Sorting through financial aid options can become a daunting task.
Recognizing this, Xavier University's Office of Financial Aid launched a series of online video webisodes to help clarify the vagaries of financial aid for students, parents and guidance counselors.
"In
the past, most students and families found information about the
financial aid process in long, detailed paragraphs which are sometimes
very complex," says Doug Ruschman, Xavier University’s Director of Web
Services.
Aaron Meis, Xavier's Dean of Undergraduate
Admission adds that the videos explain "what can be complex and
difficult to understand in a way that the average mom, dad and student
can
understand.”
In order to take some of the pain out of
sifting through financial aid literature, these webisodes meet
prospective and current students where they frequently are: online.
"Xavier
is stepping into the world of its students to deliver the information
through the web via short, easy-to-view videos," Rushman says.
"Although they speak a little about Xavier, they are valuable for any
student looking at college."
The timing of these videos is not
by chance. With the economy as it is, financial aid can make or break
many students' decisions about where to attend college.
"Affordability
is something that a family must educate themselves about," says Todd
Everett, Senior Associate Director of Financial Aid. "The webisodes
provide information that includes options for families."
The
webisodes feature a tutorial on what and how of financial aid, given by
Paul Calme, Xavier's Director of Financial Aid, and the insights of
Xavier business majors in Professor Julie Cagle's Financial Management
401 course, about the roots of the present crises and how to deal with
it.
Reaching farther into student territory, Xavier has even posted the video on its own You Tube channel, as well as its own Facebook profile.
Writer: Jonathan DeHart
Source: Xavier University
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