What does a Business Need and Want
from their Financial Aid Office?
Hal Deuser
Assistant Bursar
Webster University
Why the Business Office has Needs &
Wants from their Financial Aid Office?
• Students and parents perceive our offices as
essentially the same, even though with very
different tasks, responsibilities, and missions
• Today’s students and parents see themselves as
customers expecting and demanding coordinated
and efficient student financial services
• A student’s account balance is funded for
many/most of our students in large part by
Financial Aid
What We Need and Want!
• A general understanding and full access to each
other’s screens and systems
• The more we know of each other’s screens,
systems, policies, and procedures, the better we
can serve our students and our schools in a focus
to maximize and streamline our financial services
• Stop our too frequent phone transfers in a goal to
stop the resulting frustration of our students and
parents
– answer in just one call, both aid and bill questions
• Close location of our two offices is needed to improve our
inter-dependent student financial services’ efficiencies and
coordination, no trekking across campus for that “other”
student financial service office
– Results in improved service as well as staff efficiency and
communication
– More quickly resolves student and staff issues
– Builds a common mission focus and understanding of each
office’s people, demands, tasks, policies, and procedures
• Joint training and mentoring to ensure that each’s office’s
systems, policies, and procedures are known (at least more
than only familiar), generally understood with a go to
mentor for ongoing questions and answers, and a general
appreciation by the staff that jointly deliver our school’s
student financial services
• Shared Goals and Mutual Respect
– Mutual respect is more important than reporting lines
and fosters support instead of competition, finger
pointing, and that nasty, self defeating blame game
– To serve our school’s Mission, an appreciation and
understanding of each office’s role in delivering our
school’s Mission leads to greater efficiency,
coordination, student service, job satisfaction, not to
mention better retention and graduation rates
– Our staffs know what is wrong, what needs fixing, as
well as how to fix it in order to improve our joint
services
– We are our school’s student financial service experts,
We need to work together towards our common goals
• Service to Students is Job #1!
– What is essential to maximize our student financial
services, what can be eliminated, and what should be
added or modified, just ask your staff
– Student Financial Service printed and like web
information should be succinct, complete, attractive,
and easily understandable
– What are our most frequent questions and
complaints, fix accordingly
– Fewer incomplete financial aid applications = fewer
unpaid student account balances = less problems, less
interruptions, and angry students/parents = greater
efficiency and greater value to your schools and
certainly better secure job security and job
satisfaction
Tips to Maximize Your Joint Student Financial Services
With Your Financial Aid Office and Staff
• Learn the job responsibilities and role of your Financial Aid Office
and staff
• Do not be afraid to ask questions
• Take the Initiative
• Meet regularly
• Communicate, plan, and collaborate regularly
• Keep your commitments and meet deadlines
• Share updates and ask questions on regulatory and legislative policy
changes and all related need to know
• Avoid the use of jargon and encourage likewise from your financial
aid colleagues
• Be patient, it is a nasty financial aid jungle out there
• Acknowledge and appreciate their efforts
YOUR
COMMENTS – QUESTIONS
THANK YOU!