The following is a presentation prepared for NASFAA

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(No Transcript)
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The following is a presentation prepared for
NASFAAs 2006 Conference in Seattle, WAJuly 5-8,
2006
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Student Aid and Community Service A Win-Win
Opportunity for Students, Colleges and Communities

• Moderator
• Chris Walsh, Dean of Student Financial Aid,
  Syracuse University
• Presenters
• Bob Davidson, Senior Advisor,
• Corporation for National and Community Service
• David Bergeron, Director, Policy and Budget
  Staff,
• Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S.
  Department of Education

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Session Objectives

• Understand the context of higher education
  community engagement, and how student service
  silos can work together.
• Learn about the AmeriCorps Education Award and
  the growing provision of institutional grants
  that match the Ed Award or otherwise reward
  students with student service experience.
• Understand relevant policies, history, and data
  re FWS community service.
• Understand benefits of FWS community service to
  students, colleges and communities.
• Leave with tools to build/ expand FWS community
  service programs.

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The Context Growing Higher Education Civic/
Community Engagement

• History social and religious commitments Land
  Grant movement.
• Emergence of community-based/ policy-relevant
  faculty and student research.
• Service-Learning/ other college supports for
  student service emergence of Campus Compact.
• Recent national media recognition
• Princeton Review listing of Colleges with a
  Conscience
• U.S. News ranking of best Service-Learning
  colleges
• Washington Monthly annual ranking of colleges on
  service to the nation (using FWS Community
  Service percentages)

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The Context Increasing Student Interest in/
Experience with Community Service

• 37 States have policies encouraging or requiring
  K-12 student community service. Hence, increasing
  numbers of incoming college students have
  experienced and expect to continue service during
  college.
• UCLAs annual survey of college freshmen found
  66.3 percent of students entering college in 2005
  saying its essential or very important to them
  to help others who are in difficulty-- highest
  level in 25 years.

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The Context Diverse Formsof College Student
Service

• Episodic/ co-curricular service (faith-based,
  fraternal, etc.)
• Internships, practicums, co-op ed.
• Service-learning (service integrated with
  courses)
• Work-Study community service
• Federal Work-Study term-time or summer/ breaks
• State Work-Study
• AmeriCorps members serving during college
  enrolment.

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The AmeriCorps Education Award

• National Service Act of 1994 for service in
  VISTA, AmeriCorps StateNational, and
  AmeriCorps NCCC
• Up to 4,725 per year (in 2006) for full-time
  serivce (1,700 service hours) pro-rated for less
  service limited to 2 years. (Amount may change
  per year.)
• May be earned and used during college enrolment
  (AmeriCorps SN Ed Award Only program).
• May be used as grant against tuition and/or
  payment of student loan interest or principle.
• Must be utilized within 7 years of service
  completion.
• Not need-based. However, most awardees are
  independent of families and have with few assets.
  

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FSA Need Analysis Treatment of AmeriCorps
Education Awards

• Estimated Financial Assistance (EFA)
• When determining a students subsidized loan
  eligibility, an institution must exclude from EFA
  any AmeriCorps post-service benefit or
  educational award
• Resources
• When determining a students eligibility for
  campus-based funds, an institution may exclude as
  a resource the amount of the subsidized loan the
  student received (not to exceed the amount of
  AmeriCorps benefits)

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Institutional Matching of the AmeriCorps
Education Award

• Increasing number of colleges that match or
  overmatch the AmCorps Ed Award 2004 40
  2006 55.
• Variety of approaches some grants reward
  community service broadly some colleges give
  academic credit for service
• Especially generous programs
• Princeton University
• Syracuse University
• University of Arkansas
• Case Western Reserve University

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FWS Program Purposes

• A multi-purpose program Not just financial aid
• FWS program purposes
• support college access by financially needy
  students
• Promote student community service and develop
  students sense of civic responsibility
• support of students academic and career goals
• provide taxpayer subsidized labor for colleges?
  (Not a statutory purpose but colleges are
  eligible employers provided other workers are
  not displaced.)

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Higher Education Act FWS Community Service
Purpose

• to encourage students receiving Federal student
  financial assistance to participate in community
  service activities that will benefit the Nation
  and engender in the students a sense of social
  responsibility and commitment to the community.

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Higher Education Act Community Services
Definition

• identified by an institution of higher
  education
• through formal or informal consultation with
  local nonprofit, government, and community-based
  organizations
• as designed to improve the quality of life for
  residents, particularly low-income individuals,
  or to solve particular problems related to their
  needs,
• including such fields as health care, child
  care, literacy training, education, welfare,
  social services, transportation, housing

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FWS Institutional and Student Participation

• FWS higher ed institutions 3,300 all sectors
• Total FWS student participation 810,000
• Undergrads, plus graduate students
• Average award 1,447
• Average 11 hours/ week
• Students participating in FWS Community Service
  128,000

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Federal Work-Study 101

• Financial matching 25 employer/ 75 federal
  government (in general)
• Award amounts and wage rates set by schools
  Federal minimum wage applies
• Institutional allocation formula based on
  relative aggregate student need, with base
  guarantee linked to historic funding level
• Annual institutional application, allocation,
  re-allocation
• Administrative allowance (can cover community
  service admin. costs) generally 5 of Federal
  allocation.
• Schools assure non-displacement of regular
  institutional employees
• Schools assure that FWS jobs are to the extent
  practicable supportive of students academic
  programs or career goals

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FWS Community Service Features

• 7 community service requirement
• Waiver of institutional match (100 Federal
  funding) for reading and math tutors (America
  Reads and America Counts initiatives)
• Reduced matching (10 instead of 25) for needy
  nonprofits
• Travel and training hours covered by FWS pay
• Required notice to students re community service
  jobs
• Reallocation of unused funds for community
  service
• Job Location and Development Program

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Federal Funding Work-Study Community Service
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FWS Community Service Funding and Recipients
Growth
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FWS History and Trends

• FWS created in Economic Opportunity Act of 1964
  (War on Poverty) first appropriation 57
  million (FY 1965)
• 1996 President Clinton challenges colleges
  devote 50 of FWS to community service
• 1996 America Reads waiver for reading tutors
• 1997 200 million appropriation increase in one
  year
• 1998 Community service requirement raised 5
  to 7
• 2002 1.1 billion appropriation -- high-water
  mark
• 2004 President Bush challenges colleges devote
  50 of FWS to community service

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FWS History and Trends continued

• From dishwashing to literacy tutors and physics
  research
• from directed placement to student choice/
  interest matching
• Presidents 20 set- aside proposal for FWS
  community service
• CNCS strategic initiative focus on expanding
  college student service, including FWS community
  service
• Presidents Higher Ed. Community Service Honor
  Roll

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Benefits to Studentsof Work-Study Community
Service

• Maximize use of time
• combine need to earn tuition with opportunity for
  community service and academic/ career-building
  experience
• Learn new, career-relevant skills
• Develop interpersonal and leadership skills
• Apply academic learning to real world problems
• Develop citizenship skills and habits
• Build a contacts network
• Career exploration strengthen resume

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Benefits to Community Organizationsof
Work-Study Community Service

• Affordable, reliable workers
• Available for longer periods of time than
  traditional volunteers or service-learning
  students
• Often with special skills and knowledge needed by
  agency
• Available for both direct service and admin./
  coordination
• Relationship with the college/ university can
  extend to other areas and improved access to
  college resources

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Benefits to Colleges/ Universitiesof Work-Study
Community Service

• Add real world focus to academic and student
  affairs programs, strengthen service-learning
• Strengthen campus-community relationships and
  partnerships
• Good public relations/ media exposure
• Help in recruiting students
• Help in retaining students

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FWS Study Findings Education Department 1997-98
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FWS Study Findings Education Department 1997-98
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FWS Study FindingsEducation Department 1997-98

• Student appreciation of FWS Com Service jobs
• 88 would take such jobs in future
• 85 felt job provided interesting assignments
• 81 felt FWS job would stimulate future service
• Relationship to academic studies and performance
• 62 felt jobs supported academics or career goals
• Of these, 68 felt jobs had positive effect on
  their academic performance

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FWS Study FindingsEducation Department 1997-98

• Obstacles to community service
• Awareness (14 of non-community service FWS
  students not aware of com service option)
• Scheduling around courses
• Job location/ transportation problems
• Community service jobs availability (11 found
  all community service jobs already taken)

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Institutional Dataon FWS community service
2004-05 Reports

• Overall, 15.75 of FWS funds spent on community
  service, a decline from 15.89 in previous year
  first decline in history.
• Little variance in community service rates across
  institutional sectors
• Poor-performing schools 343 schools failed to
  meet 7 statutory requirement. Only 25 had
  Secretarial waivers.
• High-performing schools 22 of schools spent 20
  or more on community service
• Top-performing schools 163 schools had community
  service rates above 40
• For a complete listing of institutions and rates,
  go to www.nationalservice.org/about/volunteering/f
  ederal.asp and scroll down to Federal Work-Study
  program.

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Institutional Dataon FWS community service
2004-05 ReportsTOP 10 FWS Community Service
Schools dollar volume

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Institutional Data on FWS com service 2004-05
Reports Top 10 FWS Community Service
Schools percentage
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Challengesof Work-Study Community Service

• Meeting required employer matching requirement
• Need adequate staff to monitor students,
  coordinate projects, establish and nurture
  college/ community agency partner relationships
• Paperwork/ regulations/ reporting
• Paid students and true volunteers working
  together can create friction
• Competition with on-campus departments desire
  for Federally subsidized workers

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Steps to Enlist Community Partners

• Outreach to community agencies (may be via
  Student Aid/ Student Employment/ Student Service
  Coordination/ Service-Learning/ Career Services
  Offices, academic departments)
• Determine whether the agency is suitable, is
  addressing real community needs, can provide
  appropriate experiences
• Complete paperwork with community agency
  contract, form W-9, Job Descriptions, program
  descriptions
• Community agency approved paperwork and
  timesheets sent to agency post positions-- to
  recruit FWS students.

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Strategies for Successful FWS Community Agency
Partnerships

• Identify agency contact person (s)
• Agency director Human Resources manager,
  Community Relations manager Who do you know?
• Prepare clear position descriptions
• identify needed skills and knowledge, identify
  skills, knowledge, experience that will be
  gained, and potential relationship with academic
  programs/ career goals
• Emphasize positive program qualities
• Quality supervision/ relationships with students
• Meaningful work addressing significant community
  needs
• Student learning and career exploration
  experiences
• Opportunities for student voice/ reflection

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Steps that can increase Federal Work-Study
participation rates

• Advertise/ market FWS community service
  opportunities to current and incoming/
  prospective students.
• Market to local community service agencies
• Use Job Location/ Development staff to coordinate
  and trouble-shoot
• Coordinate with college programs/ departments
  that have internship requirements (education,
  nursing, medicine, law, engineering, social work,
  public administration)
• Integrate with Service-Learning courses
• Integrate with AmeriCorps programs
• Clarify FWS policies/ debunk myths

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FWS Community Service Myths and Misunderstandings

• On-campus jobs are not allowed (Not true. Depends
  on purpose/ function of the job)
• FWS students must provide direct services (Fact
  they can coordinate/ do admin work)
• FWS students cant earn course credit for time
  they earn FWS salaries (Fact depends on school
  policy)
• FWS students cant earn AmeriCorps ed awards for
  same service hours (Fact they can.)

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FWS Community Service Myths and
Misunderstandings, cont.

• FWS students cant earn more than the Federal
  minimum wage (fact they can limits set by the
  college)
• Transportation and training costs cant be met
  with FWS funds (True but the time spent in
  training or travel may be paid for as part of FWS
  salaries)
• FWS students cant work for government agencies
  (Fact they can)
• FWS students must work during the academic term
  (Fact summer/ between term work is allowed, even
  promoted by some colleges)

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Support from Corporation for National and
Community Service

• AmeriCorps Education Awards
• As grant or as student loan repayment.
• AmeriCorps State and National grants members
  may be college students and FWS recipientswhile
  earning Ed Awards
• AmeriCorps VISTA some 300 VISTAs serve as
  college student service coordinators
• Learn and Serve America -- Higher Education
  grants participants
• may also be FWS recipients.
• Senior Corps/ RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteers
  Program) over 2,000 serve as college student
  volunteer coordinators

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Presidents Higher Education Community Service
Honor Roll

• GOALS
• Increase public awareness of the service
  contributions of colleges and students.
• Identify and promote model higher education
  community service programs and practices.
• HONOR ROLL
• Selected colleges and universities will be listed
  on the Corporations website, along with project
  descriptions. A section of the Honor Roll will
  highlight the hurricane relief contributions.
• PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS
• Presidential Award winners will be presented with
  presidential certificates during Campus Compacts
  20th Anniversary Gala on October 16, 2006.
• HOW TO APPLY
• For an application and more information visit
  www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll Applications
  are due September 15, 2006. All accredited
  degree-granting colleges and universities in the
  United States are invited to apply.

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Additional Resources onFWS Community Service

• Campus Compact Resources for higher education
  institutions striving to develop or improve their
  programs
• www.compact.org/national/FWS
• Expanding Federal Work-Study and Community
  Service Opportunities
• Provided by the U.S. Department of Education with
  ideas for campuses incorporating community
  service into Federal Work-Study programs. Please
  visit http//www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/pubs/WorkStudy
  /.
• Federal Student Aid Handbook (for Financial Aid
  Professionals) Provided by the U.S. Deptartment
  of Education
• www.ifap.ed.gov/IFAPWebApp/currentSFAHandbooksPag.
  jsp
• Guidance on the relationship between AmeriCorps
  benefits and financial aid eligibility
• www.americorps.org/members/resource/education/bene
  fits.html
• National Student Employment Association
• The Work Book provides detailed information on
  work-study regulations and programs

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Additional Resources for Literacy Programs

• LEARNS
• Provides technical assistance to Corporation for
  National Service and Federal Work-Study projects
  focused on literacy and education. Call them at
  1-800-930-5664 or 1-800-361-7890 or visit their
  website at http//www.nwrel.org/learns.
• Growing a Volunteer Tutor Program Engaging
  Communities to Support Schools
• Available from LEARNS (see above for their phone
  number and website).
• The National Service Resource Center (NSRC) is a
  clearinghouse for information on national service
  programs. Literacy resources may be found at
  http//www.etr.org/NSRC/amreads.html
• On the Road to Reading A Guide for Community
  Partners
• For tutoring children pre-school through grade 3.
  Available for download on National Service
  Resource Centers website (www.etr.org/nsrc).
  Also see Reading Partners at this website.
• Resources for Math and Reading Tutoring Programs
  Updated and expanded resource list for national
  service and federal work-study tutoring programs.
  Includes free publications, videos and websites
  www.etr.org/NSRC/pdfs/arlist/pdf