Texas Association of Collegiate Financial Education Professionals

About Us
Professional Development
Symposium
2020 Program at a Glance

	Tuesday, May 19, 2020
9:30a - 9:45a	Welcome
9:45a - 10:15a	What's in a Debt Letter?: A National Analysis of Student Debt Letters Presented by Z.W. Taylor from Trellis Company and Karla Weber from The University of Texas at Austin This session will introduce the semi-recent multi-state adoption of mandatory debt letters sent from institutions to individuals holding student loan debt. Second, this session will share the results of a content analysis of nearly 50 unique debt letters from across the United States, explaining how institutions have written their debt letters and what specific information is included in a debt letter (interest rates, outstanding debt amount, etc.). Finally, the presenters will field questions and encourage attendee collaboration to share current and emerging best practices related to writing and delivering student debt letters.
10:15a - 10:20a	Break
10:20a - 10:50a	Promoting Financial Wellness: Creating Strategic Partnerships Presented by Dr. Terrance J. McClain, Kristine Wright, and Tabitha Walkeer from Texas State University The purpose of this presentation is to discover how Career And Financial Education (CAFE) has created strategic partnerships with local credit unions to promote financial education on its campus. This presentation will provide examples of programs that have been implemented, and opportunities for growth.
10:50a - 10:55a	Break
10:55a - 11:25a	Work, Family, and Financial Aid: How do Students Pay for College? Presented by Kasey Klepfer from Trellis Company Paying for college involves piecing together money from a variety of sources. Using findings from the 38,700 responses to Trellis' Fall 2019 Student Financial Wellness Survey, the presentation will cover the various forms of support-- family, work, aid, public and private credit--through a financial wellness lens. This includes measures of financial security, basic needs, and financial literacy. The presenter will share how these findings have helped dozens of schools improve student success.
11:25a - 11:30a	Break
11:30a - 12:00p	Missed Opportunities and Abandoned Ambitions: Understanding and Combating Student Melt Presented by Angela Mazzolini and Carissa Uhlman from Inceptia There are incoming freshmen who have taken the necessary steps to start college, but disappear over the summer. And, there are enrolled students who have done what it takes to persist, but leave school due to verification roadblocks. Both sets are part of "student melt." So what can we do to combat melt? This session provides an overview of melt, some of the causes and issues, as well as steps we can take to raise awareness and identify strategies to help students get to and through college.
12:00p	Closing Remarks