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August 2008
Welcome to the August 2008 ISAC Update for financial aid administrators and business officers. This version of the electronic ISAC Update is a compilation of e-Messages sent through College Zone’s e-Messaging service throughout August. This e-Messaging service has replaced ISAC’s use of printed newsletters, the ILASFAA ListServ, and special e-mail lists as our primary means of communicating information to you. The articles in this Update have been organized according to the FAA Zone subscription groups to which the messages were distributed via College Zone’s e-Messaging service. Questions? Questions regarding information in this ISAC Update can be directed to School Services at 866.247.2172 or at schoolservices@isac.org. On occasion, you may be directed to a specific contact person or area; when this occurs, we will provide the appropriate information in the individual article or message.
MULTIPLE SUBSCRIPTION GROUPS New State Legislative Update Posted August 29, 2008 A new State Legislative Update has been posted for your reference at collegezone.com. This Update, dated August 29, 2008, contains the most recent status of bills which pertain to ISAC-administered programs and higher education in general. Highlights of this Update include the passage of three bills into law that 1) direct ISAC to study high-achieving students' admissions at Illinois public universities (HB4567), 2) extend in-state tuition to certain military personnel stationed outside Illinois and their dependents (HB5905), and 3) increase the maximum award that may be available for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) (SB1908). It should be noted that the latter bill regarding the MAP maximum award is dependent on sufficient appropriation, which did not occur in FY09. The Update also contains information about bills from this session which were not passed by both Houses and, as a result, will likely not be considered by the General Assembly prior to November. The State Legislative Update can be accessed through College Zone's e-Library, #13, ISAC Announcements, Press Releases & State Legislative Updates. We will notify you when a new Update is posted.
New Awards Announced for 2008-09 Teacher Education Scholarship Programs Award notifications have been mailed to eligible students and new eligible award information, including funded or unfunded status, is available to colleges online at My Zone. Award announcement categories for eligible students include:
Accessing Award Information at My Zone Now that TESP awards have been made on multiple dates (08/13/2008 and 08/27/2008), the filter functionality and pre-defined report that sort by "Status Date" (available within the Teacher Education Scholarship Programs (TESP) area at My Zone) may be used to help identify students that have recently been found eligible for an award. The following resources may be accessed from within the Teacher Education Scholarship Programs (TESP) Notifications area at My Zone. The "Status Date" listed on TESP reports generated via My Zone matches the date on the student's award letter. How to Access a Report Search All Views TESP Notifications: Filter Screen TESP Notifications: Sort Function Access to My Zone If your college has not yet signed up to participate in My Zone, which provides online access to student-specific data in a secure environment, access the FAA Zone front page, select the My Zone Quick Link and follow the instructions provided. Or if there's been a change in staff needing to access TESP, the My Zone Administrator for your campus should update access to TESP so staff will be able to view eligible student award notification data online.
Message from ISAC Executive Director Andy Davis I am delighted to announce that ISAC has secured funds from several sources to be made available to Illinois borrowers by our lending arm - the Illinois Designated Account Purchase Program (IDAPP) - for the 2008-09 academic year. Loans include Federal Stafford (subsidized and unsubsidized), Graduate PLUS and Parent PLUS. We are all familiar with the impact the global credit crunch has had on the student loan industry. We are all disturbed by recent announcements by state student loan agencies in Minnesota, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania that there is no money to lend this year. Things are iffy for student borrowers in Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire and elsewhere. Some private lenders have simply turned their backs on students and walked away. These are tough times. As students begin to return to campus for the Fall 2008 term, there is an unusual cloud of uncertainty about the availability of loans. You are undoubtedly hearing this from students loud and clear, particularly those in the bottom two quintiles of income who may be coming late to the game, but Illinois students need not worry. Our success in securing this capital, despite the many environmental obstacles, is terrific news for Illinois students and their families, who have more important things to worry about as classes begin. They can rest assured that we will provide as much financing as can be arranged to Illinois borrowers. For 51 years, ISAC has worked to make college affordable for Illinois students. Despite unprecedented turbulence in the industry, we remain inalterably focused on that core mission, and look forward to our continuing partnership with you and your students. We wish you well in the upcoming semester. Andy Davis Executive Director Illinois Student Assistance Commission
FAA Training Opportunities for Fall 2008 Beginning this month, ISAC will offer monthly Webinars that feature a particular scholarship or grant program. The topic of the first Webinar will be the Monetary Award Program (MAP) and the Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program and will be presented on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 from 10 - 11:30 a.m. Each session will begin with an overview of the features and benefits of the program followed by more detailed guidance on processing and administering it. For example, the MAP/IIA Webinar will cover topics such as residency verification, the payment claim process, reconciliation and how to use MAPnet reports. To participate: access the PowerPoint presentation on the Partner Training page in the e-Library at collegezone.com; then dial 877.873.8017 (toll-free) and enter code 8324962# to access the audio portion of the Webinar. Upcoming Webinar topics include:
Financial Aid 101 Workshops ISAC will continue to offer Financial Aid 101 Workshops for new financial aid administrators on a quarterly basis. To register for one of these Workshops, e-mail Kim Eck, Training Coordinator, at keck@isac.org and indicate the date and location which you plan to attend. The dates for third and fourth quarter workshops are: Thursday, September 18 -- ISAC Springfield Office Tuesday, September 23 -- ISAC Deerfield Office Wednesday, December 10 -- ISAC Deerfield Office Friday, December 12 -- ISAC Springfield Office Back to School Conference Calls As the 2008-09 academic year kicks into high gear, ISAC will offer back-to-school conference calls to provide you with an update on state and federal happenings, including information on ISAC processing and reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Mark your calendars for one of the following dates and watch for more details in early September: Wednesday, September 24, 1 - 2 p.m. Thursday, September 25, 10 - 11 a.m. To participate: dial 877.873.8017 (toll-free) and enter access code 8324962#. ILASFAA Fall Workshop Get on the Gridiron, ILASFAA's Touchdown Training is the theme for this year's Fall Workshop to be held November 5 - 6, 2008 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Champaign, IL. A wide variety of financial aid and professional development topics will be offered through a series of general and breakout sessions. The cost to attend this one-and-a-half day workshop is $50 for ILASFAA members and $75 for non-members. More detailed information about the workshop will be available in the coming weeks.
2008-09 MAP and IIA Payment Processing Available ISAC is pleased to announce that the 2008-09 payment processing cycle has begun, including MAPnet and File Transfer Protocol (FTP) requests for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) and the Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program. Normal daily processing of payment requests has begun with payment results available to colleges as usual. When preparing 2008-09 payment requests, schools are encouraged to keep in mind the previously-announced MAP and IIA Program suspension dates. ISAC has suspended the announcement of MAP grants for all students whose initial 2008-09 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was received by the Central Processing System (CPS) on or after July 26th, and the announcement of IIA Program grants has been suspended for all students whose initial 2008-09 FAFSA was received by the CPS on or after July 12th. The MAP and IIA sections of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area at collegezone.com will be updated once the 2008-09 payment claim deadlines have been determined for these programs. Timing of Payments to Colleges The status of payments to colleges can be tracked through the State of Illinois Comptroller's Web site at http://www.ioc.state.il.us/. Use the "Vendor Payments" area of the site at any time throughout the year to make inquiries about pending payments for MAP, IIA and ISAC's other gift assistance programs. We anticipate that it will take 6-8 weeks for funds to be issued from the State of Illinois Comptroller's Office once that office receives the voucher from ISAC. Resources Available Online Details regarding the MAP and IIA Program payment processing cycle are available within the Payment section of the MAPnet User Guide, as well as in the MAPnet Help Text. In order to remain up-to-date on each program, please continue to refer to Program News for MAP and IIA within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area.
Awards Announced for 2008-09 Teacher Education Scholarship Programs Award notifications have been mailed to eligible students and new eligible award information, including funded or unfunded status, is available to colleges online at My Zone. Award announcement categories for eligible students include:
Accessing Award Information at My Zone The following resources may be accessed from within the Teacher Education Scholarship Programs (TESP) Notifications area at My Zone. The "Status Date" listed on TESP reports generated via My Zone matches the date on the student's award letter. How to Access a Report Search All Views TESP Notifications: Filter Screen TESP Notifications: Sort Function Access to My Zone If your college has not yet signed up to participate in My Zone, which provides online access to student-specific data in a secure environment, access the FAA Zone front page, select the My Zone Quick Link and follow the instructions provided. Or if there's been a change in staff needing to access TESP, the My Zone Administrator for your campus should update access to TESP so staff will be able to view eligible student award notification data online.
2007-08 IVG Program Outstanding Amounts Due September 30th IVG Program funds must be returned to ISAC after a final reconciliation has been completed to close out the regular school year. Business officers are encouraged to work with staff from their institution's financial aid office to reconcile student awards and accounts. The outstanding amount due, with proper documentation, should be returned to ISAC on or before September 30, 2008. Please be sure to use the current version of the Gift Assistance Programs Check Return Form, which includes a field to specify the term(s) for which funds are being returned and is dated "4/06" in the footer. This document may be accessed within the Refunds and Unpaid Claims portion of the FAA Zone's "Processes" area at collegezone.com. Additional information is available within the IVG Payment section of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area at collegezone.com.
2008-09 TESP Certification Available at My Zone - Results from First Round of Awarding Available on August 14th The first round of 2008-09 Teacher Education Scholarship Programs (TESP) awarding (which had originally been scheduled for August 11th) has been rescheduled, and will take place the evening of August 13, 2008. A separate e-Message will be sent the morning of Thursday, August 14th to confirm that the results of the first awarding run are available at My Zone. In order to ensure that applicants from your school are included in the first 2008-09 TESP awarding run, all Initial Certifications that are available at My Zone should be completed and submitted to ISAC as soon as possible. Only applicants with complete and eligible certification records will be considered for awards. Further details regarding the process of submitting Initial Certifications via My Zone were provided in an August 6th e-Message.
2008-09 MAP & IIA Payment Processing Anticipated for August 18th - MAPnet To Be Temporarily Unavailable ISAC anticipates 2008-09 payment processing to be available via MAPnet for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) and the Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program around noon on Monday, August 18, 2008. At the same time, payment requests for both programs via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) will also be accepted. In order for the 2008-09 MAPnet system to be updated for MAP and IIA payment processing, the system will be unavailable beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, August 15th continuing into Monday, August 18th. A separate message will be sent when the 2008-09 MAPnet system may again be accessed on August 18th. At that time, 2008-09 payment processing will be available. Information about 2008-09 payment processing will be provided in the MAPnet User Guide, as well as in the MAPnet Help Text. In order to remain up-to-date on MAP and IIA, please continue to refer to Program News for each program within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs section of the FAA Zone at collegezone.com. Please note that access to 2007-08 historical data in MAPnet will not be impacted.
2008-09 TESP Certification Temporarily Unavailable - First Round of Awarding Delayed ISAC staff members are reviewing the situation and making every effort to have it resolved as quickly as possible. You will be notified via a separate e-Message once Initial Certifications can again be submitted via My Zone, as well as when the first round of 2008-09 TESP awarding will take place. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this altered schedule. Your patience is greatly appreciated.
Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming Important Dates You may either scroll through the entire message, or click on the appropriate link(s) to go directly to details about a specific topic: UPDATES IVG Payment Online, ISAC Administrative Rules, and reminders regarding upcoming operational dates EVENTS Illinois State Fair HOLIDAY SCHEDULES Processing schedules for Labor Day holiday UPDATES All links in this section are to corresponding pages at collegezone.com. 2008-09 IVG Payment Online Available at My Zone As was announced in an August 5th e-Message, 2008-09 IVG Payment Online is available at My Zone for processing Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) Program payments. Summer term claims for the 2008-09 IVG Program are being accepted via IVG Payment Online, as well as via File Transfer Protocol (FTP). 2008-09 tuition and fees are to be used when claiming payment for summer 2008 since the summer term leads the academic year for the IVG Program. The IVG File Specifications, describing the 80-byte file layout to be used to send payment requests for the IVG Program to ISAC via FTP, are available within the Electronic Tools section of the e-Library. To activate participation in the IVG FTP process, colleges must contact School Services. 2008-09 ISAC Administrative Rules Available ISAC Administrative Rules, which have been adopted for the 2008-09 academic year, are available within the e-Library. Week of August 11th: Notification of 2008-09 ING Grant Eligibility Available at My Zone ISAC anticipates the Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant Announcement Rosters for the 2008-09 academic year to be available online at My Zone beginning the week of August 11, 2008. As a reminder, roster dates correspond with the dates on student award letters. A separate e-Message will be sent once the rosters are available. August 12th: Results from Initial Round of 2008-09 TESP Awarding Available at My Zone ISAC plans to run the initial round of 2008-09 Teacher Education Scholarship Programs (TESP) awarding on the evening of August 11, 2008. Results will be available at My Zone on Tuesday, August 12, 2008. In order to ensure that applicants from your school are included in this awarding run, all Initial Certifications that are available at My Zone for the Illinois Future Teacher Corps (IFTC) and Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship programs should be completed and submitted to ISAC on or before August 11th. August 15th: 2007-08 Performance Reports for STS Due Student to Student (STS) Program of Matching Grants Performance Reports for 2007-08 are due to ISAC on or before August 15, 2008 from participating institutions. Also, each institution desiring to participate in the STS Program for 2009-10 must complete the Participation Information Update Form, which is also due by August 15th. Both of these forms can be accessed online at the STS Participation and Reporting page within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area. Anticipated for August 18th: Implementation of 2008-09 MAP & IIA Payment ISAC anticipates implementing 2008-09 Monetary Award Program (MAP) and Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program payment (including the payment component of MAPnet) on August 18, 2008. As specific details become available, we will keep you apprised via standard College Zone communications (e.g., Message Boards, e-Messages, and/or Program News updates). August 29th: 2007-08 MAP and IIA Outstanding Amounts Due As part of the close-out process for the 2007-08 academic year, on July 14th letters were mailed to financial aid directors detailing the outstanding amount each institution must refund to ISAC for MAP and the IIA Program. The outstanding amount due, with proper documentation, should be returned to ISAC on or before August 29, 2008. September 15th: 2008-09 IVG Summer Term Payment Request Deadline Summer term claims for the 2008-09 IVG Program are due on September 15, 2008. September 26th: 2008-09 Illinois SETTW Verification Rosters and Certification Forms Due SETTW Verification Rosters and SETTW Verification Roster Certification Forms, used with the 2008-09 Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Program, are due back to ISAC on or before September 26, 2008. Refer to the ISAC Gift Assistance Program's Tuition Waiver Process area for sample rosters and forms. September 30th: 2007-08 Compliance Rosters Due for Teach Programs Enrollment Status Verification for Compliance Rosters and Enrollment Status Verification Forms, which were sent in early August to colleges with students who received funds from the the following ISAC-administered programs during the 2007-08 academic year, are due on or before September 30th: the IFTC Program, the MTI Scholarship Program, the Illinois SETTW Program, and the Nurse Educator Scholarship Program (NESP). Further details are provided in an August 6th e-Message. EVENTS August 8th through August 17th: Illinois State Fair Visit with ISAC staff in Campus Town at the 2008 Illinois State Fair in Springfield. Campus Town is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the fair, which runs from August 8th through August 17th. The theme of this year's fair is "A Family Tradition." HOLIDAY SCHEDULES A complete listing of 2008 holidays on which ISAC staff will be unavailable is provided at the ISAC Events Calendar. September 1st: Labor Day Due to the Labor Day holiday, ISAC offices will be closed on Monday, September 1st and will reopen on Tuesday, September 2nd. Loan records received at ISAC on Labor Day, as well as disbursement records received at the National Disbursement Network (NDN), will be processed the following business day. This means that CommonLine or Common Account Maintenance (CAM) files received on September 1st will be processed on September 2nd, with results available September 3rd (or the next available day for any schools opting to receive NDN files on specific days of the week). Note that ELM Resources will continue to process and transmit files on September 1st. Although ISAC's offices will be closed on September 1st, MAPnet will be available during regularly scheduled hours and will reflect records processed by the Central Processing System (CPS) through Friday, August 29th. Monetary Award Program (MAP) and Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program payment requests submitted from 5 p.m. (CT) Friday, August 29th through 5 p.m. (CT) Tuesday, September 2nd will be processed Tuesday night, and payment results will be available on MAPnet the morning of Wednesday, September 3rd. For Assistance Remember that you can access collegezone.com anytime, or send an e-mail message to ISAC's School Services Department. With the exception of holidays, ISAC staff will review and respond to messages during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. CT).
2008-09 TESP Awarding Scheduled - Results Available at My Zone on August 12th In order to ensure that applicants from your school are included in this awarding run, all Initial Certifications that are available at My Zone should be completed and submitted to ISAC on or before August 11th. Only applicants with complete and eligible certification records will be considered for awards. As you know, Initial Certifications for the IFTC and MTI Scholarship programs are completed online and submitted electronically to ISAC via the TESP area of My Zone. The online functionality is available each Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. (CT). Specific details regarding the online certification process, including instructions, are available at the Teacher Education Scholarship Programs (TESP) Certification section of My Zone. Remember that all Initial Certifications available in My Zone must be completed, regardless of whether the school certifies a student as eligible or ineligible and regardless of whether the student is currently enrolled. The only way applicants will receive notification from ISAC regarding their eligibility status is if their schools have submitted the Initial Certifications via My Zone. Be sure to continue completing and submitting Initial Certifications throughout the year, in order to ensure that your students will be included in any subsequent rounds of awarding that might take place. Reminder: Generate 2007-08 TESP Reports Prior to August 11th All 2007-08 TESP Notifications data at My Zone will be archived prior to the first round of 2008-09 TESP awarding (scheduled for the evening of August 11, 2008). Be sure to generate all necessary 2007-08 TESP reports prior to this date. Instructions for generating TESP reports are available within the Teacher Education Scholarship Programs (TESP) area of My Zone.
Compliance Rosters for ISAC-Administered Teach Programs Due September 30, 2008 These documents are to be completed by the college and returned to ISAC on or before September 30, 2008, verifying that award recipients were enrolled during the 2007-08 academic year. Further details and instructions regarding the enrollment verification process for each of these programs may be accessed by selecting the appropriate links below:
BIG Applications No Longer Accepted Please share this information with the office at your institution that provides enrollment certifications for student beneficiaries. As a reminder, the FY09 appropriation for BIG is the same as last year's appropriation of $325,000. Return to Top PUBLIC SCHOOLS - PARTICIPATING IN THE ING GRANT AND IVG PROGRAMS 2008-09 ING Grant Announcement Roster Cycle Begins - Data Available at My Zone This initial set of 2008-09 rosters (dated August 13, 2008) corresponds to student letters dated August 13th, and includes data for complete applications received at ISAC through the end of May. The backlog of applications needing to be entered is expected to be eliminated shortly, and personnel at IDMA are doing their best to process the records as quickly as possible. As a reminder, new announcement rosters are posted at My Zone when eligibility verifications are received from IDMA, possibly each day. Details regarding the ING Grant announcement roster process, including important reminders, are provided at the Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant area of My Zone.
2008-09 IVG Payment Online Available - ISAC Accepting Summer Term Payment Requests As a reminder, the IVG File Specifications (describing the 80-byte file layout to be used to send payment requests for the IVG Program to ISAC via FTP) are available within the Electronic Tools section of the e-Library. To activate participation in the IVG FTP process, or to schedule the transmission of an IVG FTP test file, colleges must contact School Services. 2008-09 Processing Schedule, By Term Summer Term ISAC is accepting and processing IVG summer term claims via IVG Payment Online, as well as via FTP, beginning today (August 5th). Summer term claims are due on or before September 15, 2008. 2008-09 tuition and fees are to be used when claiming payment for summer 2008, since the summer term leads the academic year for the IVG Program. Fall and Spring Terms IVG claims processing for the fall term will begin on September 16, 2008. The start date for spring term claims processing is January 16, 2009. Schools will receive a response of "F - Future Claim" for payment requests submitted prior to the term's processing start date. These claims will be held at ISAC and then automatically processed when payment processing for that term begins (i.e., September 16th for fall term or January 16th for spring term). Fall term claims are due on or before January 15, 2009. Spring term claims are due on or before May 25, 2009. Security Levels for Accessing Data Individuals who have been accessing IVG eligibility information in My Zone can view the IVG payment screens via IVG Payment Online. It's important to note, however, that the security level for a staff person to request, edit or update IVG payment claims must be set to "General Admin" by the My Zone administrator at each college. The My Zone administrator should set user access to "View Only" for staff who will not be involved in requesting payment, but need to view IVG eligibility and payment information. Questions? If college staff or My Zone administrators have problems gaining access to IVG Online Payment, or have questions regarding the new system, they should contact ISAC's School Services Department as indicated below. FFELP PARTICIPANTS Latest School DAAR Report Available The Notification of Student Loan Borrower DAAR Status report (School DAAR Report) for your school is now available on College Zone's My Zone. The School DAAR Report is non-cumulative and is available twice a month to those institutions with students for whom ISAC, as the guarantor, has received a Default Aversion Assistance Request (DAAR) during the reporting time period. Each time a new School DAAR Report is made available online, an e-Message will be sent to the "FFELP Participants" e-Messaging subscription group. Accessing School DAAR Reports at My Zone My Zone is a portal available in the FAA Zone at collegezone.com that allows postsecondary schools online access to student-specific data in a secure environment. If you have not yet signed up to participate in My Zone, proceed to the FAA Zone front page and select the My Zone Quick Link. For complete information and instructions to access your school's DAAR Report, proceed to the FAA Zone front page and select the My Zone Quick Link in the right margin of the page. ISAC UPDATE GROUP Electronic ISAC Update for July 2008 Available at College Zone Topics covered in the July 2008 ISAC Update include:
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