Sulma Rivas

It is important to select the correct board members to meet the goals of the school. 

It is important to provide the student with all the options they have to repay their loans. Empowering with all the knowledge is key for them to be able to pay back their loans in the best way that will work for them. 

Entrance counseling is a great way to educate the students on financial aid. There are great tips here on how not to overwhelm the students by making the meetings as short as 5 to 10 minutes. It is so important to cover the rights and responsibilities and they should be repeated throughout the education process. It is still a good ides to provide the information in writing. 

Building great relationships is always the key in not having students disappear in the future. It makes so much sense to collect he references at the beginning and six references sound like a lot, but it can be done. I like the idea of sending students home with the reference request list and then can bring it back. The idea of sending good credit letters would make student feel proud and will encourage them to pay in time so they take care of their credit now and in the future. 

Having a nice decorated and clean FA office does sound like a great idea for the student to fill comfortable about talking to someone that will care for them and educate them about their loans. Having posters around the school is an excellent idea to remind students about their responsibility. Getting students involved in each step is smart. 

Having a 5 year plan should include everyone in the school and everyone providing input to know that the school will be in business for a long time. 

Preparing for an audit is so important, so having an internal audit would be smart. The catalog should be used as a guideline to be successful in any audit since that is what the auditors will be using when they visit the school. I like the idea of doing an audit for each department on each quarter of the year. There are so many regulations to be aware of. 

Good customer service is good for the company. Having happy students will mean we will get many more students. Looking at the external touchpoints is a good idea. I like the idea of sharing success stories on the school website. The school should be aware of the external customers too- like the employers, alumni, and community events. 

Great customer services is so important in any business and even more now that technology is playing a big part in how to run a business. Before a good reputation depended on word of mouth, but now the internet has made it easier to spread a customer experience to followers in the social medias that can be anywhere from 100 to 1000. Our students are our customers and providing them with a good customer experience while they attend the school is important so they can come back or recommend other students to the school. 

Positive attitude goes a long way when it comes to working with students and it all starts from the Leaders of the school. Negativity and sarcasm should not be happening among departments. Every department should focus on giving student a positive experience by working together.