Blue Icon Advisors, NASFAA Consulting

Yesterday, David D. Page, Blue Icon's senior business development specialist, presented on #FAFSASimplification at the UNCF #UNITE2024 Summit in Atlanta, GA. During his presentation, David shared lessons learned and what campuses are doing to navigate the changes to ensure a successful fall 2024. Congratulations on another successful presentation, David! You can request David or another Blue Icon staff member to present at your upcoming event. Explore our session offerings: https://ow.ly/jfzV50SPjbZ

Are you a new financial aid director with less than one year of experience at the director level? If so, we invite you to participate in a professional development opportunity designed especially for you, New Director Group Coaching! Over the course of six weeks, your group coaching cohort will hone your skills and bolster your knowledge on four key topics to help you succeed in your new leadership role: 🔑 Remaining in compliance 🔑 Developing an operational calendar 🔑 Supporting your staff 🔑 Drafting a strategic plan Learn more and register today: https://ow.ly/7GQQ50SNl2j

Why should you become a Blue Icon Consultant? As an independent consultant, you will work directly with financial aid colleagues across the country, which will allow you to: 🔹 Expand your own professional network. 🔹 Have direct exposure to new challenges, offering an opportunity for your own professional development. 🔹 Learn new things to bring back to your own institution and/or apply to future consulting projects. 🔹 Share your extensive experience with colleagues who really need your help and guidance. 🔹 Earn additional income. Learn more and apply today: https://ow.ly/UkBW50SKuqz

Next month's Let's Talk hot topic is ISIR Corrections, Rejects, Verifications, Oh My! Register today to join the discussion: https://ow.ly/Gzxt50SJo83

When you work with Blue Icon Advisors, you gain access to top professionals and thought-leaders in financial aid and enrollment management. Projects typically fall into five categories: 1️⃣ Consulting 2️⃣ Executive & Group Coaching 3️⃣ Polies & Procedures 4️⃣ Interim Staffing & Leadership 5️⃣ Training We also offer custom projects to meet your specific needs and budget. Learn more about our services and how to get in touch: https://ow.ly/MNwa50SIqeh

🌟 "In the midst of all the changes aid officers are facing, the P&P Group Coaching participants dug right in and got to work on learning all aspects of P&P development and maintenance," a Group Coaching facilitator shared. "This is no easy task in the best of times. But despite all of that, they made incredible progress and their institutions will benefit!" 🌟 Ready to elevate your skills? Sign up for Blue Icon's Group Coaching today: https://ow.ly/th0q50SEB0J #BlueIconAdvisors #GroupCoaching #HigherEd #FinancialAid

Tomorrow is our first Let's Talk program of the 2024-25 year! Join us at 2 p.m. ET for the opportunity to engage with your peers, learn from presenters and each other, share information, and discuss best practices about Financial Value Transparency (FVT) and Gainful Employment (GE): https://ow.ly/QV6K50SElx8

Congratulations to our Blue Icon independent consultants who recently received NASFAA Awards for their contributions to the financial aid profession and higher education community! 🎉 🏆 Helen Faith and Jim White were honored with the Allan W. Purdy Distinguished Service Award for significant contributions in the furtherance of NASFAA’s goals over a sustained period of time, or for a single contribution of momentous importance. Susan Teerink (MASFAA) and G. Michael Johnson (WASFAA) received Regional Leadership Awards for individuals who have exhibited high integrity and character, have shown creative leadership, and have inspired and encouraged others to actively participate in professional development.

Achieve your professional goals with the help of our New Financial Aid Director Group Coaching! "Blue Icon Advisors' New Director Group Coaching was a great support group in my first year as a director. The weekly discussions and materials touched on key topics that will help me be successful. The consultants provided positive feedback and had their own experiences that they could add to the conversation." – Marie Fico, Director of Student Financial Services, St. John Fisher College Join the September 2024 New Director Group Coaching cohort before spots fill up: https://ow.ly/1yyg50Sy46v

Goals 🎯 To review current policies and procedures and develop missing components Situation 🔍 The University of Wyoming (UW) has subscribed to NASFAA's P&P Builder for many years, and the staff began loading existing policies and procedures into the tool. As with many institutions, however, the financial aid staff was challenged to write its policies and procedures while maintaining necessary operations and customer service on a day-to-day basis. Solution💡 Blue Icon finished loading the remaining existing policies and procedures into the P&P Builder. Being mindful of budgetary needs, Blue Icon worked closely with the school to maximize resources. Instead of the consultant writing the policies and procedures, the school would write drafts for the consultant to review and provide feedback. This approach allowed the staff to build skills in writing policies and procedures, while having a trusted advisor available to ensure compliance. Outcome ✅ Blue Icon completed priority sections in the NASFAA P&P Builder that the school identified. "We have our heavier-handed sections complete and a road map to finish the rest of the work," said Henley. Blue Icon also updated the gap analysis, which was initially provided in the middle of the project. "The gap analysis report is incredibly helpful," said Allison Murray, senior program coordinator. "It tells me what we still have left to do."