By Thomas W. Durso. Streamlining the awarding and processing of student loans—Federal Perkins as well as institutional loans—began at the Illinois Institute of Technology with a simple question and a frustrating answer.
“It started because I asked, ‘What is the process?’” recalls Jackie Anderson, associate director of student accounting. “No one really knew.”
So Anderson rolled up her sleeves and dove in. More...

By Kylie Lacey. Outsourcing loan default prevention management to remove institutional burden and improve student services.
The coming change in how student loan default rates are calculated may mean bad news for some colleges and universities. More...

By Kylie Lacey. Creative ways that default prevention providers connect with borrowers.
“We include in our emails a link to a brief video that explains that we are counselors, not collectors, working on behalf of the college the borrower attended, and that we work with borrowers and their loan servicers to resolve their loan payment issues. The video invites the borrower to call us.” More...

Adjunct faculty members and their advocates celebrated this week proposed legislation that would help adjunct faculty members quality for the Public Loan Forgiveness Program. The Adjunct Faculty Loan Fairness Act, sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, would allow adjunct faculty members who have student debt apply for the loan forgiveness program for public and non-profit employees. Read more...