The 2007 MASFAA conference was a huge success as several hundred members attended sessions and visited exhibitors at the Newton Marriott. Conference keynoters were thoughtful and funny and gave attendees useful information on a wide variety of topics. Your MASFAA newsletter team spanned the conference to cover some of the sessions, here are a few highlights:

Reducing Student Loan Defaults – Strategies for Success
Michael Stein, Default Prevention Initiatives Specialist for EdFund, presented strategies for minimizing an institution’s cohort default rate. The session provided instruction and details for reviewing cohort default rate, the timeline used in its calculation, a loan’s life cycle and lender’s due diligence, additional lender and guarantor efforts, as well as the consequences of default and defaulter characteristics. Additional topics included school strategies for responding to and preventing default, recommendations for establishing committees to identify and manage default alerts, and sample best practices for institutions.

It’s a New Game: How to Assist Students in Managing their Student Loan Portfolio
Recognizing the increasing complexity of student loan portfolios, a panel of school administrators from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Simmons College and Berklee College of Music provided examples and made recommendations for best practices of debt management upon graduation. Representatives from Sallie Mae also provided a summary of the legislative changes and repayment solutions available to students, including consolidation.

Brown University’s Slavery and Justice Project
Dr. James Campbell, Brown University professor, provided a fascinating overview of the efforts and findings of the institution’s Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice, appointed in 2003 by Brown University President Ruth Simmons. The steering committee, consisting of faculty, administrators and both undergraduate and graduate students, investigated the University’s historical relationship to the transatlantic slave trade and presented a final report in October 2006. In turn, the report explored how this piece of history is still relevant to today’s issues of diversity and social justice.

The Changing Landscape of Loans: Preferred Lender Lists
A panel of school administrators from Boston College, Boston University and Tufts University, presented a detailed summary of the new requirements for creating a preferred lender list, as well as the potential benefits and shortcomings. The discussion included a review of the negotiated rule-making process and suggested actions for both schools and the MASFAA, to help association members become better acquainted with the policies and procedures of this hot-button issue.