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Iowa College Student Aid Commission
All rights reserved.
Iowa College Aid Insider - September 2011 Edition
New Online Tool to Help College Students Tackle Student Loan Debt
Hot Off the Press! 2011-2012 Your Course to College Is Here
Final 2010-2011 Scholarship, Grant, Forgivable Loan, and Loan Repayment Expenditures
Iowa College Aid Connections Focuses on College Costs and Iowa Student Stories
11th Grade Guideway Required for the 2011-2012 Academic Year
National GEAR UP Week
Tutoring Opportunities for Des Moines Public High School Students
GEAR UP Iowa at Clinton High School
New Online Tool to Help College Students Tackle Student Loan Debt
Hot Off the Press! 2011-2012 Your Course to College Is Here
Final 2010-2011 Scholarship, Grant, Forgivable Loan, and Loan Repayment Expenditures
Iowa College Aid Connections Focuses on College Costs and Iowa Student Stories
11th Grade Guideway Required for the 2011-2012 Academic Year
National GEAR UP Week
Tutoring Opportunities for Des Moines Public High School Students
GEAR UP Iowa at Clinton High School
New Online Tool to Help College Students Tackle Student Loan Debt
At a time when Iowa’s college students graduate with some of the highest student loan debt in the nation, Iowa College Aid has launched Buttonwood™, a web-based personal finance and student loan management platform for college students. Buttonwood™ will help students build the skills necessary to make responsible financial and student loan decisions that lead to finishing their degree and securing gainful employment. The Buttonwood™ platform is free to Iowa postsecondary institutions and students, and is accessible through www.IHaveAPlanIowa.gov.
Buttonwood™ addresses over 600 key financial literacy concepts, contained in seven modules, with a focus on financial aid and loan default prevention. The Buttonwood™ platform includes a compressed and sophisticated new media presentation of key financial concepts, complemented by an interactive, simulation that is personalized for each user, allowing them to make financial decisions which directly reflect their real-life situations. Variables, such as enrollment status, marital status, debt level and more are taken into consideration by the system when adapting the user’s experience. In addition to covering core financial and student loan topics, the program also will measure the changes in students’ attitudes. For more information about Buttonwood™, and ways it can be implemented to best suit student populations on different campuses, please contact Carol Bogaard at carol.bogaard@iowa.gov or call Iowa College Aid at 877-272-4456.
Hot Off the Press! 2011-2012 Your Course to College Is Here
As the new school year gets underway, Iowa educators have a free resource to help their students plan for college and future careers. The newest edition of Your Course to College is now available for order.
Your Course to College is full of everything that students and their families need to know about the financial aid process, federal and state financial aid, colleges and universities in Iowa, selecting a major and future career, as well as tips to help make the transition to college easier. One of the most unique aspects of Your Course to College is its directory of Iowa’s colleges and universities. The directory contains up-to-date information on admission requirements, costs, financial aid deadlines and programs available at each institution. This year many colleges and universities provided a QR code to be included with their profile information. Students and parents can simply scan each QR code with a camera-enabled Smartphone for immediate access to college-specific information. Also new this year is a checklist of tasks and information that juniors and seniors should remember as their graduation date nears, such as registering for the ACT or SAT and accepting award letters from colleges.
Order your supply of Your Course to College and any of our publications online for free at: www.IowaCollegeAid.gov.
Final 2010-2011 Scholarship, Grant, Forgivable Loan, and Loan Repayment Expenditures
During the 2010-2011 academic year, Iowa College Aid was able to make approximately 25,400 awards for Iowans under the scholarships, grant, loan repayment and forgivable loan programs. Total funds expended were almost $61.5 million.
Iowa College Aid Connections Focuses on College Costs and Iowa Student Stories
Commissioner Kelli Todd’s first blog post focuses on one of the hottest topics in college planning, the rising cost of a college degree. The inspiration for this post came from Will Mattessich, a University of Iowa Student, who wrote an article for The Daily Iowan in which he spoke about the cost of education and called on his peers to become active participants in the processes that affect their future. The post touches on a few points made by Will, and also focuses on strategies students can use to reduce the cost of their college education.
Future posts to the Iowa College Aid Connections blog will focus on Ms. Todd’s activities on Iowa College Aid’s Board of Commissioners. In addition, Commissoner Todd intends to 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.
For more information about the topics addressed through Iowa College Aid Connections, or to learn how Iowa College Aid is helping Iowa families plan, prepare and pay for college, contact Iowa College Aid’s Information Service Center at 877-272-4456 or visit our website, www.IowaCollegeAid.gov.
11th Grade Guideway Required for the 2011-12 Academic Year
The 2011-12 academic year brings a new guideway requirement for Iowa schools using I Have A Plan Iowa™ (IHAPI). This year, grades 8 through 11 are required to complete their grade appropriate guideway. The 11th Grade Guideway continues to support the student’s exploration of careers, with more focus on postsecondary education exploration. 11th grade students will update the Student Curriculum Plan they created in 8th grade, and can add more details to their profile information and get in touch with colleges via the IHAPI “Recruit Me” feature.
Educators interested in requesting training or learning more about IHAPI may contact their IHAPI Trainer or Iowa College Aid at 877-272-4456.
National GEAR UP Week
National GEAR UP Week commemorates the many successes of GEAR UP Iowa, Des Moines Public Schools GEAR UP, and all of the Gaining Early Awareness and Education for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) across the nation. GEAR UP Iowa is working to create a “college-going culture” in Iowa through statewide and school-based services to a cohort of approximately 6,000 sophomores at more than 150 high schools across the state. Unique to the GEAR UP Iowa state grant, is a $16.8 million scholarship fund for GEAR UP Iowa students to help finance their dreams of postsecondary educational success.
GEAR UP Iowa will celebrate National GEAR UP Week at two events scheduled for September 28 & 29. The Perry Community School District and GEAR UP Iowa are hosting an event to celebrate National GEAR UP Week in the Perry High School Auditorium at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 28, 2011. Additionally, the Des Moines Independent Community School District, Des Moines Public Schools GEAR UP, and GEAR UP Iowa are hosting an event to celebrate National GEAR UP Week in the Des Moines East High School Auditorium at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 29, 2011. Omar Padilla, Staff Assistant with the office of Senator Tom Harkin, GEAR UP Iowa Program Consultant Isbelia Arzola, and GEAR UP Iowa Training Specialists Chol Chagai and Erma Mujic will speak at the Perry High School event. Omar Padilla, Drake University Director of Community Outreach Dolph Pulliam, GEAR UP Iowa Project Coordinator John Gilman, and Des Moines Public Schools GEAR UP Project Coordinator Dr. Nancy Wright are scheduled to speak at the Des Moines East High School event.
Students and families, community members, and legislators, as well as anyone interested in learning more about how GEAR UP Iowa helps students recognize the value of higher education are invited to attend the events. Please contact John Gilman at 515-725-3406 or Iowa College Aid at 877-272-4456 for more information.
Tutoring Opportunities for Des Moines Public High School Students
Numerous studies have shown that high school students who take advantage of tutoring opportunities improve their grades and raise their self-esteem, as well as increase their chances to graduate on time. Through extensive collaboration efforts among GEAR UP Iowa, Des Moines Public Schools GEAR UP, and TRiO programs at Central College, Simpson College, and DMACC, the College Access Programs (CAP) Collaborative is excited to offer tutoring opportunities for Des Moines public high school students. CAP tutoring is currently available at the Des Moines Public Library Central Campus every Tuesday evening from 6:00 pm - 8:00pm. Students are able to meet one on one with a tutor from local colleges and/or take advantage of online tutoring through Tutor.com, provided by the Des Moines Public Library. CAP Tutoring will soon expand to additional locations offering even more opportunities for students. For more information, please contact Ashley West at Ashley.West2@iowa.gov or 515-868-1399.
GEAR UP Iowa at Clinton High School
Chol Chagai, GEAR Up Iowa Training Specialist, pictured with the Iowa financial aid banner in Clinton High School.
At a time when Iowa’s college students graduate with some of the highest student loan debt in the nation, Iowa College Aid has launched Buttonwood™, a web-based personal finance and student loan management platform for college students. Buttonwood™ will help students build the skills necessary to make responsible financial and student loan decisions that lead to finishing their degree and securing gainful employment. The Buttonwood™ platform is free to Iowa postsecondary institutions and students, and is accessible through www.IHaveAPlanIowa.gov.
Buttonwood™ addresses over 600 key financial literacy concepts, contained in seven modules, with a focus on financial aid and loan default prevention. The Buttonwood™ platform includes a compressed and sophisticated new media presentation of key financial concepts, complemented by an interactive, simulation that is personalized for each user, allowing them to make financial decisions which directly reflect their real-life situations. Variables, such as enrollment status, marital status, debt level and more are taken into consideration by the system when adapting the user’s experience. In addition to covering core financial and student loan topics, the program also will measure the changes in students’ attitudes. For more information about Buttonwood™, and ways it can be implemented to best suit student populations on different campuses, please contact Carol Bogaard at carol.bogaard@iowa.gov or call Iowa College Aid at 877-272-4456.
Hot Off the Press! 2011-2012 Your Course to College Is Here
As the new school year gets underway, Iowa educators have a free resource to help their students plan for college and future careers. The newest edition of Your Course to College is now available for order.
Your Course to College is full of everything that students and their families need to know about the financial aid process, federal and state financial aid, colleges and universities in Iowa, selecting a major and future career, as well as tips to help make the transition to college easier. One of the most unique aspects of Your Course to College is its directory of Iowa’s colleges and universities. The directory contains up-to-date information on admission requirements, costs, financial aid deadlines and programs available at each institution. This year many colleges and universities provided a QR code to be included with their profile information. Students and parents can simply scan each QR code with a camera-enabled Smartphone for immediate access to college-specific information. Also new this year is a checklist of tasks and information that juniors and seniors should remember as their graduation date nears, such as registering for the ACT or SAT and accepting award letters from colleges.
Order your supply of Your Course to College and any of our publications online for free at: www.IowaCollegeAid.gov.
Final 2010-2011 Scholarship, Grant, Forgivable Loan, and Loan Repayment Expenditures
During the 2010-2011 academic year, Iowa College Aid was able to make approximately 25,400 awards for Iowans under the scholarships, grant, loan repayment and forgivable loan programs. Total funds expended were almost $61.5 million.
Iowa College Aid Connections Focuses on College Costs and Iowa Student Stories
Commissioner Kelli Todd’s first blog post focuses on one of the hottest topics in college planning, the rising cost of a college degree. The inspiration for this post came from Will Mattessich, a University of Iowa Student, who wrote an article for The Daily Iowan in which he spoke about the cost of education and called on his peers to become active participants in the processes that affect their future. The post touches on a few points made by Will, and also focuses on strategies students can use to reduce the cost of their college education.
Future posts to the Iowa College Aid Connections blog will focus on Ms. Todd’s activities on Iowa College Aid’s Board of Commissioners. In addition, Commissoner Todd intends to 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.
For more information about the topics addressed through Iowa College Aid Connections, or to learn how Iowa College Aid is helping Iowa families plan, prepare and pay for college, contact Iowa College Aid’s Information Service Center at 877-272-4456 or visit our website, www.IowaCollegeAid.gov.
11th Grade Guideway Required for the 2011-12 Academic Year
The 2011-12 academic year brings a new guideway requirement for Iowa schools using I Have A Plan Iowa™ (IHAPI). This year, grades 8 through 11 are required to complete their grade appropriate guideway. The 11th Grade Guideway continues to support the student’s exploration of careers, with more focus on postsecondary education exploration. 11th grade students will update the Student Curriculum Plan they created in 8th grade, and can add more details to their profile information and get in touch with colleges via the IHAPI “Recruit Me” feature.
Educators interested in requesting training or learning more about IHAPI may contact their IHAPI Trainer or Iowa College Aid at 877-272-4456.
National GEAR UP Week
National GEAR UP Week commemorates the many successes of GEAR UP Iowa, Des Moines Public Schools GEAR UP, and all of the Gaining Early Awareness and Education for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) across the nation. GEAR UP Iowa is working to create a “college-going culture” in Iowa through statewide and school-based services to a cohort of approximately 6,000 sophomores at more than 150 high schools across the state. Unique to the GEAR UP Iowa state grant, is a $16.8 million scholarship fund for GEAR UP Iowa students to help finance their dreams of postsecondary educational success.
GEAR UP Iowa will celebrate National GEAR UP Week at two events scheduled for September 28 & 29. The Perry Community School District and GEAR UP Iowa are hosting an event to celebrate National GEAR UP Week in the Perry High School Auditorium at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 28, 2011. Additionally, the Des Moines Independent Community School District, Des Moines Public Schools GEAR UP, and GEAR UP Iowa are hosting an event to celebrate National GEAR UP Week in the Des Moines East High School Auditorium at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 29, 2011. Omar Padilla, Staff Assistant with the office of Senator Tom Harkin, GEAR UP Iowa Program Consultant Isbelia Arzola, and GEAR UP Iowa Training Specialists Chol Chagai and Erma Mujic will speak at the Perry High School event. Omar Padilla, Drake University Director of Community Outreach Dolph Pulliam, GEAR UP Iowa Project Coordinator John Gilman, and Des Moines Public Schools GEAR UP Project Coordinator Dr. Nancy Wright are scheduled to speak at the Des Moines East High School event.
Students and families, community members, and legislators, as well as anyone interested in learning more about how GEAR UP Iowa helps students recognize the value of higher education are invited to attend the events. Please contact John Gilman at 515-725-3406 or Iowa College Aid at 877-272-4456 for more information.
Tutoring Opportunities for Des Moines Public High School Students
Numerous studies have shown that high school students who take advantage of tutoring opportunities improve their grades and raise their self-esteem, as well as increase their chances to graduate on time. Through extensive collaboration efforts among GEAR UP Iowa, Des Moines Public Schools GEAR UP, and TRiO programs at Central College, Simpson College, and DMACC, the College Access Programs (CAP) Collaborative is excited to offer tutoring opportunities for Des Moines public high school students. CAP tutoring is currently available at the Des Moines Public Library Central Campus every Tuesday evening from 6:00 pm - 8:00pm. Students are able to meet one on one with a tutor from local colleges and/or take advantage of online tutoring through Tutor.com, provided by the Des Moines Public Library. CAP Tutoring will soon expand to additional locations offering even more opportunities for students. For more information, please contact Ashley West at Ashley.West2@iowa.gov or 515-868-1399.
GEAR UP Iowa at Clinton High School