Enrollment Management Association

Financial Aid Purpose and Policy: Begin With Why
Presented by Mark Mitchell, Vice President, National Association of Independent Schools
Today’s landscape requires ever-increasing attention to thinking strategically about how to structure and deliver your financial aid investment for optimal results. Begin by identifying your purpose and aligning policies and practices that are consistent with reaching your desired outcomes. Don’t start your financial aid season’s work with your committee without good conversations about what you’re trying to accomplish and examining your tactics for getting there.

Using Financial Aid as an Enrollment Strategy
Presented by Alisa Evans, President of Mission Enrollment Strategy Solutions, LLC
In 2018, we have declining birth rates, new entrants to K12 Education options, and a younger parent population. Yikes! In order to stay competitive and nimble in this rapidly changing landscape we need to find new ways to compete. Join Alisa Evans for an introduction to K12 financial aid and learn how to optimize and more effectively utilize your financial aid program to increase enrollment. We will go over financial aid marketing, data mining, and ways to better communicate affordability at any income. Whether you use a formal financial aid tool or you do it yourself, you will learn new ways to use your program.

How and Where to Begin: A Guide For Financial Aid Practitioners
Presented by Brian Beale, Director of Enrollment, Brimmer and May School (MA)
Beginning the financial aid process can be overwhelming for someone with little to no experience. Join Brian as he provides a step-by-step guide for financial aid practitioners based on his 20+ years of experience in schools. Brian will provide insights into how to set family expectations, from format and process through reviewing financial aid folders, leaving you confident as you take your first steps to financial aid success.

Financial Aid Growth as an Enrollment Management Strategy
Presented by Lisa Pelrine, Director of Admissions, and Susie Horan, Director of Financial Aid, Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School (MA)
Financial aid is a vital part of the enrollment management spectrum. Developing a long-range financial aid plan that reviews historical data, addresses affordability, and employs strategies to address enrollment, can shift the trajectory of a school. Susie and Lisa will share CH-CH's success story and how you can employ these strategies to positively affect your school's enrollment.

Using Enrollment Goals to Predict Your Financial Aid Budget
Presented by Liam Chatterton, Director of Financial Aid and Associate Director of Admission, Mercersberg Academy (Pennsylvania)
Getting ready for the admission and financial aid season can be a hectic time, particularly as financial aid budgets and tuitions for the following year are still being determined. Join Liam to learn how to develop enrollment and yield models that forecast needs 2-3 years in advance. You will be in a better position to predict your financial aid budget and potential aid allocations across the student body, so your school can be proactive when recruiting and accepting new students.

Financial Aid: Lessons from the Field
Presented by Jennifer Osland Hillen, CPA, CGMA, Vice President, Professional Development and Business Affairs, National Business Officers Association
Join a recovering financial aid expert and EMA’s Kristen Power as they talk about lessons learned from the trenches on the wonderful world that need-based assistance opens up for many independent school students, and the pitfalls to avoid in the practical application of a financial aid program. Jennifer worked closely with financial aid at Harpeth Hall School (700 girls in grades 5-12) for eight years, and in her two years at NBOA, has seen and heard an array of stories from across the industry. Listen in as Jennifer and Kristen discuss ways to approach the 2019 financial aid season armed with ideas and tools for success. They'll draw on evidence from NBOA’s data collection platform (Business Intelligence for Independent Schools (BIIS)) and an in-depth qualitative survey of business officers and enrollment management/financial aid professionals done jointly across EMA and NBOA's membership.