2009/10
Program
Pell Grant
Federal Loans
Scholarships
Veterans*
$ Disbursed
$10,496,757
$ 3,800,042
$ 326,431
unknown
# of students
3,270
750
431 (this reflects awards, not students as some students receive more than one award)
229 (increase of 27 % from prior year)
4
*Because veteran educational benefits are disbursed from the VA directly to the student, we are not able to track the dollars disbursed.
9. Student Loan Default Rates
The grim numbers are no surprise, given that the timeframe roughly aligns with the start of the recession. While some individual colleges
have decreased their default rate; the average default rate has gone up at all levels. As we have shown, College of the Redwoods serves a
higher percentage of low-income students, which certainly plays into the default rate.
COLLEGE
Allan Hancock
Antelope Valley
Cerritos
Chabot
West Hills
College of the Desert
College of the Redwoods
Siskiyous
El Camino
Hartnell
Lassen
Santa Rosa
Shasta
Solano
Reedley
Victor Valley
Butte
College of the Canyons
College of the Sequoias
2008
14.2
15.9
10.4
13.7
14.6
10.1
18.3
11.8
12.8
11.3
20.7
9.7
11.7
15.8
15.7
17.3
18.7
12.1
13.8
2007 2006 2005
15.5
8.8 10.9
11.3 16.3 13.3
14.1
7.6
7.1
10.8 10.3
3.8
16.2 14.4 11.2
9.5
6.3 13.1
13.7 15.4 13.9
12.4
10 12.5
9.5
8.5
5.7
13.3
8.8
4.5
25.4 17.9 16.1
6
9.4
7.5
15.8 12.6 10.2
14.8 15.1 12.9
12.1 10.4
7.3
20.2
18 16.1
11.8 13.6
12
12.5
7.2
7.6
6.9
4
9.4
5
Report on Results of Learning Outcomes Assessment 2009-2010
(Please provide a 1 page historical reference of outcomes)
Mission Statement:
Objective
1.
Increase student
access by
increasing
online financial
aid information
Learning Outcome
Students will utilize web
technology to access
financial aid information
Linked to Student
Service
Goal/Campus
Goal/District
Initiative
Goal #5 – Ensure student
access
Assessment Criteria
(Specify Target
Performance Level)
Assessment
Measure
Collect baseline data for
the 2009-2010 academic
year
Track the
number of
emails sent to
students vs.
‘snail’ mail;
track website
‘hits’
2.
Increase student
knowledge of
veteran program
requirements
Students receiving vet
educational benefits will
be able to identify and
fulfill program
requirements
Goal #5 – ensure student
access
College baseline data for
the 2009/2010 academic
year
Create
requirement
rubric and
track veteran
students
3
Increase
effective use of
financial aid in
recruitment
process.
Have award letters sent in
March
Goal #5 – ensure student
access
Reach a “4” on the annual
assessment of the
enrollment management
function related to
financial
Enrollment
Management
20 point
diagnostic self
assessment
Completion
(or anticipate
completion)/
Findings
Improvement
Recommendations
(next step)
Virtually all
communication
w/financial aid
students has been
through email
beginning with the
2010/11 award year.
The FAO website
shows an increase
of 19% in the
number of hits from
the same time frame
the prior year
Veteran program
forms and
information have
been posted on the
website. Veterans
Advisor has started
a veterans site in
‘My CR.’
The scoring rubric
has 1 as weak, 2 as
poor, 3 as good, and
4 as great
Continue to develop
more comprehensive
website, which will
provide students more
access to financial aid,
veteran and scholarship
information.
In 2009 the
department scored a
“3.” The department
scored a 3.75 when
the instrument was
deployed in 2010.
Increase web usage as
defined by the number
of ‘hits’ to FA website
by 5% by 2012
Develop orientation
program for veterans
Implement debit card
refund management
process – went ‘live’
January 2011; first
disbursement
Provide more
comprehensive Rights
& Responsibilities
(R&R) information to
financial aid recipients
– R & R information is
6
SU2009 / SU2010
3
3.75
Financial Aid staff
at High School
Parent night completed
Financial literacy
included in GS and
GUID courses completed
now sent to students
with Award Letter
notification; it is also
available on our
webpage
Implement document
imaging to reduce
duplication of efforts
and increase process
efficiencies – in process
Implemented unit
threshold
notification (30, 60,
90 units) –
subcommittee
worked on this
threshold and
defined 45 units as a
better threshold to
notify
7
II. Area Needs Assessment
1. Five-Year Program Staffing Profile with Anticipated Needs
Staffing Levels for Each of the
Previous Five Years
Anticipated total staff
needed
2011 -2012
2012-2013
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Position
EXAMPLE
Administration
Classified Staff FT*
Classified Staff PT
Confidential Staff FT
Hourly Staff
Student Workers
Faculty Reassigned FTE
Full time
Faculty Reassigned FTE
Part time
Total Full Time
Equivalent Staff
8
0
7
5
6
6
.5 (1) .5 (1) .5 (1) .5 (2)
1
0
-
1
0
-
2
0
-
1
.5
-
2
0
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
8.5
7.5
8
9
6
.5 (5)
6
.5(5)
includes 2 SSSI
and Veteran
position
includes 2 SSSI
and Veteran
position
1
1
9.5
9.5
Fill out the Management and/or Staff request form that follow if new employees are
needed.
*includes Director and Operations Manager as both are considered classified managers,
not administration
Does the staffing structure meet the unit’s needs? No
The workload in the Financial Aid Office has increased dramatically; mainly due to the
50% increase in the number of applications received over the past two years. The
number of applications received has increased each year for at least the past five years.
Even with increased efficiencies, our workload is directly tied to the number of
students/financial aid applicants received. Another factor is the complexity of and everchanging regulations that govern our programs. It is very difficult to keep current and
requires constant training. We implemented a change in disbursing refunds to students in
January 2011, through the CR Access Card. This has been an enormous project that has
required coordination, marketing and intensive training. We are still working through the
‘kinks’ and plan to evaluate the program as we go through this first semester.
8
We anticipate that the workload will increase in the upcoming one to three years, as the
economy remains in flux, and the tightening of admissions and cost-increases of fouryear school drives more students to community colleges. This also increases the number
of students with exceptions that require special handling and manual processing. The
Document Imaging project will greatly impact our workload, but how remains to be seen.
We do know there is a great deal of up-front work that needs to be done in order to be
ready to ‘go live.’ It will certainly affect how we do our work, but we do not see it
reducing our workload.
There still is a need for a permanent position in the Veterans Office. This position has
been filled by temp staff, which does not meet the needs of the students. Research*
indicates that veterans coming back from combat face many challenges that traditional
students do not have. A permanent staff member, preferably with experience in working
with veterans, will allow for more consistent training in areas vital to this population’s
success.
*When Johnny Comes Marching Home webinar presented 1/14/11 by Dr. Edgardo Padin,
Ph.D. Dr. John Schupp, Ph.D. and Dr. Roger P. Buck, Ph.D.
We do have significant peaks and valleys during the fiscal year. We are incredibly busy
during most of May - October. The beginning of each semester is always very busy, both
in terms of students and associated workload; it is difficult to handle the number of
students adequately with current staffing. Student traffic decreases from October –
December, which somewhat releases the regular staff of the constant pressure. The
Director and Operations Manager do not have the reduced workflow as the number of
projects required throughout the year does not diminish. The Datatel process of new year
set-up required to begin financial aid processing for the following academic year is
intensive and time-consuming.
Our highest level Financial Aid Specialist III resigned in August to accept a position in
Texas. This position was not immediately replaced, and current staff members worked
hard to assume the workload. In November a Student Services Specialist I position was
hired, shared 50/50 with Admissions & Records. This position is not at the processing
level, but we feel the knowledge gained by working in both offices will greatly enhance
coordination between the offices and will ultimately be a benefit to students. The
Student Services Specialist III at the Mendocino Coast Campus has assumed some of the
higher level processing that the Director took over immediately following the specialist’s
resignation to alleviate the workload of the Director.
Counter hours have been decreased in order to keep-up with file review. This has only
been possible due to Admissions and Records staff answering student questions when the
financial aid counter is closed. This assisted tremendously in enabling us to keep a fairly
timely schedule in processing financial aid awards. Most of our work is ‘back-end’
processing in which technical work must be done in order to process student awards. We
also closed for one full week in early August in order to concentrate fully on processing
awards so that as many students as possible were able to be paid on the first disbursement
of the fall semester.
9
The Student Services Specialist III at the Del Norte Campus is retiring in June 2011.
This specialist has over 12 years of experience. Replacing her experience will be
impossible at that level, but it is essential that the position be replaced to ensure
continued services to the Del Norte and Klamath-Trinity students.
The Scholarship Assistant has taken on more duties as the position has evolved since
being removed from the oversight of the Foundation. It is vitally important that the
person in this position be able to establish and maintain donor relations. It really needs to
be a coordinator position.
Federal law required all student loans be offered through the Federal Direct Loan
program beginning in July 2010. This was another big change that impacted workload
and required adjustments of workflow, student and staff education and training. We are
still working through issues with this change and will not fully realize the changes until
we have gone through a full year’s cycle of processing and reconciliation.
We continue to be in a fortunate position as we receive Board Financial Assistance
Program (BFAP) funding that enables us to adequately fund most of our operational
needs. The continued decrease of district funding; however, will be a problem if we are
unable to meet the maintenance of effort required in order to maintain funding for this
program.
Morale continues to be a significant issue. Maintaining a positive attitude when dealing
with complex regulations, students who are often angry and unprepared, the sheer
number of not only students, but also new programs and sites, yet fewer resources to
provide necessary services is difficult to say the least. We work on ways to cope with
stress and encourage staff to ‘take care of themselves’ but it is not easy to do under these
circumstances. We need to be able to more effectively prioritize duties to ensure that
student needs are met, yet staff members are not expected to meet unrealistic demands
and workload.
If your answer is “no,” please consider the following in framing your answer:
a. Has the workload of your unit increased in recent years? Do you anticipate the
workload will increase, decrease or remain constant in the upcoming one to three
years? Is this a temporary situation?
b. Has technology made it possible to do more work with the same staff? Or, has
technology increased your work load (adding web features which need updating
for example)?
c. Does the workload have significant peaks and valleys during the fiscal year? If
so, describe.
d. If your workload is increasing and resources will not allow for increased staffing,
how do you anticipate being able to ameliorate the negative consequences of too
much work and maintain a positive atmosphere in your unit?
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5/29/2016
Unit Name: _____Financial Aid/Veterans/Scholarships____________________________________
2. Staff Needs
NEW OR REPLACEMENT STAFF (Administrative or Classified)
List Staff Positions Needed for Academic Year 2011-2012
Please be as specific and as brief as possible when offering a reason. Place titles on list in order (rank) or
importance.
1. Permanent .5 FTE position in Veterans Office
Reason: the number of students utilizing veteran educational benefits and the complexity of the programs
continues to increase each year. A permanent staff member dedicated to the program is essential to
adequately serve this important population of students. The Veterans Administration recommends one FTE
staff be assigned for every 100 students served by the VA. Continuing to use temporary employees only
perpetuates the problem of inconsistent information and requires continual retraining. The specific and
complex regulations that vary widely between financial aid and veteran programs make it extremely difficult
to combine the programs effectively. Additionally, veterans need someone with whom they can build trust
and who has experience working with combat veterans.
2. Help Desk Operator
Reason: The change to email notifications and more online services, such as the CR Access Card,
‘MyCR’ and increased web registration requires that students be able to call for assistance with passwords
and gaining access to the various online systems. Hiring a help desk operator will assist both on-campus
students and distance learners and ensure students are able to access the services in a timely manner.
Additional staff is required to be able to manage the volume of student calls, which have increased
dramatically.
Annual TCP*
TCP for employee
Could be covered
w/BFAP funding
$
$46,120 Salary and
Benefits
18
$46,120 Salary and Benefits (each)
3.Positions for one-stop office
Reason: the new Student Services/Admin Bldg. was planned for a more ‘one-stop’ office for student
services. Currently discussions on how this area will function are occurring, at this time the specifics are
unknown as to whom will oversee the area and what duties will be incorporated in this area. At a minimum
two Student Services Specialists I are needed to ensure student access and continued student success. To
provide the highest level of service to our students, these positions should be .50 Admissions and .50
Financial Aid.
4.Replacement of retiring employee at Del Norte Campus
Reason: this position processes financial aid applications for Del Norte and KT students. It is essential to
providing timely and accurate financial aid to students from those areas. It is highly recommended that this
position be filled prior to the current specialist retiring. The distance from the Eureka Campus makes
training difficult and expensive. Allowing the current person to begin the intensive training required would
enable a more smooth transition for students.
$47,591 salary and
benefits
5. A second transcript evaluator
55,832 Salary and
Reason: While this position does not report to Financial aid, the duties of a 2nd evaluator are essential for
Benefits
financial aid processing. Transcripts from other institutions must be accurately evaluated and entered into
Datatel in order to properly determine a financial aid student’s progress toward his/her program. Currently
we use all prior units in this calculation, which does not accurately reflect the units that are applicable only to
the student’s current academic program. This ‘artificially’ inflates the number of students in excess unit
status.
6.
Reason:
* TCP = “Total Cost of Position” for one year is the cost of an average salary plus benefits for an individual. New positions (not replacement positions) also
require space and equipment. Please speak with the Business Officer to obtain accurate cost estimates. Please be sure to add related office space, equipment and
other needs for new positions to the appropriate form and mention the link to the position.
12
Unit Name: ________Financial Aid/Scholarships/Veterans________________________
3. Furniture and Equipment (excluding major technological items) Needs Not Covered by Current Budget
List Equipment or Equipment Repair Needed for Academic Year_______
Please list/summarize the needs of your unit on your campus below. Please be
as specific and as brief as possible. Place items on list in order (rank) or
importance.
Annual TCO*
Cost per
item
Number
Requested
Total Cost of Request
1. Unable to determine until we move into the new building
Reason:
2.
Reason:
3.
Reason:
4.
Reason:
5.
Reason:
6.
Reason:
* TCO = “Total Cost of Ownership” for one year is the cost of an average cost for one year. Please speak with the Business Officer to obtain accurate cost
estimates. Please be sure to check with your department chair to clarify what you current budget allotment are. If equipment needs are linked to a position
please be sure to mention that linkage.
13
Unit Name: _________________________________________
4. Technology++ Needs Not Covered by Current Budget:
NOTE: Technology; excludes software, network infrastructure, furniture, and consumables (toner, cartridges, etc)
Submitted by:
Title:
Phone:
Annual TCO*
Priority
EQUIPMENT REQUESTED
New (N) or
Replacem
ent (R)?
Program:
New (N) or
Continuing
(C) ?
Location
(i.e Office,
Classroom
, etc.)
Is there
existing
Infrastructure
?
How many
users
served?
Has it been
repaired
frequently?
Cost per
item
Number
Requested
Total Cost of
Request
1.
Usage /
Justification
2.
Usage /
Justification
3.
Usage /
Justification
4.
Usage /
Justification
5.
Usage /
Justification
 TCO = “Total Cost of Ownership” for one year is the cost of an average cost for one year. Please speak with the Business Officer to obtain accurate
cost estimates. Please be sure to check with your department chair to clarify what you current budget allotment are. If equipment needs are linked to a
position please be sure to mention that linkage.
 ++Technology is (1) equipment that attaches to a computer, or (2) a computer is needed to drive the equipment.
14
Unit Name: __________________Financial Aid/Veterans/Scholarships_______________________
5. Facilities Needs Not Covered by Current Building or Remodeling Projects*
Annual TCO*
List Facility Needs for Academic Year____2010-11______________
(Remodels, Renovations or added new facilities) Place items on list in order (rank) or
importance.
Total Cost of Request
1.
Reason: unable to determine until we move into new building
2.
Reason:
3.
Reason:
4.
Reason:
5.
Reason:
6.
Reason:
*Please speak with the Business Officer to obtain accurate cost estimates and to learn if the facilities you need are already in the planning stages.
15
Unit Name: _________________________________________
6. Professional or Organizational Development Needs Not Covered by Current Budget*
List Professional Development Needs for Academic
Year___________________. Please be as specific and as brief as possible. Some
items may not have a cost per se, but reflect the need to spend current staff time
differently. Place items on list in order (rank) or importance.
Annual TCO*
Cost per
item
Number
Requested
Total Cost of Request
1.
Reason:
2.
Reason:
3.
Reason:
4.
Reason:
5.
Reason:
6.
Reason:
*It is recommended that you speak with Human Resources to see if your request can be met with current budget.
16
Unit Name: _________________________________________
7. OTHER NEEDS not covered by current budget
List Other Needs for Academic Year___________________
Please list/summarize the needs of your unit on your campus below. Please be as
specific and as brief as possible. Not all needs will have a cost, but may require a
reallocation of current staff time. Place items on list in order (rank) or importance.
Annual TCO*
Cost per
item
Number
Requested
Total Cost of Request
1.
Reason:
2.
Reason:
3.
Reason:
4.
Reason:
5.
Reason:
6.
Reason:
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5/29/2016
III. Recommendations
Vice President’s Recommendation
The department is to be recognized for its dedication to students and staff. The
department’s financial literacy programming, one on one service for students, debt
management presentations in the orientations, and commitment to continuously improve
financial processes, and continued outreach to our high schools is commendable.
Accomplishing all of this while serving an increasing number of students is phenomenal.
This comprehensive program review document clearly shows that customer service in the
department’s top priority.
The department will be asked to:
1) Continue strengthening the satisfactory academic progress process and
2) Reduce the loan default rate from 18.3%. The statewide average for 2 year
colleges is 10.1%. Starting 2014, we will be held accountable for the percentage
of students defaulting within the first three years (2 years currently). We may see
an over 75% increase in the default rate with the new federal calculation and may
face sanctions. Future actions may include:
a. Continue developing web-based programs to enhance student’s
responsibility;
b. Work with faculty to include financial literacy in class presentations if
appropriate;
c. Work with advising to track and intervene with students at risk of
dropping; and
d. Maintain contact with students after they leave the college to remind them
about the importance of loan repayment.
Keith Snow-Flamer
Vice President’s Signature
January 20, 2011
Date
18