| Education Update
May 2010 |
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Upcoming Events |
May 27, 2010
Grant and Scholarship Advisory Committee Meeting
May 31, 2010
FAME offices will be closed in observance of Memorial Day
June 16, 2010
Advisory Committee on College Savings Meeting
June 17, 2010
FAME Board of Directors Meeting
June 17, 2010
Higher Education Advisory Council Meeting |
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| Change to FAME's Guarantee |
The recent passage of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872) brings historic change to the federal student loan landscape. With these changes, it is important to remember that no new FFELP loans can be issued after June 30, 2010. As such, the last day that any FFELP loan will be processed with a FAME guarantee is June 18, 2010. Any loans submitted for guarantee after this date will be rejected.
All loans guaranteed by June 18, 2010 must have a 1st disbursement date prior to July 1, 2010. |
| Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program Selection | |
The Selection Committee meeting for the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program was held on May 21, 2010. The committee reviewed and scored 133 applications. New awards were made to 27 students for the 2010/2011 academic year. |
| Educators for Maine Program Selection | | The Selection Committee meeting for the Educators for Maine Program was held on May 25, 2010. The committee reviewed and scored 181 applications. New awards were made to 40 recipients for the 2010/2011 academic year. |
| Wiscasset High School Offers Creative Program |
On Wednesday, May 19, Trisha Malloy facilitated Get A Life for a group of over 40 Wiscasset Middle School 8th graders with the help of their high school junior mentors. The game was coordinated by the high school and middle school guidance counselors. The mentor program helps prepare the 8th graders for their transition to high school. The mentors worked in groups with the 8th graders while Trish talked about budgeting, career interests, and post-secondary education. Congratulations to Wiscasset Schools for using the Get A Life program in such an innovative way. |
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| Upcoming Webinar on Counseling Split Borrowers 101 | |
Join FAME for its upcoming webinar entitled Counseling Split Borrowers 101. This webinar will be held on June 9, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. During this session, FAME will provide participants with an overview of recent loan-related regulatory changes and how these changes affect students. An emphasis will be placed on techniques that can be used to counsel borrowers, along with an overview of repayment plans and the temporary loan consolidation provision. FAME will also provide several web-based resources and agency contacts for borrower support.
Presenter: Mary Dyer, Default Prevention Specialist
Intended Audience: This FREE session is intended for financial aid counselors, school counselors and college access advisors. |
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College Access Challenge Grant | |
The annual performance report for the Maine College Access Challenge Grant (MCACG) was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education on Friday, May 14. As administrator of the grant, FAME is required to provide an update on the services provided during the prior 12 months.
Highlights from the report include:
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76.1% increase in the number of financial literacy events;
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68% increase in the number of adult/non-traditional students served;
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16.9% increase in the number of financial aid nights offered.
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April 16, 2009 - April 15, 2010 | |
# EVENTS |
# ATTENDEES | |
College Access Services |
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Financial Aid Nights |
59 |
2774 | |
FAFSA Labs - High Schools |
6 |
37 | |
FAFSA Labs -Adult Students |
5 |
22 | |
College Goal Sunday |
30 |
505 | |
Financial Literacy - College Students |
11 |
306 | |
Financial Literacy - Elementary School |
5 |
117 | |
Financial Literacy - High School |
16 |
682 | |
Financial Literacy - Middle School |
39 |
1674 | |
Financial Aid Sessions - Adult Students |
16 |
128 | |
Financial Aid Sessions - College Students |
2 |
87 | |
College Awareness - Elementary School |
1 |
21 | |
Financial Aid Sessions - High School |
45 |
2079 | |
Financial Aid Sessions - Middle School |
2 |
40 | |
total attendees (before college fairs) |
237 |
8,472 | |
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College Fairs |
20 |
16938 | |
total attendees (including college fairs) |
257 |
25,410 | |
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Training |
18 |
396 | |
Wednesday Webinars |
10 |
199 | |
Financial Aid 101 |
1 |
112 | |
Other |
7 |
85 |
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| Unity College Employee Benefit Fair | | Karen Vigue participated in the Unity College Employee Benefit Fair. Unity College is offering NextGen® as an employee benefit, encouraging employees to start saving for college for themselves, their children or grandchildren through payroll deductions. Any schools interested in offering NextGen as an employee benefit should contact Karen Vigue. |
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June 8, 2010 Referendum and Primary Election | |
June 8 is Election Day in Maine. There will be one people's veto question and four bond questions on the June ballot. Additionally, there will be primaries for gubernatorial nominees for those enrolled in a political party. There are no citizen initiatives, no Constitutional resolutions and no legislative referenda. Since there is only one people's veto question, that question will be first on the ballot.
The Maine Secretary of State's publication, Maine Citizen's Guide to the Referendum Election, is now available. The guide explains in detail the five ballot questions. It also explains what a "yes" or "no" vote means, which is helpful because questions can be confusing.
Excluding the primary election ballot choices, below please find the order and wording of the five ballot questions:
Question 1: People's Veto
Do you want to reject the new law that lowers Maine's income tax and replaces that revenue by making changes to the sales tax?
Question 2: Bond Issue
Do you favor a $26,500,000 bond issue that will create jobs through investment in an off-shore wind energy demonstration site and related manufacturing to advance Maine's energy independence from imported foreign oil, that will leverage $24,500,000 in federal and other funds and for energy improvements at campuses of the University of Maine System, Maine Community College System and Maine Maritime Academy in order to make facilities more efficient and less costly to operate?
Question 3: Bond Issue
Do you favor a $47,800,000 bond issue to create jobs in Maine through improvements to highways, railroads and marine facilities, including port and harbor structures, and specifying the allocation of $4,000,000 of the transportation bond approved by voters in November 2009 to be used for capital rail purposes?
Question 4: Bond Issue
Do you favor a $23,750,000 bond issue to provide capital investment to stimulate economic development and job creation by making investments under the Communities for Maine's Future Program and in historic properties; providing funding for research and development investments awarded through a competitive process; providing funds for disbursements to qualifying small businesses; and providing grants for food processing for fishing, agricultural, dairy and lumbering businesses within the State and redevelopment projects at the Brunswick Naval Air Station that will make the State eligible for over $39,000,000 in federal and other matching funds?
Question 5: Bond Issue
Do you favor a $10,250,000 bond issue to improve water quality, support drinking water programs and the construction of wastewater treatment facilities and to assist farmers in the development of environmentally sound water sources that will leverage $33,250,000 in federal and other funds?
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| Common Manual Updates |
On April 15, the Common Manual Governing Board approved policy changes to the Common Manual as proposed in the fourteen proposals advanced to the Board from Batch 168 and the eighteen proposals advanced to the Board from Batch 169. The changes made in these proposals will be incorporated into the Common Manual's annual update. These changes will also be incorporated into the Integrated Common Manual. The Integrated Common Manual is available on several guarantor websites and is also available on the Common Manual Website at: www.commonmanual.org |
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Finance Authority of Maine
1-800-228-3734 |
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