/PRNewswire / -- An additional 8,722 students in Georgia would receive Pell Grants if excessive lender subsidies are cut, according to a new report released today by the Campaign for America's Future. Today's report shows that this simple change would provide an average Pell Grant of $3,010 to about 181,580 students across the state.
With the average cost of tuition at a public college in Georgia increasing by 19 percent between 2000 and 2007 and up 6 percent in the last year alone, President Obama's budget calls for a cut in lender subsidies to make the financial aid system more efficient.
Campaign for America's Future co-director Robert Borosage said the president's budget proposals would make major changes to the federal financial aid system so more families can pay for college.
"Family incomes and college grants haven't kept pace with soaring tuition costs," said Borosage. "No student should be priced out of the college they need to succeed in the modern economy. With more and more high school graduates putting off higher education because they can't afford it, the president's budget would help provide the change students and families need."
The college affordability proposals in the president's budget would increase and expand Pell Grants and Perkins loans, make the American Opportunity Tax Credit permanent, broaden the U.S. Department of Education Direct Loan program, phase out bank loan subsidies and create state and federal partnerships to help students complete their college education.
**NOTE: An electronic copy of the Georgia college aid report is available at www.ourfuture.org/collegeaid2010.**
BACKGROUND ON COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY PROVISIONS IN PRESIDENT OBAMA'S BUDGET
President Obama's budget addresses both the immediate economic concerns as they relate to higher education as well as sets the stage for future higher education investment and success.
INCREASES THE MAXIMUM PELL GRANT TO $5,550, MAKES PELL GRANT FUNDING MANDATORY, AND KEEPS FUTURE INCREASES TIED TO INFLATION.
Nearly 5.6 million students from low and moderate income households are able to attend college this year due in part to Pell grants. Originally designed to cover 80% of the cost of college, Pell grants currently cover just 1/3 of the cost. Presently, Pell grant funding is discretionary and determined by the annual budget process. The budget will make Pell grant funding mandatory to help eliminate uncertainty and prevent funding shortfalls. The budget also increases the Pell grant maximum to $5,550 for the 2010-11 school year and indexes the maximum grant to grow with inflation in the future.
MAKES THE PARTIALLY REFUNDABLE $2,500 AMERICAN OPPORTUNITY TAX CREDIT PERMANENT
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created a new partially refundable $2,500 American Opportunity Tax Credit over the next two years to provide a tax break to millions of families, including low-income families who don't pay taxes and therefore currently get no tax relief for college. Up to $1,000 of the credit is refundable for low-income families, and the credit itself is phased-out for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income is in excess of $80,000 ($160,000 for married couples filing jointly.) The budget proposal makes the American Opportunity Tax Credit permanent.
BROADENS THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DIRECT LOAN PROGRAM AND PHASES OUT THE FFEL PROGRAM
There are two federal student loan programs -- the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program and the Direct Loan program. FFEL loans are federally guaranteed loans issued by banks and other lenders, who are provided subsidies by the federal government for providing the loans. The tightening of credit markets essentially made the FFEL program untenable on its own last year prior to the passage of the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act. The proposed budget would end the FFEL program and subsidies to lenders on all federal student loans beginning in July 2010. The Direct Loan program, which has operated successfully since 1994, issues loans directly from the U.S. Department of Education. Transitioning entirely to the Direct Loan program is projected to save taxpayers $4 billion a year that can be used for increased student aid, rather than lender subsidies.
EXPANDS AND MODERNIZES THE PERKINS LOAN PROGRAM.
Perkins Loans are low-interest federal loans available to students enrolled in a participating college or university with a demonstrated exceptional financial need not met by Pell grants or other federal loans. Currently, only 1,800 out of 4,400 institutions participate in the Perkins loan program. The budget proposal would seek to make Perkins Loans available to more than double the number of institutions it currently serves. The budget would also increase funding for Perkins Loans by $5 billion -- up from the current $1 billion available in Perkins Loan aid. President Obama also proposes restructuring the program to provide an estimated 2.7 million additional students with the average Perkins Loan each year -- a five-fold increase over the current 500,000 students receiving Perkins Loans.
IMPROVES COLLEGE COMPLETION THROUGH STATE-FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP
The budget provides for a five-year, $2.5 billion fund available to states for innovative programs and research aimed at improving college success and completion rates, particularly among students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
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Friday, March 27, 2009
New Report: Obama Budget Proposes Direct College Aid for 8,722 More Students in Georgia
Friday, November 21, 2008
Mercer Men's Basketball Ranked No. 1 Nationally in RPI
After downing Southeastern Conference opponents Alabama and Auburn in a four-day span and starting the 2008-09 campaign with an unblemished 3-0 record for the first time since 1984, the Mercer men’s basketball team has been rewarded with the top spot in CollegeRPI.com’s rankings.
The College RPI takes into account a team's winning percentage (25%), its opponents' winning percentage (50%), and the winning percentage of those opponents' opponents (25%) when ranking every team in the nation. The Bears check in ahead of every traditional Division I roundball powerhouse in the country for the first time since the inception of the Ratings Percentage Index in 1981.
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
University System of Georgia Fall Enrollment Increases 4.8 Percent
Enrollment Reaches All-Time High Approaching 283,000 Students
When the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents adopted a new strategic plan in August 2007, the plan predicted an additional 100,000 students enrolling in Georgia’s 35 public colleges and universities by 2020. The numbers in the board’s fall 2008 enrollment report, released today, show the system is on track to reach and perhaps surpass that prediction, with a record 282,978 students.
And 46,711 of those students this fall are first-time freshmen. This group increased 9.6 percent over fall 2007 and is evidence of the increasing demand on public higher education resources by Georgians.
The overall numbers represent a gain of 12,956 students from fall 2007, or an increase of 4.8 percent. This follows a gain of 10,077 students from fall 2006 to fall 2007. To put the gains in perspective, the USG has grown by 32,319 students, or 12.9 percent, in the last five years.
“We have added the equivalent of another University of Georgia to the system over the past five years,” said USG Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. “This represents significant growth, during a period in which we are challenged to serve more students at a high level of quality with diminished resources.” For example, a new USG analysis shows that the number of faculty and staff in the system to serve students has decreased by 18 percent per 1000 students from fall 2000 to fall 2007, while over the same period, enrollment increased 31.5 percent.
An analysis of the numbers shows two key developments, says Dr. Cathie Mayes Hudson, vice chancellor for Research and Policy Analysis. “First is that the regents’ strategic goal of meeting capacity by increasing enrollment at the state and two-year colleges is producing results. And second is that the System increasingly reflects the state population in terms of the diversity of the student body.”
In the first example, Hudson is referring to a decision by the board to increase access to the System’s eight state colleges and eight two-year colleges. State college enrollment grew by 6.1 percent, while two-year college enrollment grew by 8.4 percent, both well above the USG average of 4.8 percent. Some of the biggest enrollment percentage gains were at these types of institutions. For example, from fall 2007 to fall 2008, enrollment growth was in the double-digits at:
Atlanta Metropolitan College, up 19.1 percent to 2,241 students;
Bainbridge College, up 16.2 percent to 3,091 students;
East Georgia College, up 28.6 percent to 2,555 students;
Gainesville State College, up 10.2 percent to 8,238 students; and
Georgia Gwinnett College, up 98.4 percent to 1,563 students.
Two state universities also have experienced double digit growth from fall 2007 to fall 2008. Fort Valley State University is up 21 percent to 3,106 students and Georgia Southwestern State University is up 13 percent to 2,717 students.
But overall in the System’s 13 state universities, growth was smaller, at 5 percent, which is in line with the Strategic Plan that calls for more modest enrollment growth in this sector. And at the two regional universities – Georgia Southern University and Valdosta State University, enrollment grew 4 percent from fall 2007 to fall 2008, for a combined student body of 29,254.
Enrollment increased at the four research universities by just 2.6 percent – again, right in line with the objectives of the Strategic Plan to shift enrollment to the System’s four- and two-year institutions. Among the four research universities, Georgia State University posted the largest percentage increase, of 4 percent, to a fall 2008 enrollment of 28,229 students. Right behind Georgia State in the percentage increase in enrollment is the Georgia Institute of Technology, with a 3.6 percent increase in enrollment, to 19,424 students. The Medical College of Georgia saw its enrollment increase 2 percent, to 2,919, and the University of Georgia’s enrollment grew 1 percent, to 34,180 students.
The increasing diversity of the USG student population is central to the board’s second goal in its strategic plan. According to 2000 U.S. Census data, Georgia’s African-American population was 29.2 percent, and Hispanic population was 5.3 percent, with the Asian population at 2.4 percent. The numbers in the fall 2008 enrollment report reflect progress in increasing access to the USG by underserved groups, said Hudson.
African-American enrollment increased by 7.5 percent, or 4,878 additional students from fall 2007 to fall 2008. African-American enrollment now stands at 69,771 students, or 24.7 percent of the total enrollment. And African-American student enrollment growth rates have exceeded the total student growth rates for several years: the five-year growth rate is 18.7 percent, and the 10-year rate is an increase of 60.7 percent.
Likewise, the report shows Hispanic enrollment up 12 percent in fall 2008 over last year, to a total this fall of 9,874 students. This year’s gains mirror a 12.6 percent increase from fall 2006 to fall 2007, and reflect the continued growth in the number of Hispanics seeking greater opportunities through higher education. Hispanics now represent 3.5 percent of all USG students.
The enrollment of Asian/Pacific Islander students increased by 6.5 percent, or 1,087 students from fall 2007 to fall 2008 to a total of 17,805 students. This group represents 6.3 percent of all students.
Looking at gender, 57.7 percent – 163,320 students – of the USG student body is female. However, the growth rate for male students, at 5.3 percent from fall 2007 to fall 2008, exceeded that of female students, at 4.4 percent. Eleven USG institutions have more than 65 percent female enrollment.
The system’s full-time equivalent enrollment (FTE) for fall 2008 is 247,168, an increase of 5.1 percent over fall 2007, adding 11,982 more FTE students. This increase is above the overall enrollment increase of 4.8 percent, which indicates that more students are taking additional hours of courses, compared to students in fall 2007.
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Saturday, November 1, 2008
Keep Your Money in Your Pocket: November is National Scholarship Month and the Ideal Time to Plan How to Pay for College
(BUSINESS WIRE)--As economic reports signal a national recession and consumers look to cut back on spending, scholarships are an ever-more important way to pay for college. Unlike other forms of financial aid, scholarships do not have to be repaid. November is National Scholarship Month and the ideal time for students to research the college scholarships that meet their needs.
Sallie Mae’s recent study on How America Pays for College, conducted by Gallup, found that 17 percent of students used scholarships to pay for college last year and that the average family covered 15 percent of the cost of college using a combination of grants and scholarships.
Scholarship awards range from a few dollars to a full tuition bill and are offered by private sources, such as The Sallie Mae Fund, in addition to federal and state governments. Students and parents can quickly identify the scholarships they may be eligible for by using Sallie Mae’s free online Scholarship Search, which includes information about more than 2.9 million scholarships worth more than $16 billion in scholarship dollars. The Scholarship Search is available at www.SallieMae.com/scholarships and through a new “widget” that allows any organization -- including high schools, colleges and other community organizations -- to easily make the free tool accessible on the organization’s own Web site. Organizations can visit www.SallieMae.com/widget and simply copy and paste the code into any page on their own Web site.
Families can see the value of scholarship contributions by using Sallie Mae’s Education Investment Planner (www.SallieMae.com/plan) to customize their own pay-for-college plan. Using the Planner, families may estimate the total cost of a college degree, build a plan to pay for college, and estimate the salary a graduate would need to keep repayment of student loans manageable. Sallie Mae’s Education Investment Planner helps families understand the total cost of college and how to pay for it without going beyond their means.
“In tough economic times like these, now is not the time to overpay for anything, particularly college,” said Martha Holler, spokeswoman, Sallie Mae. “With a little bit of extra effort, students will find that scholarships can help them keep more of their money in their own pocket.”
Scholarships are a key part of Sallie Mae’s 1-2-3 approach to paying for college: first, use free money by filling out the FAFSA to access need-based grants, research and apply for scholarships, and supplement with current income, college savings, and an interest-free monthly tuition payment plan. Second, explore federal loans, which offer fixed interest rates and flexible repayment options for students and parents. Third, consider covering any remaining unmet need with private education loans.
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Friday, October 17, 2008
Sallie Mae Offers Tips, Tools for Successful Student Loan Repayment
(BUSINESS WIRE)--Another important milestone is approaching for last spring’s college graduates – at least those who took out student loans. As the end of the six-month, post-school student loan grace period approaches, Sallie Mae offers tips and tools to help newly minted alumni begin student loan repayment and build a healthy credit history.
“I was able to pay down part of the principal balance of my loans every month, and at one point, I even increased my monthly payment,” said Sallie Mae customer, Coelise Martin Taleb, now a registered nurse. “I also want to buy a house one day and realize that good credit is the way to accomplish this goal.”
In addition to a standard repayment plan that allows federal student loan customers to make level payments of principal and interest over a 10-year repayment term, Sallie Mae offers graduated repayment, extended repayment and income-sensitive repayment options to allow consumers to customize their federal student loan payments to suit their financial situation. To help make repayment even simpler, Sallie Mae gives customers the convenience of one bill for all of their Sallie Mae-serviced loans, including their private loans, so they can make a single monthly payment.
Sallie Mae offers these 5 tips to help customers get off on the right path for student loan repayment:
Automatic debit: Set up monthly loan payments with automatic debit as an easy way to make on-time payments. Your monthly student loan payments are electronically deducted from your checking or savings account, saving you time and stamps.
Run the numbers: Sallie Mae's Loan Repayment Calculator estimates the monthly payments and total interest costs under the different repayment plans available. Before selecting a repayment plan, run the numbers and see which repayment plan gives you a monthly payment that fits into your budget.
Link your loan to Upromise: Join Upromise, then link your Sallie Mae loan account to your Upromise account and use your Upromise rewards to transfer savings automatically to help pay down your eligible Sallie Mae student loans. Upromise helps students and families save money for education expenses by earning rewards on everyday purchases from participating companies. Visit www.SallieMae.com/upromise to learn more.
Stay in touch: Immediately notify your student loan servicer(s) of any change to your name, address, telephone number, employer, or Social Security number. This will ensure that you receive all communication from your loan provider and that you are aware of your payment amount, payment due date and repayment options.
Prepay or pay extra when possible: You may prepay your loans in part or in full at any time without penalty. This will lower the overall cost of the loan. Adding a little extra to each monthly payment can help.
“I was so proud of the fact that I had paid off my student loan, I placed a copy of the ‘Congratulations’ letter from Sallie Mae on the wall of my cubicle,” said Angelique Tellis from Lafayette, La., a Sallie Mae customer who recently paid off her student loan. “For me, the key to paying off my loan faster was to add a little extra to the payment each month.”
A recent study by Sallie Mae and Gallup on “How America Pays for College” found that the median monthly payment that students with loans expected to pay once they began repayment was $200. Respondents, however, offered a wide variance of estimates, especially for similar loan values.
Sallie Mae’s new Education Investment Planner can help students and families more accurately forecast their monthly student loan payments. The free tool, available online at www.SallieMae.com/plan, enables families to estimate the total cost of a college degree, build a customized plan to pay for college, forecast monthly student loan payments, and even estimate the salary a graduate would need to keep repayment of student loans manageable.
In addition, the Education Investment Planner educates users on debt-to-income ratios and offers debt management guidance as part of Sallie Mae’s commitment to helping families understand the total cost of college and how to pay for it without going beyond their means. A general rule of thumb is that total monthly debt payments (including payments for student loans, credit cards, car, and housing, whether renting or buying) should be no more than 36% to 40% of one’s monthly gross income.
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Monday, August 25, 2008
Chick-fil-A Kicks Off College Football Season With Free Food Giveaway
PRNewswire/ -- Chick-fil-A(R) is kicking off the college football season with a free food giveaway. In celebration of the inaugural Chick-fil-A(R) College Kickoff on Aug. 30 and the introduction of the new Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips(R) product, Chick-fil-A restaurants nationwide will offer a free 3-count serving of Chick-n-Strips(TM) to any customer wearing any football related apparel on Monday, Sept. 1.
The Chick-fil-A College Kickoff, pitting the University of Alabama against Clemson University, will be held at 8 p.m. (EDT) on Saturday, Aug. 30 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga. and will be nationally televised on ABC. The following Monday, Sept. 1, from 10:30 a.m. until closing, customers are encouraged to visit any participating Chick-fil-A restaurant wearing football attire to receive a free 3-count of the chain's new Chick-n-Strips. Appropriate attire can include any visible article of clothing that contains any football team logo -- from a pee wee league uniform to a favorite NFL or collegiate jersey, hat, t-shirt or other accessories. The giveaway will be promoted during the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff broadcast on ABC, as well as other national and regional television networks.
"The college football season is an exciting time of year and we thought free food would be a great way to celebrate the inaugural Chick-fil-A College Kickoff game and encourage customers to try our new Chick-n-Strips," said Steve Robinson, Chick-fil-A's senior vice president of marketing. "Simply wear your football spirit on your sleeve - so to speak - and we'll gladly provide an opportunity to enjoy our new Chick-n-Strips for free. Whether your team wins or loses, free Chick-fil-A food is a great proposition for any football fan."
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Saturday, August 23, 2008
UGA Makes Top 20 List for Public Universities in U.S. New & World Report's "Best Colleges" Guide
The University of Georgia is tied for 20th among public universities and tied for 58th overall according to the 2009 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide. UGA has been ranked among the top 20 leading public universities in the nation eight of the last ten years.
“I am always pleased when the students, faculty and staff of the University of Georgia are recognized for their quality and their very good work,” said UGA President Michael F. Adams. “Recognition such as this is a reflection of a commitment to excellence in everything that we do at the University of Georgia and should be a point of great pride for our alumni and friends.”
UGA also was listed among 25 national universities for 2007 graduates with the least debt.
The undergraduate program at the Terry College of Business is ranked 30th overall and 18th among public business schools. Of the more than 2,000 U.S. business schools, fewer than 500 have achieved full accreditation and are eligible to be ranked by U.S. News. This year’s ranking marks the 10th consecutive year Terry has been ranked in the top 30. Terry’s risk management and insurance program maintained its second place ranking nationally, as did the real estate program, which is ranked third in the country.
“This is another affirmation of the high quality of the undergraduate program and the Terry College overall,” said Dean Robert T. Sumichrast. “It’s now time for Terry to expand from these areas of strengths, like risk management and real estate, and advance across an even broader front of program improvement. When we adopt our new strategic plan later this year, we’ll be in a better position to pursue our vision of national prominence.”
The 2009 rankings are available on-line at www.usnews.com and highlights of the college rankings will be published in the September 1 issue of U.S.News & World Report, available for newsstand purchase Monday, August 25. The 2009 America's Best Colleges guidebook will be available as of Tuesday, August 26.
U.S. News considers several factors in producing the annual ranking. Among those are graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving and peer assessment.
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Path2College 529 Plan sponsors Sweepstakes for College Savings Month
BUSINESS WIRE --Governor Sonny Perdue has once again declared September as College Savings Month in Georgia, urging families to save and plan for their children’s higher education by taking advantage of Georgia’s 529 college savings plan, the Path2College 529 Plan.
“As Georgia competes in the 21st century global economy, a college education has become more important than ever for our children,” said Governor Perdue. “I am committed to continuing Georgia’s strong economic growth and I urge parents and grandparents to plan for college by saving early. Together, we can prepare our state by establishing a workforce that is second to none.”
To kick off College Savings Month, the Path2College 529 Plan is teaming up with the football programs at the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech to give away tickets to upcoming UGA and Tech football games and an ultimate fan experience, which includes tickets to the rivalry game on November 29th.
Registration for the Path2College VIP Fan Experience Sweepstakes begins on August 25, 2008 and ends November 16, 2008. During this time, those who register for the Path2College VIP Fan Experience Sweepstakes could win four tickets to one of the following games: the Duke/Georgia Tech game on October 4th in Atlanta, the Vanderbilt/University of Georgia homecoming game on October 18th in Athens, and the grand prize, tickets to the Georgia Tech/University of Georgia game on November 29th in Athens with true VIP treatment for the winner and his or her guests.
The rivalry game on November 29th provides one lucky winner with the ultimate Path2College VIP Fan Experience. The winner will not only get four tickets to the game, but will also receive these great additional prizes:
- Limousine transportation to and from the game
- Pre-game hospitality passes
- Pre-game sideline passes
- Game programs, plus
- An official college football autographed by either Coach Richt or Coach Johnson.
Go to www.path2college529.com by September 28th for your chance to win the VIP Fan Experience to the Duke/Georgia Tech game and by October 12th for the Vanderbilt/University of Vanderbilt game. All entrants will automatically be entered to win the ultimate VIP Fan Experience for the grand prize rivalry game. Be sure to read the sweepstakes official rules and details. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary.
“Football season is one of the most exciting and anticipated times of the year in Georgia,” said Chuck Penuel, director of the Path2College 529 Plan. “As many parents are sending children off to college, it provides us with a great opportunity to encourage parents with younger children to start saving early while those children are still in elementary school, or even before they’ve taken their first steps.”
Any earnings in the Path2College 529 Plan grow tax-deferred, and withdrawals for qualified higher education expenses are tax-free. In addition, any Georgia taxpayer may take a state income tax deduction of up to a $2,000 per year, per beneficiary for contributions to a Path2College 529 Plan account. A transfer of funds from another state’s 529 college savings plan is not eligible for the Georgia state income tax deduction. Georgia tax forms refer to the Path2College 529 Plan as “Georgia Higher Education Savings Plan” (GHESP).
The Path2College 529 Plan is managed by TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing, Inc. (TFI), a national leader in managing 529 college savings plans. The plan covers tuition and other qualified college expenses such as eligible room and board expenses, books, and fees at both public and private colleges in Georgia and nationwide.
Launched in 2002 as the Georgia Higher Education Savings Plan, the Path2College 529 Plan currently has over $637 million in assets and more than 96,000 accounts as of August 15, 2008.
For more information on the Path2College 529 Plan, visit: www.path2college529.com or call 1-877-424-4377. Chuck Penuel may be reached at (404) 463-0000 or by email at chuckpenuel@otfs.ga.gov.
Consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing in the Path2College 529 Plan. Please visit www.path2college529.com for a Disclosure Booklet containing this and other information. Read it carefully.
Before investing in a 529 plan, you should consider whether the state you or your Beneficiary reside in or have taxable income in has a 529 plan that offers favorable state income tax or other benefits that are only available if you invest in that state’s 529 plan.
We are required to notify you that the tax information contained herein is not intended to be used, and cannot be used, by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties. It was written to support the promotion of the Path2College 529 Plan. Taxpayers may wish to seek advice based on their own particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor.
The State of Georgia, its agencies, TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing Inc., Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America and its affiliates do not insure any Account or guarantee its principal or investment return except for TIAA-CREF Life Insurance Company’s guarantee to the Board of Directors of the Georgia Higher Education Savings Plan under the Funding Agreement for the Guaranteed Option. Account value will fluctuate based upon a number of factors, including general market conditions.
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Monday, August 11, 2008
Chick-fil-A Suits Up With ESPN's College GameDay for 2008 Season
PRNewswire/ -- Chick-fil-A is further increasing its association with college football in 2008 by becoming the newest integrated sponsor of ESPN's top-rated College GameDay Built by the Home Depot.
The key component of its involvement with the show is entitled "Mascot Movers" and will focus on the climactic moment at the conclusion of each College GameDay telecast when analyst Lee Corso predicts the winning team by donning the mascot head of his favored university. ESPN event staff in special College GameDay and Chick-fil-A co-branded uniforms will escort the crate carrying the mascot head to the set prior to Corso's announcement.
The agreement includes Chick-fil-A television commercials in each show plus a live camera shot of a Chick-fil-A "fan interaction area" on each campus at the College GameDay set just before the predictions are made by host Chris Fowler and analysts Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard.
College football fans will also have the opportunity to log on to ESPN.com (search: Chick-fil-A) and access a custom "Mascot Movers" website where they can make their weekly predictions on what Mascot is in the box and enter their picks on key College GameDay match-ups to be played during the weekend. Each week, ESPN and Chick-fil-A will award one lucky winner a VIP trip to the 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl on December 31st in Atlanta and free Chick-fil-A food for a year.
College GameDay's inaugural show for 2008 will be televised from Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta on Saturday, August 30 for the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff Game between Alabama and Clemson.
As Chick-fil-A continues to strengthen its brand presence nationally, the restaurant chain anticipates the association with College GameDay will be a strong complement to the chain's college-level sponsorship portfolio.
"This new relationship with ESPN provides us with an on-going presence throughout the entire college football season," said Steve Robinson, senior vice president of marketing for Chick-fil-A. "We will begin the season with the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff featuring a tremendous match-up, and we will finish with the Chick-fil-A Bowl, on ESPN. We anticipate unique opportunities throughout the season to interact and share Chick-fil-A with college football fans throughout the country as College GameDay shows up at some of the biggest and most exciting games to be played this year."
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Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Sallie Mae Launches ‘Education Investment Planner’ to Help Families Build a Customized Plan to Pay for College
BUSINESS WIRE --Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading saving- and paying-for-college company, today launched a new, free online tool that makes understanding the total cost of college and how to pay for it easier for students, parents, financial aid professionals and guidance counselors. The Education Investment Planner, available at www.SallieMae.com/plan, enables families to:
- Estimate the full cost of a college degree: Find out how much four years for a bachelor’s degree, two years for a master’s degree, or other programs will cost at a specific school, including the average growth of tuition over time.
- Build a customized Plan to pay for college through a combination of their own money, federal and state grants, scholarships and, if necessary, federal and private student loans.
- Compare schools: Compare actual costs for approximately 5,500 colleges and universities—not only tuition, but also average room and board expenses, fees, books and supplies.
- Determine if they need student loans and, if so, estimate what their monthly payments could be after graduation—and project how much a graduate would need to earn to keep payments manageable.
Sallie Mae developed the Education Investment Planner in response to feedback from customers and higher education policy advocates indicating that families need better ways to assess the cost of college and their choices for footing the bill. New data from a Gallup survey conducted in May and June, commissioned by Sallie Mae, found that 41% of families did not consider students’ expected income after graduation on their decision to borrow for college and another 29% said expected income made no difference their borrowing decision. Another study, Sallie Mae’s 2007 Survey of Parents of College-Bound Freshmen, indicated that parents want an honest assessment of the total cost of college: 39 percent of all respondents said the most helpful information from the financial aid office was “an honest assessment of total costs over four years,” and 32 percent said “basic information about federal loans, private loans, and payment plans.”
“Sallie Mae offers this free online tool to help families make more informed choices about school selection by understanding upfront how to pay for it without going beyond their means,” said C.E. Andrews, president, Sallie Mae. “So often we think of financial aid in a one-year snapshot. We developed the Education Investment Planner as part of Sallie Mae’s commitment to financial literacy and to helping students and parents understand the full cost of a college degree.”
The Education Investment Planner takes families through a series of questions, prompting users to model various funding sources, including 529 college savings plans, parent and student savings and income, scholarships, federal and state grants, institutional aid and other sources. It helps families follow Sallie Mae’s “1-2-3 approach” to paying for college: first, use free money such as scholarships and grants; second, fully explore federal student loans; and third, fill any remaining gap with private student loans.
“The college search and selection process is one of the most daunting tasks undertaken by high school students and their families, and the Education Investment Planner is a terrific step forward—simple to use and a great confidence booster for families as they explore how to estimate costs and plan into the future,” said Brian Ralph, vice president for enrollment management, Queens University of Charlotte, in North Carolina. “As someone who works with prospective and current students, I know that students who plan well are less likely to struggle financially during their college experience, resulting in higher rates of student success and graduation. This new site will be a great resource to supplement the college planning process.”
Using the Education Investment Planner, families considering student loans can explore various options and estimate monthly repayment amounts, better understand repayment terms and learn what beginning salary is needed to keep payments manageable—before borrowing a penny.
“Now is the right time for families to start thinking about their students’ futures, and having a free planning tool that helps educate families on how to save and pay for college is crucial,” said Tom Burton, immediate past president of the Ohio Middle School Association. “Starting early is the best way to make sure there are no surprises years down the road when it’s time for college.”
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Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Emory Rated as 'Great College To Work For'
Emory University has been recognized in an online survey conducted by The Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the 2008 "Great Colleges to Work For."
Emory was rated among the top five in 13 of 27 categories in the survey of 15,000 respondents at 89 colleges and universities. Results are reported for small, medium and large universities, with Emory included among the large universities with 2,500 or more employees.
"This is a very satisfying affirmation of Emory, but our real goal is not recognition -- it's being a community that values the needs and contributions of every individual. In that sense everyone at Emory helps to make this a positive place to work," says Emory University President James Wagner.
Emory ranked among the top five universities in the nation for:
• Healthy faculty/administration relations
• Teaching environment
• Facilities and security
• Job satisfaction
• Work-life balance
• Confidence in senior leadership
• Internal communications
• Connection to institution and pride
• Physical workspace conditions
• Supervisor or department chair relationship
• Perception and confidence in fair treatment
• Respect and appreciation
• Engagement index
The assessment process, which also included an analysis of demographic data and workplace policies at each participating college or university, was administered by ModernThink LLC, a human-resources consulting firm that has conducted many "Best Places to Work" surveys.
With 21,129 employees (and approximately 3,200 faculty), Emory is the largest employer in DeKalb County and the largest private employer in metro Atlanta. The total includes Emory University, Emory Hospital, Crawford Long Hospital, The Emory Clinic and Wesley Woods, Inc.
