Do your financial aid award strategies reflect and complement the mission and goals of your institution?
That's the question presenters David B. Jonson, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at Indiana University, and Gerald Hector, Chief Financial Officer at Ithaca College, asked attendees in their session “Access and Success: Chief Enrollment and Financial Officers Bridge the Gap" at the AACRAO Annual Meeting in Phoenix.
“Higher education today is going through a transformation,” Hector said. “There is a need for a greater understanding for how we finance our institutions.”
Both presenters emphasized the need for collaboration between chief enrollment and financial officers as well as the sharing of information with the greater campus community.
“You cannot be a leader on the campus, regardless of your department, and not understand how the world is changed,” Hector added.
Johnson discussed the complementary yet competing goals facing enrollment and financial aid officers, such as quality, diversity, and affordability. Other topics presented included the role of affordability in selecting a college, net tuition discounting, endowment support, and specific programs for filling financial aid gaps.