Loan Forgiveness Programs Repay Student Loans
Iowa College Aid to Host Online Financial Aid Night and College Prep Day at CollegeWeekLive.com
Connect with Iowa College Aid
Terry E. Brandstad Iowa State Fair Scholarship Awarded at the Iowa State Fair
I Have A Plan Iowa™ Includes Free Roads to Success Curriculum
Want to be in the IHAPI loop?
Newest Addition to Iowa College Aid Team!
Beloit College Mindset List Released for 2015 Graduates
Iowa College Aid recently repaid just under $1,000,000 in student loans for nurse educators, registered nurses, teachers, public prosecutors and public defenders working in Iowa. A breakdown of the total amount paid and to what program is as follows:
Iowa Teacher Shortage Loan Forgiveness Program
$738,411 in student loan repayment funds assisted 186 educators teaching in designated shortage areas in the State of Iowa in FY11. This loan repayment program is state-funded and provides annual loan repayment funds for Iowa teachers for up to five years while employed in the State of Iowa. In FY11, staff received 397 applications for this program.
Iowa Registered Nurse and Nurse Educator Loan Forgiveness Program
$86,736 in student loan repayment funds assisted 22 nurse educators and 13 registered nurses employed in the State of Iowa in FY11. This loan repayment program is state-funded and provides annual loan repayment funds for registered nurses and nurse educators for up to five years while employed in the State of Iowa. In FY11, staff received 189 applications for this program.
John R. Justice Program
$85,000 in student loan repayment funds assisted five public prosecutors and five public defenders employed in the State of Iowa in FY11. The John R. Justice Grant Program is a federally-funded program that provides annual loan repayment funds to public prosecutors and defenders who sign an agreement to serve three years in an eligible position.
Iowa College Aid to Host Online Financial Aid Night and College Prep Day at CollegeWeekLive.com
Iowa College Aid is excited to announce that it will host two online college planning events at CollegeWeekLive.com during the 2011-2012 academic year. These events are designed to help Iowa students and their families plan, prepare and pay for higher education. CollegeWeekLive provides the world’s largest online college fairs and admission events. With over 350,000 registered users, CollegeWeekLive is revolutionizing the college planning process. By bring students, parents, and higher education professionals together in an online environment CollegeWeekLive makes college planning easier and more cost-effective.
December 15, 2011 – Iowa Financial Aid Night
Online, and free of charge to students and families, the Iowa Financial Aid Night will help participants determine the full cost of higher education, learn about the types of financial aid available, and what they need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Iowa Financial Aid Application.
April 19, 2012 – Iowa College Prep Day
The Iowa College Prep Day will teach participants about college and career planning. Resources available in I Have A Plan Iowa™ such as free ACT and SAT test prep, college searches and comparisons, and interactive assessments will be covered. In addition, participants can choose to learn about earning college credit in high school through Iowa’s Senior Year Plus programming, the special services available to students with disabilities, as well as ways to pay for college expenses.
Both events will include live video presentations, as well as virtual booths where college-bound students can browse through information and chat with Iowa College Aid representatives.
“We are excited to provide Iowa students and parents with a convenient and cost-effective way to learn about the college planning and financial aid process,” explains Karen Misjak, executive director of the Iowa College Student Aid Commission (Iowa College Aid). “Our events are available to anyone with internet access. This means that even in bad weather, students and parents can participate and interact with our staff and other higher education professionals from the comfort of their homes.”
Registration for the events is free and available at www.CollegeWeekLive.com. For more information regarding these virtual events, please contact our Information Service Center at 877-272-4456.
Connect with Iowa College Aid
Iowa College Aid has kicked off the new school year with the launch of a new blog, Iowa College Aid Connections, designed to connect Iowa’s college students with their representative on Iowa College Aid’s Board of Commissioners, Kelli Todd. Kelli was appointed to represent postsecondary students in August of 2010. As she begins the second year of her four-year term, Kelli is dedicated to connecting herself to the Iowa college students that she serves.
As a current graduate student at the University of Iowa, Kelli understands many of the challenges and concerns that Iowa college students have. “My goal for this blog is to give Iowa’s college students a voice in decisions that affect their education,” states Commissioner Todd. “This will be a two-way street, with information about my activities on the Commission and postsecondary issues of concern to Iowa college students. As I hear from those following Iowa College Aid Connections, the information I provide will strive to address their questions and requests.”
Posts on the Iowa College Aid Connections blog will focus on Ms. Todd’s activities on the Commission, as well as provide content related to postsecondary education, including college access and awareness, financial literacy and financial aid. However, Ms. Todd stresses that the needs of those following her blog will dictate much of the content. Students interested in following Iowa College Aid Connections can do so directly at http://IowaCollegeAid.WordPress.com or by following the links on www.IowaCollegeAid.gov.
Terry E. Branstad Iowa State Fair Scholarship Awarded at the Iowa State Fair
Ms. Barker’s application was selected from a pool of more than 63 applications based on the strength of her essay, the extent of her involvement with the Iowa State Fair, as well as her extracurricular and community service activities.
Applications for the 2012-13 Governor Terry E. Branstad Iowa State Fair Scholarship will be accepted beginning January 1, 2012 through the Iowa Financial Aid Application on our website, www.IowaCollegeAid.gov.
I Have A Plan Iowa™ Includes Free Roads to Success Curriculum
Iowa College Aid is excited to announce the addition of the Roads to Success curriculum for grades 7 through 12 in I Have A Plan Iowa™. Roads to Success is a FREE resource provided by Iowa College Aid to all Iowa school districts. This comprehensive curriculum, focused on college and career planning, is designed to help students stay focused on their education and acquire the skills needed to ease the transition from the teen years into adulthood.
This enhancement to I Have A Plan Iowa™ allows educators access to 180 lesson plans, family newsletters, worksheets and facilitator guides. Implementation of Roads to Success can be adapted to fit any school. The curriculum can be utilized once a week throughout a standard academic year, as a stand-alone course or during advisement time. By clicking the “For Educators” button on the I Have A Plan Iowa™ homepage, educators will see the Roads to Success curriculum links on the lower right-hand side of the educator landing page. Educators interested in learning more about Roads to Success and successful implementation strategies should contact their I Have A Plan Iowa™ trainer or Iowa College Aid at 877-272-4456.
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Notifications on topics such as system updates, upcoming I Have A Plan Iowa™ trainings, and web-related concerns are shared with professional users via e-mail. Please register to receives these notifications at: http://news.iowacollegeaid.gov/?p=subscribe
Newest Addition to Iowa College Aid Team!
Iowa College Aid is pleased to introduce Chol Chagai and Lacey Cherniss, the newest additions to the Iowa College Aid staff.
Chol has joined Iowa College Aid as a new GEAR UP Iowa training specialist. Chol earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Upper Iowa University. He is looking forward to helping students access information that can help them fulfill their educational goals and dreams. Chol was raised in Yirol Southern Sudan and currently lives in Windsor Heights with his daughter. In his free time, Chol enjoys biking, writing poetry and mentoring young people in the Sudanese community.
Lacey is Iowa College Aid’s newest I Have a Plan Iowa™ training specialist. Lacey earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Simpson College in Elementary Education and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in School Counseling from Drake University. Prior to joining Iowa College Aid, Lacey worked as an Academic Advisor at Simpson College Upward Bound. Lacey was raised in Iowa and currently lives in Carlisle with her husband and Labrador retriever. She is excited to meet and work with educators from around the state of Iowa.
Please join us in welcoming Chol and Lacey to Iowa College Aid.
Beloit College Mindset List Released for 2015 Graduates
Beloit College has released the newest edition of the Beloit College Mindset List, a guide created to reflect the world view of entering first year students. Beloit College has released an issue of the Mindset List every August since 1998. The college class of 2015 is a multicultural, technology-focused, and socially-tolerant generation.