NEW STAFF
Mitzie Goff - Associate Registrar
Cristina Coronado - Coordinator of Administration for Registrar's Office
Myriah Garcia - Academic Records Counselor
Cate Hamilton - Academic Records Counselor
Walker Self -
Financial Aid Advisor STAFF RETIRING
Peggy Park
- Associate Director of Financial Aid Birthdays
Darrah Rippy Lorinda Lamb
Monica Cordero - 13 years Marc Peterson - 9 years with DES
Jenny DeMasi - 7 years Shannon Grandberry - 7 years
Peggy Park Retires
Anniversaries
... but does not leave
At the end of her seventeenth year at SMU, Peggy Park retired as the Associate Director of Financial Aid. As Associate Director Peggy managed the undergraduate Financial Aid staff to insure that students receive the financial assistance for which they are entitled. This includes the staff that award federal and state aid, staff that process scholarship awards, and staff that facilitate student employment. Since a high percentage of SMU student receive aid in some form, Peggy has been busy training her staff on the latest governmental regulations.
Even though Peggy's official last day of full time employment was December 31st. She will continue to lend here expertise to the Financial Aid Office as a casual employee. Peggy will continue to work with training, procedure documentation, and providing her knowledge to the undergraduate Financial Aid staff.
However, these assignments in the office will be scheduled around Peggy's retirement lifestyle. She will spend time with her favorite activities -- spending time with her eight grandchildren and traveling.
A celebration of her retirement is in the planning stages. She retains her SMU e-mail address and telephone number to facilitate her occasional work.
Some of our VIPs this month are:
Academic Records Staff - Many thanks to the Academic Records staff lead by Sylvia Wiseman, Nancy Skochdopole, and Susan Evans for their dogged determination to get the grades processed in a timely manner.
Enrollment Resources - And a huge note of thanks to the DES ER tem lead by Irma Herrera who make hundreds of gentle phone class to faculty until they submitt their grades. This "front line" calling of instructors as soon as the 48 hour due period had passed made a big difference. We are very fortunate to have the ER team.
Enrollment Resources
- Colleagues, just a quick not to thank you for your superb work the past few
days in response to Early Action letters having been received. I have had
several very favorable comments from counselors, students, and parents with who
I have also visited. Your ability to respond professionally and helpfully
at the initial point of contact is key to our success in this process. Student Account Refunds Federal regulations require that Title V funds
(from Federal Financial Aid Programs) in excess of charges must be refunded to
the student within 14 calendar days after the first class day for the particular
student. Because these funds often are used by the student for living
expenses and books, the more efficiently they can receive their refund the
better. The Bursar and the staff in Student Financial
Services (SFS) constantly looks for ways to improve the refund process and to
shorten the time it takes to get the money in the hands of the student.
Ten years ago, to meet the federal deadline
for refunds, staff in SFS worked long hours. But even with these long
hours, check that met the deadline were sent to student through the US Postal
Service and could take another 2 to 3 weeks before delivery. The first significant change was to offer
students the option of direct deposit. Students could complete a form
authorizing SFS to deposit his/er refund directly into his/er bank account.
This cut the deliver time to the next day at most. Eighteen Months ago, the processing of refunds
was automated. This allowed more refunds to be processes each day and thus
the refunds were available to student prior to the 14 day deadline. Recently, SFS began offering another option
for receiving a refund. Student now may obtain a debit card onto which
funds may be placed electronically. The debit card can be used in the same
way as a bank debit card. It is a quick, easy, and safe way to receive a
refund. Stay toned. No telling what SFS will
come up with next in order to provide our students with excellent service.
take another step into the future
Important Dates
Quotation of the Month
SMU Trivia
Question
Answer
Work Begins on Taking
from the Cox School of Business -- It is never to soon to begin to think about
Summer School. The Summer School Office began encouraging students and
their families to consider one of SMU's three summer school programs at Family
Weekend. The staff made contact with approximately 1,000 family members
and provided them with information on SMU in Taos, Study Abroad, and SMU in
Dallas. The
Summer School staff explain that students should include plans to participate in
one or more summer school experience as part of their four years at SMU.
By planning ahead, the cost can be more effectively managed and the student may
be able to receive additional academic credentials such as a second degree, a
second major or minor, or experience new cultures in Taos and around the world. The
spring term will have a number of initiatives to make families and students
aware of the various summer school programs. We hope by getting a much
earlier start this year, the Summer School Office will exceed its success from
the summer of 2007. For
information on Summer School go to our website:
www.smu.edu/summer/
February Division Meeting
Feb. 6th
Jan. 7 - Residence Halls Open
Jan.15 - First Day of
Classes
Jan. 21 - Martin Luther King Holiday
Jan. 22 - Last day to
Enroll
Mar. 10-15 - Spring Break
Friendship is a strong and
habitual inclination in two persons to promote the good and happiness of one
another.
Eustage Budgell
in the
Registrar's Office
When you come to the Registrar's Office in the Blanton Building, you will see some new faces. We are proud to welcome these new people to Enrollment Services and some to SMU. Please take the next opportunity to stop in to introduce yourself.
Associate Registrar-Mitzie Goff begins Feb. 1
Assistant Registrar-Nancy Skochdopole began Nov. 26
Coordinator for Administration- Cristina Coronado began Jan. 2
Business Systems Analyst -Melissa Stanford begins Jan. 7
Business Systems Analyst-Nada Elsayed begins Jan. 14
Academic Records Counselor-Myriah Garcia began Jan. 3
Academic Records Counselor-Cate Hamilton began Dec. 20
