standing firm in the winds of change: a p&p manual lisanne masterson director, financial aid...
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Standing Firm in the Winds of Change: A P&P Manual
Lisanne Masterson
Director, Financial Aid
Brevard College
828-884-8287
Agenda
A Policy & Procedures Manual– Who? Where? Why?
What Is Required? What Are The Obstacles?
How Do You Get Started?
Updating
Definitions
POLICY Answers the “what” and “why”; influences procedures
PROCEDUREAnswers the “how”
Why Have a P&P Manual?
8. To Keep You On Your Toes9. To Let You Sleep At Night10. To Keep Administration Away11. To Keep Your School Compliant12. To Run An Efficient & Effective Office13. To Keep The “Feds” Happy14. To Keep Your Job1. It’s Required
“Real” Reasons For A P&P Manual
Training Consistency Clarification Communication Compliance Documentation
Who Needs To Be Involved?
Financial Aid Director Financial Aid Staff Academic Affairs Bursar (Finance Office) Athletics Housing Administration
Where To House Your P&P?
Make sure it is accessible to all staff– Hard Copy– Electronic Copy
Decide on access rights
Notify other offices of any changes
Making Choices
Determine what works best for your institution– Size– Type– Organization
Assign tasks– Who works on what portion of the manual
(provides sense of ownership, opportunity for cooperation)
Decide on Required Vs. Optional Parts
What Is It Based Upon?
Federal laws and regulations
State laws and regulations
Institutional policies and definitions
Required Policies & Procedures
FA Applications/Forms Verification Establishing Costs of Attendance Awarding/Packaging Aid Professional Judgment Disbursements Satisfactory Academic Progress Withdrawals Refunds Fraud
Example - Verification
You MUST have written policies & procedures for:– Deadlines for submitting documentation– How you will notify students of changes– How corrections will be made– How you will calculate the AGI & Tax Paid for a single parent
from a joint return– How you handle tax extensions & follow-up re-verification
You should describe how you will collect the information (use ED’s worksheet or create an institutional form)
Getting Started
Obstacles– Time– Fear
Size of Task, Doing It Wrong, Missing Something
Tips– Don’t Start From Scratch– Plan Ahead– Take One Step At A Time– Distinguish Between Required and Optional
Where Do You Go?
Document What You Are Currently Doing Old Manuals, Memos, Emails, Current P&Ps
State Agency Colleagues NASFAA’s Policies & Procedures Tools
Introduction and Instructions Formulating, Implementing & Evaluating P&Ps Template for your Policies & Procedures Manual Regulatory Resources Guide
Step 1
Review current policies– Can they be improved?– Work with other offices– Are changes necessary/encouraged?
Review current procedures– If changes are needed,
policy & procedure must go hand in hand “say what you do” and then “do what you say” write in all exceptions to the rules
Step 2
Your design should flow easily
Choose your wording carefully
Remember your users
Include all exceptions
Make uniform format changes
NASFAA’s Model
www.nasfaa.org NASFAA Resources (right hand side) “Management” “Policies and Procedures Tool”
Introduction and Instructions Formulating, Implementing & Evaluating P&Ps Template for your Policies & Procedures Manual Regulatory Resources Guide
Updating
Review Annually
Make Automatic Adjustments
Be Aware of Institutional Policy Changes
Notify Appropriate Offices/Personnel
Keep It Current
Questions