Creating a Professional Development and Human Development Roadmap for Yourself and Your Staff Michael J. Bennett, Associate Vice President Financial Assistance Services, St. Petersburg College
Session Description Provide a comprehensive sample professional development roadmap in Excel format for immediate customization for your office Examine the human development traits necessary for a career in financial aid administration Building a Financial Aid Family
St. Petersburg College Financial Assistance Services 32,500 students, 9 campuses Established in 1927, Florida s first community college 2001 first two-year college to offer 4 year degrees (25%) 70% Independent, 30% Dependent Financial Aid stats Financial Aid applicants 42,000 Financial Aid recipients 24,000 % of enrolled students who receive financial aid 67% Disbursed - $168 M (Stafford Loans - $92 M) 59 FAS staff 47 full-time, 12 part-time and 10 FWS students
SPC FAS Org Chart
SPC FAS our team!
SPC FAS 17 systems!
SPC FAS Outsourcing Blackboard Call Center ProEd Work files for Verification, SAP Appeals, Pell Grant and Direct Loan reconciliation $89,000 per year i3 Group Default Prevention Outbound phone calls to delinquent borrowers Online portal for students fatv Online financial aid videos available 24/7 Embedded on financial aid site on most pages Updated continuously for new regs/rules/yearly updates
Leadership What is a leader? Someone with a vision and passion Leaders have the ability to influence and motivate others to do their best to accomplish any task, goal or project Financial Aid leaders are willing to fight for long-standing financial aid principles and for what s best for financial aid students and staff
Difference between a leader and a manager Leader Has Vision, thinks globally Inspires co-workers Empowers people Questions established procedures Takes calculated risks Manager Administers Relies on control Uses established policies Is problem solver Weekly Lync calls?
SPC FAS Waterskiing Metaphor Leading and Following Wherever the leader goes, the follower goes If the leader steers the boat into an area where there are 3 feet reeds, the following can: Let go of the tow line On your own in the middle of the lake! Become a better skier ski out beyond the boat s wake, avoiding the reeds I m looking for good water skiers!
SPC growth and success initiative Moving from Evaluation to Growth and Success How you can grow Direct ongoing feedback How do we maintain work\life balance? How do we recognize, appreciate and trust you? How do we make a difference for the students we serve?
SPC FAS PLUM TREE MODEL
Ideas for Roadmap Wrap up meetings What were challenging issues? What could improve our services? What went well? Who should be recognized for their efforts?
Training and Professional Development FAS New Employee Orientation 150 activities for first 2 weeks 67 SPC Skillport courses 30 ProEd Solutions courses and assessments FREE 22 NASFAA University courses online and self-study - $ 300 to $ 500 per course Ongoing webinars FSA Training and Assessment 3 FSA Coach Curriculums, 1 Assessment 12 areas of default prevention 17 FA Data Systems to master
Training & Professional Development roadmap (continued) 54 FAS Policies and Procedure manuals reviewed and updated yearly 28 other resources Internal training (bi-weekly) developed by FA leadership and Staff Participation stored in Access database Ongoing Half-hour on line Lync followed up be hour long in person Conferences, Regional and New Aid Training past 5 Years 2-page written report - Full Conferences 103, Daily Conference 54, Workshops - 45 Presentations will be placed on FAS shared drive for easy access by all
Training/Outreach Events
Roadmap examples
NASFAA Training
Policies and Procedure Manuals 54
What You Should Be Reading! Online feeds Books NASFAA News Chronicle of Education American Association of Community College Achieving the Dream Lumina National Association of University Business Officers Institution feeds Orbiting the Giant Hairball Gordon MacKenzie Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action Simon Sinek American Higher Education in Crisis? What Everyone Needs to Know Goldie Blumenstyk Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent Sydney Finkelstein The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals Chris McChesney Shawn Covey and Jim Huling College Disrupted Ryan Craig
SPC FAS Travel Expenses - $ 35,000
Relationship Building STEPS TO ENSURE SUCCESS Manage the President and other superiors in Administration Share your Professional Development Roadmap Invite them to meetings Don t be afraid to communicate your successes, no matter how small Form direct relationships with other offices Send follow-up Thank You notes when and where appropriate 24
FAS Core Beliefs We believe that a student should have a clear career goal and a Learning Plan Activities Complete My Learning Plan Distribute Learning Plan buckslip We believe that students should do their very best in their classes, be aware of support systems to help them, and be fully informed of what happens when they do not do well academically. Activities SPC Staff - SAP and Academic Standing Training Students Show them Self-Serve SAP Screen and SAP on FAS Web site
FAS Core Beliefs (continued) We believe that students should learn and understand the financial aid process and know the importance of filing and registering on time and reading and responding to important email Activities Smart Start SLS class presentations Large group presentations We believe that students should avoid student loans if possible. When borrowing, they should borrow as little as possible Activities Debt & Default Prevention sessions Large group presentations Distribute iontuition buckslip
FAS Core Beliefs (continued) We believe our First Generation students need extra help and attention on how to navigate student services and plan for college expenses Activities All staff will make an extra effort to make a personal connection with First Generation students Staff will provide students with their business card for future questions or help
Outreach Outreach events include: Smart Start FAFSA Nights Welcome Back events SLS classroom presentations Debt & default management presentations & events FASFAA, SASFAA & NASFAA presentations (Florida, southern and national financial aid associations) Staff trainings Many, many more
Outreach (continued) Employees enter outreach events into a master database 2013-14: 217 events reaching 8306 people 2014-15: 172 events reaching 9986 people 2015-16 so far: 71 events reaching 4335 people
Tampa Bay Student Loan Consortium St. Petersburg College Saint Leo University National Aviation Academy Stetson Law State College of Florida University of Tampa Everest University Keiser University University of South Florida USF St. Petersburg Eckerd College Hillsborough Community College
2015-16 Communications Website 136 changes 454,188 visits 12,006 fatv videos watched Social Media 5 Facebook posts 136 tweets
2015-16 Communications, continued Printed collateral 14 types (107,557 copies)
Achieving the Dream Student Financial Empowerment Project $25,000 grant will be used to enhance existing It s MY FUTURE! efforts On campus Welcome Back events 54 events over 2 years Benefit where to go for answes Speed dating events 54 events over 2 years Benefits completed Learning Plan, knowledge of anticipated student loan debt and monthly payment amount, iontuition TM registration and where to go for answers Presentations to graduating students 8 events over 2 years Benefits knowledge of student loan repayment and where to go for answers Give-aways Keytags Squeezies USB drives Scholarship SPC will offer one $500 scholarship per term Up to five entries per student per term
2014 Top 5 conditions by paid amount 1. Hypertension (high blood pressure) - $4.2 M 2. Hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) - $3.5 M 3. Nonspecific Gastritis/Dyspepsia (heartburn & related conditions) - $2.29 M 4. Diabetes - $1.9 M 5. Depression - $1.5 M 35
Care and Feeding of FAS Staff Fight for Higher Salaries! Resources to do their job Computers, ipads, FWS student Working from home Schedule flexibility Family FIRST! We like to EAT! We like to CELEBRATE! We work hard, and we play hard! Important things in life happen on a relationship level
Important Conversations with Staff What do you like about your job? What do you like about the college? What is ONE thing you would like me to change? How do you feel about.. Our Work Environment and Campus Culture Shared Ideas, Training and Knowledge Communication with each other, campus\district, students Respect, Accountability, Responsibility
OUR FAS FAMILY
Did we make you smile today?
Did we make you smile today?
Professional Development - Leadership Wayne Kruger FASFAA Past-President & New Aid Officer Workshop - presenter FABSA State Meeting Federal/State update SASFAA Secretary Todd Smith Leadership St. Pete FASFAA Regional Workshop & FABSA State Meeting presenter
Professional Development - Leadership Lee Ann Wolfenden NASPA (Student Affairs) presenter FASFAA Executive Board Conference Chair Kim Phillips NASFAA 2013 Gold Star Award received by FASFAA for incorporating Clock Hour programs on Executive Board in collaboration with USDOE/Florida Department of Education, can be used by other state associations FASFAA Executive Board Clock Hour Committee Chair & Conference Chair
BIO Michael Bennett Associate VP, FAS Employed in the education field for 40 years, 36 years in higher education Worked as a high school English teacher, Guidance Counselor, coach, Admissions Representative, College Counselor, Adjunct Professor and Financial Aid Administrator Employed at Gloucester County College, Monmouth University, New Jersey Department of Higher Education, Brookdale Community College all were Union environments Consulted at over 20 institutions CORE VALUE What s Best for STUDENTS?
Promoting SPC/Access to higher education Michael Bennett Associate VP, FAS NASFAA National Chair, served on Board of Directors 10 years Commission Director, Regional President, Rep-at-Large Chair, Innovative Learning Models and Student Financial Aid Taskforce Witness for the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training Sallie Mae Financial Aid Advisory Board Eastern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators President New Jersey Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators President The College Board National/Regional Council Community College Advisory Panel Presenter 20 NJASFAA conferences & 10 EASFAA conferences Presenter PowerFAIDS National Conference 7 years Leadership Awards State, Region, National and Board of Trustee