NCSEAA Narrative Proposal 2021-22 SEAA Vision
Working in effective collaboration with our partners, we are the recognized leader in service to North Carolina students and families, schools, colleges, and policy makers for innovative, high quality financial aid programs and activities.
The Board of Directors and staff of the State Education Assistance Authority are privileged to have participated in the accomplishments presented here in service of our State's investment in the future of its people and to publish this annual report as required under G.S.
§
116-209.14. The Authority is a political subdivision of the State, governed by a nine-member Board of Directors. The University of North Carolina provides the secretariat for the Authority, which has some 78 receipts-supported employees.In a number of key areas, our efforts help North Carolina pay for college. The Authority:
• Administers inter-institutional programs of student financial aid, created under State and federal law, funded with governmental as well as private resources, and designed to help North Carolinians meet the cost of education at public four-year, public two-year, and independent colleges and universities, and independent K-12 schools in North Carolina.
• Provides significant online (www.cfnc.org and www.NCSEAA.edu) and telephone (866-866-CFNC) resources, as well as publishes and distributes annual printed publications that assist families, financial aid administrators, and school counselors as they plan, apply, and pay for education .
. • Obtains and insures capital for educational loans.
• Maintains sensitive and affirmative default prevention and aversion activities and operates an aggressive student loan collection system for recovery of defaulted student loan obligations.
• Promotes access to financial aid opportunities through outreach activities with school counselors and financial aid administrators, so they can assist students and families in planning for higher education.
• Administers North Carolina's National College Savings Program, a "529" plan providing flexible, tax-advantaged savings and investment options for parents, grandparents, and others.
•Assists the Governor, the General Assembly and other elected officials, the University of North Carolina General Administration, the North Carolina Community College System, and Nort.h Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities on various matters pertaining to financial aid and paying for college costs.
• Contracts with College Foundation, Incorporated (CFI) of Raleigh for certain operational functions. CFI is a nonprofit organization, chartered in 1955 under Chapter 55A of the General Statutes to assist North Carolinians in financing the cost of higher education. As an agent and independent sole source contractor for the Authority since 1966, CFI serves as the central loan s.ervicer for all SEAA guaranteed loans. CFI also administer~ need-based student grant programs and North Carolina's National College Savings Program on behalf of the Authority and services student loans on behalf of the Authority and other investors. The Authority reimburses CFI for its pro-rata share of operating and reasonable capital costs incurred in the administration of the programs for which it contracts.
Through its numerous aid programs, outreach and educational efforts, the Authority is committed to helping North Carolina achieve the goal of universal access to higher education, regardless of financial means.
In consultation with the Golden LEAF Foundation, the Authority proposes to:
1. Work with Foundation Board and staff to define selection criteria that will reflect scholarship program goals. Financial need and desire to return and make contributions to a rural county,
the primary principles, will be determined based on information submitted on the student's FAFSA and application questions. Other criteria will be reviewed to promote geographic diversity, including consideration of goals by region or county of residence to ensure broad statewide representation.
2. Capitalize on our existing extensive marketing and outreach programs through CFNC to inform students and families in tobacco dependent, economically distressed, and/or rural North Carolina communities of the scholarship. Activities will include promotion through the CFNC website; inclusion in CFNC publications as well as special scholarship program print materials; and targeted communications with college and university aid administrators, community college transfer advisors and high school counselors.
3. Use the CFNC/NCSEAA electronic scholarship application (with a paper option for students with limited internet access) to enable students to easily submit all necessary information, including basic demographic information, the county of residence, high school information, leadership activities while in high school (as an indicator of potential leadership), and a statement regarding their goals after college. We will use the information from the FAFSA to confirm the student's permanent address and review financial information and the estimated family contribution (EFC). After reviewing the submissions for accuracy and/or other flags, we will consider the EFC, grade point average and the student's expressed desire to start his/her professional career in an approved Golden Leaf rural county. We will also analyze by county of residence, as reported by the student, to ensure diverse geographic representation, and review the leadership activities and post-college goals to select
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students from the group. A list of alternates will be created if any of the initial candidates do not enroll in an eligible institution.Students, high schools and colleges will be notified after all applications have been evaluated. Colleges will then include the scholarship award in the student's aid package in time to inform the student's college selection. We will ask each recipient to confirm his/her college choice and disburse funds accordingly.
For renewal students, we will ask the colleges and universities to confirm that the students are meeting the satisfactory academic progress policy established by the institution for continued receipt of federal aid in accordance with the U.S. Department of Education.
4. Monitor program activity by collecting and analyzing financial, demographic, and geographic data for applicants and recipients. We will track progress toward graduation and, to the degree possible, collect information on careers subsequent to graduation. We will conduct annual assessments and provide reports to the Foundation on program activity.
Publicity
The State Education Assistance Authority will use multiple publicity streams including, but not limited to:
• CFNC.org
• HS Counselor workshops
• HS Counselor newsletters and mailings • HS Counselor email announcements
• Notices to eligible college admissions and financial aid offices
• High schools in eligible counties participating in College Application Week
• Notices to community college and 4-year transfer coordinators and other community college personnel
• Press Releases to media outlets serving eligible counties
By March 1, each applicant must complete an application for the Golden LEAF Foundation Scholarship which will be available on CFNC.org beginning in December 2020.
As roots in a community may be a predictor for which students will return to his or her home
community, application questions will identify the family ties to the county as well as the student's long term goals for career and community support. High school students are usually dependent upon parents or other family members; conversely, many community college students are no longer dependent on parents for financial support and may be married. We will inquire about their length of time residing in the community. Other application questions will attempt to measure the extent to which a student plans to contribute to his/her community.
In addition to the application, each student will submit a high school transcript. community college applicants will also submit a transcript from the community college. The transcript will provide
information about the student's course of study and grade point average. Applicants will be scored on the GPA, EFC, length of time in the county and the contribution they foresee making once they return to a rural county, as the scholarship is not solely designed to recognize academic achievement. Public high school students have the ability to submit an electronic transcript at no cost to the State Education Assistance Authority at the same time that they apply for the scholarship, which will help students complete the entire application process.
Finally, each applicant must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to measure financial need. The FAFSA determines a family's ability to pay for the student's educational expenses and includes income and a limited number of asset questions. This information about the family's ability to pay will be used in combination with academics, career goals and the desire to return to the home county. Students will not have to demonstrate financial need for future years, so we will be particularly attentive to the EFC for the initial year.
Application Review
After the application deadline, we will evaluate all completed applications and divide the applicants into three geographical regions, and the number of recipients from each region will be based on the proportion of applications from those regions. SEAA has developed a methodology for scoring the
applications using as much technology as possible and using parameters for narrowing the applicant pool appropriately. Such parameters may include financial need, grade point average, and length of time the family has resided in the eligible county. After the pool is narrowed, detailed scoring of the remaining applications will occur based on questions on the application with the goal of selecting 215 academically solid students with strong ties to their communities, which might lead them back to the community after college.
Proposed Budget
The Authority proposes a budget of $2,581,584 that includes 215 new scholarships of $3,000 each ($645,000), 576 full-year renewal scholarships of $3,000 each ($1,728,000), 21 half-year renewal scholarships of $1,500 each ($31,500), and $177,084 for operational costs. Operational costs include marketing; technical support for updating the CFNC online application tool, student portal and other website enhancements; salary support for program administration, including selection of scholarship recipients, communication with students and schools during the application and award processes, fiscal management including electronic funds disbursement and reconciliation of accounts, renewal activities, and data collection, analysis and reporting.
Expected Outcome of Golden LEAF Foundation Scholarship for UNC and Independent Colleges The goal of the Golden LEAF Scholarship program is to provide scholarships to students who are identified as likely to return and make contributions to their home communities following graduation from colleges and universities in North Carolina.
The Golden LEAF Foundation Scholarship is a $12,000 scholarship for incoming freshmen, payable over four years at $3,000 per year with an emphasis on leadership development. Community college transfer students are eligible for $3,000/year for up to three years, depending on the number of credits the students transfer to a four-year institution. With the goal of returning leaders to their communities, the State Education Assistance Authority will attempt to identify students who are likely to return to their communities after earning their degrees. The scholarship application will have questions designed to reveal the familial connections to the community, as well as the career aspirations and goals of the candidates.
First-year students have five years in which to receive the four years of funding and transfers will have an equivalent period based on their classification upon transferring.
Golden LEAF Scholarship Proposed Timeline
The U.S. Department of Education makes the FAFSA available on October 1 and families are encouraged to file the form after they have prepared their income tax returns. The UNC System has adopted a uniform priority aid deadline of March 1 across all campus, and we propose the same deadline for the scholarship program with the latitude to consider applications received after the deadline if funds are available.
Notification of scholarship decisions will occur in early April. Most colleges in North Carolina notify students of their admission either on a rolling basis (as soon as the application is complete) or utilizing a set of standard notification dates with the earliest occurring in November and December. Thus, the Authority will be able to review, select, and notify students and high schools by early April, well before the May 1 uniform notification date for students to notify colleges of their enrollment decisions.
Our proposed timeline is as follows:
Development: Application period: Selection process: Notify students: Notify colleges: Disburse funds: Interim Reports: Final Report: August-December 1 , 2020 December 2020-March 1, 2021 February 15-March 31, 2021 First week of April 2021 First week of May 2021
Early August 2021 and January 2022 December 31, 2021 and June 30, 2022 August 31, 2022
List of staff who will be involved in your project, their job description, and their
role in implementation of the project.
The Authority employs "well-seasoned" financial aid and admissions professionals who have campus experience prior to their employment with the Authority. The staff work together to ensure a smooth process. The following is a list of the primary team members who are involved in the administration of the scholarship program and their years of experience in higher education.
Elizabeth McDuffie Shawn Henderson Kevin Lineberry
Executive Director, NCSEAA Program Manager
Higher Education, Associate Director
39 Years 20 Years 22 Years
Elizabeth McDuffie is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs and
strategic plan of the
NCSEAA.Shawn Henderson is responsible for planning and governance and for overseeing the
Kevin Lineberry supervises the Grants, Training and Outreach Higher Education Division
Projection for Golden Leaf Costs
Salary and Benefit Costs
Total Salary
Envision Costs:
Development Costs of Golden Leaf Application
Total Envision Costs:
Total Golden Leaf Costs
21-22 Costs $ 120,000 $ 120,000 $ 57,084 $ 57,084
I$
111,084I
Calculation BasisAmount oftime staff spends on the program (2.5%)
Total costs of the Higher Ed release of the system is $219,552. Portion of Golden Leaf development will be 26% based upon man hours spent on each of the 5 different programs that will be part of this system release. Golden Leaf process is unique so the system will need to be customized to meet the program's needs (essays, etc.)
Golden
LEAF~
FOUNDATION~
Project Budget
301 North Winstead Avenue, Rocky Mount, NC 27804 Phone: 252-442-7474 Toll Free: 888-684-8404 www.goldenleaf.org
Project funding source(s) and budget(s)
Budget category Total project Golden LEAF Name of funding Name of funding Name of funding Name of funding Name of funding
budget source
2
source 3 source4
source5
source6
Scholarships
$2,404,500.00
$2,404,500.00
Administration
$177,084.00
$177,084.00
$2,58~,584.00
$2,581,584.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
Project File Number:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Name of Grantee: North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority
Project Title: Golden LEAF Scholarship Program
(2021-22)
Date budget approved by GLF:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Budget Narrative
The Authority proposes a budget of $2,581,584 that includes 215 new scholarships of $3,000 each ($645,000), 576 full-year renewal scholarships of $3,000 each ($1,728,000), 21 half-year renewal scholarships of $1,500 each ($31,500), and $177,084 for operational costs. Operational costs include marketing; technical support for updating the CFNC on line application tool, student portal and other website enhancements; salary support for program administration, including selection of scholarship recipients, communication with students and schools during the application and award processes, fiscal management including electronic funds
disbursement and reconciliation of accounts, renewal activities, and data collection, analysis and reporting.