Marie Donahue

I learned it’s best to use minimalistic ads in several professional centered platforms when seeking new employee recruits to optimize a pool of quality desirable candidates 

Regularly scheduled assessments and ongoing training is optimal for ensuring staff are aware and able to adhere to policies & regulations

The various aspects of FERPA including whom the student can choose to allow access to their academic records (and government agencies exempt from FERPA) was all new to me

The regulations regarding not only the dispersement of funds but also governing any overpayments or moneys needing returned to the department of education was all new to me.

Learning about the different types of students, the qualifying aspects of financial aide and the institution’s responsibilities (tracking attendance, financial aide probation, etc) were all new to me

The various policies regarding which students are entitled to FSA and it was useful to know that admissions and financial aide- while some aspects of their jobs may overlap, it’s best to leave each department to their own speciality 

I really liked the various ideas for ways we can assist late enrollment students (assign them a buddy/coach, etc. and I was very interested to read about managing the students during the first week- setting expectations, what red flags to be watchful for, etc

Faculty involvement in student orientation is key- the students are curious about who they’ll be working with and evaluated by. They want to know we’re confident, approachable and supportive. I liked reading the mantra “I’m here to help you succeed”- something we may want to add to our orientation intros

Interesting ideas on orientation and ways we can include the student’s feedback in their experience. Switching things up by breaking the students into groups and having them rotate through the orientation process may help keep things fresh and help the students feel they’re seeing/experiencing more instead of just sitting and passively listening 

I liked the simplicity in the retention equation= perceived value/cost. It makes perfect sense- the student is constantly weighing & calculating the “cost” (gas expenses, time away from family, lost wages, etc) and for them to feel the sacrifices/cost are worth the perceived value of their education will keep them on track to finish the program