Another amazing NASFAA event is in the books! With over 2,200 registered attendees, Milwaukee was buzzing with excitement all week long. The team at Regent Education enjoyed meeting so many of you during the receptions, charity run, and conference sessions. Here are a few standout moments from the week.
Hitting the Pavement to Support College Completion
On Sunday, more than 185 attendees and their guests were up bright and early to participate in the 5K run/walk to support All-In Milwaukee, a college completion program that supports high-potential, limited-income, diverse Milwaukee students by providing financial aid, advising, program, and career support. With the goal of helping all of these students complete college, build meaningful careers, and transform the Milwaukee community, All-In Milwaukee is truly making a difference in the lives of so many deserving students.
As a sponsor of the event, the Regent Education team showed up in full force, eager to lace up their sneakers in support of a great cause.
Biker Dreams Come True
Another highlight of the event was Monday night’s full-throttle attendee reception at the Harley-Davidson Museum, sponsored by Regent Education. NASFAA attendees cruised through time as they explored the interactive exhibits detailing the rich culture and history of the sport as well as the unrivaled collection of Harley-Davidson® motorcycles. All night long, attendees were riding high as they said “cheese!” while snapped pics with the motorcycles, enjoyed live music, and took boat tours of Milwaukee.
In addition to exploring the rich motorcycle heritage, attendees enjoyed the opportunity to let loose and connect with their peers. And given the strong camaraderie amongst Harley-Davidson® aficionados and motorcycle enthusiasts, there was no better place to make these connections.
ISIRvived!
As you can well imagine, the FAFSA debacle was a hot topic during this year’s event. Attendees commiserated with each other, sharing stories of struggle and frustration. And while there’s no question that this past year was difficult, each and every attendee can proclaim “ISIRvived!” And many did so with their Regent Education cups.
Hot Topic: Competency-Based Education
Every year, the number of colleges and universities interested in competency-based education (CBE) grows higher. And this year was no exception. As the competition for students reaches a near fever pitch, more and more institutions are looking for ways to set their programs apart from the rest. But too often, financial aid becomes a roadblock on the road to CBE, with many legacy FAMs unable to cope with the nuances CBE programs must support.
During the session, The New Model in Learning: Competency Based Education & Financial Aid, C-BEN Executive Vice-President & COO Amber Garrison Duncan, PhD, tackled this topic head-on. She examined the rise of CBE, its implications for financial aid officers, and the range of methods institutions can consider to distribute financial aid in CBE models. She also discussed strategies institutions need to implement to support the unique needs of CBE students, including adult learners, low-income students, and students from underrepresented groups.
If your institution is implementing or considering CBE and you’re not sure how to manage financial aid, we should talk. Regent Education enables institutions to automate and scale financial aid management across all enrollment models to support competency-based education. Using Regent Education, colleges and universities can automatically package and repackage financial aid CBE programs across standard and non-standard terms, subscription periods, and non-term enrollment models. As a result, your staff can reduce manual effort and spend more time supporting students.
Bridging the Gap: Integrating CRM and Financial Aid Systems for Enhanced Student Experience
Another great session featured Herzing University where they shared how they enhanced the student experience by integrating their CRM and financial aid systems. Using Regent Award for Salesforce, Herzing University was able to deliver a more student-centric experience by streamlining administrative tasks, improving communication channels, and providing a more personalized experience for students. 
Further, Herzing University shared how integration between Regent Education and Salesforce helped them to optimize their financial aid processes. By breaking down silos between departments, the University can deliver more efficient student communication while also promoting greater collaboration among admissions, financial aid, and their student services teams.
Nourish Your Mind: The Regent Fund Approach
On Tuesday, attendees joined Regent Education for lunch to learn how Regent Fund automates scholarship and fund allocation across various scenarios, from simple to complex. As higher education affordability continues to be a topic of concern for many students, institutional scholarships play an increasingly important role as institutions compete for students. But too often, they leave money on the table, with thousands of dollars of scholarships left unallocated.
With Regent Fund, all that changes. Regent Fund reduces manual processes and automates the awarding process, giving fund administrators a holistic view of eligible students and available awards so they can quickly and efficiently award - and re-award - scholarships to the students your institution most wants to enroll.
Regent Education was proud to be a sponsor of NASFAA 2024 and looks forward to continuing the great conversations shared throughout the event.
If you couldn’t attend NASFAA - or missed catching up with us at the event, we would love to chat with you about how Regent Education can automate financial aid and scholarship management for your institution. Please request a demo and we’ll be in touch soon!
