Say yes to UVM!

The last Admitted Student VIsit Day concluded on Friday. Our final admitted student information session will take place on Thursday. It’s now time for the students to whom we have offered admission will make their college decision. The Class of 2016 is shaping up nicely; nearly two-thirds of the class has committed.

For students who have paid, you may choose your orientation date. Orientation attendance date is determined by college/school. Parents and family members are welcomed as well. In mid-May, housing forms will be available for students to sign up for housing next year. Note that house applications aren’t due until June 30 so students can scope out housing options during June orientation.

If you have chosen another institution, let us know that as well. You may withdraw your application at the application status website. We wish you well.

For those of you who are still making your decision, I encourage you to follow the advice of President Bramley as he spoke to our admitted students last Friday. You’ve collected information, gone on campus visits and done your homework. Don’t forget to listen to your gut…if it feels right, then it is right.

Take a moment to listen to what our students have to say about their experience at UVM. It’s an amazing place for undergraduate students and this video captures life at UVM.

We invite you to say YES to UVM!

Financial aid awards and scholarships

Aside from visiting campus, the anticipation of receiving financial aid awards is one of the most important parts of the admissions process – and it always comes at the end! Higher education is one of the few investments that any family will make where it takes months to find out the cost. Since financial aid awards will be available for students and families to see by next week, I want to share a couple of details about the process at UVM.

- Financial aid awards will be available for students to view at the application status website: www.uvm.edu/admissions/appstatus. The same ID and pin can be used that worked to check the application status. We anticipate them being viewable beginning Friday, March 30, after 5 p.m.  Financial aid awards are created only for students who sent in a FAFSA.

- if there is missing information that is needed, the missing requirements will also be listed on this financial aid status website. In some cases, a financial aid award cannot be issued if information is missing or needs verified.

- As part of a financial aid award, UVM will identify all the sources of aid for which a student is eligible. This will include the scholarship that the student was awarded (if they received one), it will include loan. If a student still has eligibility, then need based grant will be awarded. Finally we also include work-study for students who have demonstrated the greatest level of financial need.

-We will include a parent loan for all dependent students. This loan is added after we have identified all grants and loans for which a student is eligible. Parents are not required to take this loan; it is offered as a way to assist parents in the out of pocket cost.

- UVM uses an estimate of costs for next year (the Board of Trustees finalizes those costs in May). Note that these estimates include not only the direct costs (what is paid to UVM in the form of tuition, fees and room and board) but also includes estimates for costs such as living expenses and books. In comparing financial aid awards from other schools, it is important to use the same iinformation (I recommend comparing direct costs).

- UVM does have a payment plan offered to students. More information can be found on our website as well as at the Tuition Management System website.

This year, we plan to award more than $20 million in grant dollars to our new students – it is a significant investment to help with college costs. We renew the aid to students each year, provided their  financial picture remains the same and as long as students meet the required grade point average to renew.

Our staff at Student Financial Services is ready to help with your questions. We do offer our best financial aid award  and unless information was missed in the initial review, the financial aid award is our best package.

We know that investment in higher education is a signficant commitment for families. UVM offers an outstanding undergraduate education and are pleased that we can provide support to assist families who need help with the cost. Wee look forward to many students say “yes” to our offer of admission for next year.

Questions? Let’s talk!

Over the past month, we’ve hosted five receptions for admitted students in a number of cities. Our third admitted student visit day will take place next Friday. One highlight of these programs is the opportunity to talk in person with parents and students about their questions. Since were are not able to have conversations right now with every admitted student and their families, I thought I would share a few of the common questions that relate to the transition to UVM.

• When do new students sign up for classes as a first year student? Our June orientation provides students (and family members) time with academic advisors over the course of a two-day program. Students will leave June orientation with the fall schedule. Scheduling is done by the college/school to which a student has been admitted. The dates are posted on our website and students may registered for their preferred session once they pay an acceptance fee. You can check out additional frequently asked questions about orientation.
• When do new students sign up for housing? UVM has a residency requirement for first year students requiring them to live in university housing for the first two years. As a result, we are able to reserve housing spaces across campus, giving students an equal chance to have a choice of residential options of the more than 30 residence halls across campus. The housing application for UVM is not required until June 30 (after orientation) in order to allow students to familiarize themselves with housing options during orientation. Notification of the housing assignment is sent about a month before students come to campus in August.
• When will we hear about financial aid? Our Student Financial Services staff plan to post financial aid awards on our application status website by the end of March. Students can access the awards at the same location that they check their application status. This is also the time to ensure that FAFSA information is updated if the initial figures submitted were estimated. It also is important to respond to requests for additional or missing information. Please don’t send information unless it is requested – it can slow the process down.  The exception to this is for students who have special circumstances not covered by the FAFSA. Those situations can be documented and sent to the Student Financial Services Office.
• What is myUVM? Many schools have locations on their website that allow students to log in and get information about classes, registration, bills, and getting connected at UVM. It’s a one-stop-shop for all the information needed about being a student at UVM. New students can begin accessing it once they pay the acceptance fee and activating their UVM email.  The student page in the myUVM portal looks like this:

This is just a sampling of the questions we’ve been answering over the past few weeks. We’d love to hear more and are happy to provide the information needed to help students either in making their final college decision or help in the transition to UVM. Let’s talk!

Welcome President Sullivan

The University of Vermont has chosen a new president! After a six month search, we were introduced today to the person who will lead the university in the coming years….it was truly a celebration for the UVM community. Today President Sullivan walked into a ballroom filled with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members to a standing ovation. His extensive experience in higher education, most recently at the University of Minnesota as Provost, makes him well equipped to lead UVM.

President Sullivan outlined his priories for UVM. This morning he stated, “We will promote: 1) Financial access and affordability for students. 2) A rich curriculum that balances a first-rate educational experience for our students from the theoretical to the practical application of great new discoveries and ideas that advance and promote our communities and their citizens. 3) A research infrastructure that will enable our great faculty and researchers to discover and transmit new knowledge from both the theoretical and basic to applied and translational research. 4) And finally, the University of Vermont, as the economic engine of the state, will work closely with the political and business leadership of the state to promote economic development and to support work force needs thoughout Vermont — through its teaching and research. In my view, these are the four core purposes that are central to a great land grant university.”

Mrs. Sullivan is a Catamount herself, having graduated from UVM in the Class of 1977. With her love of UVM and her extensive experience in the investment industry and non-profit work, she will contribute in many ways to the UVM community.

I was present for the introduction ceremony where representatives from the UVM community provided words of welcome and gifts that represented their relationship with President and Mrs. Sullivan. A celebratory event, the introduction can be viewed on our website.

Our Board of Trustees chair, Rob Cioffi, summarized President Sullivan’s qualifications when he stated, “Tom Sullivan clearly possesses the academic credentials, the extensive leadership experience at both public and private universities, the demonstrated accomplishments in the implementation of strategic plans and major fund raising, and the personal energy and enthusiasm we need to take UVM to the next level of success.”

There is no question that President Sullivan is a great choice for UVM. The Class of 2016 will have the special honor of going through their first year with President Sullivan – they will be finding their way together.

Filing a FAFSA?

Our priority deadline for submitting a FAFSA to www.fafsa.gov is this Friday, Feb. 10.

Applying for financial aid is an important step in most college search processes. Parents often say that they won’t qualify for assistance. While the statement may be true, we won’t have an opportunity to review the possibilities if we don’t receive a FAFSA. UVM does award additional need based financial aid (grants, loans) who don’t qualify for Federal Pell grants but still have need. The FAFSA is our only application for financial aid.

You may want to check out online video tutorials about how to complete a FAFSA.

Here is the text of an email sent recently to applicants:

In order to be considered for all available sources of financial aid at UVM, submit the 2012 – 2013 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.gov by February 10, 2012, UVM’s priority financial aid deadline. If you have already submitted your FAFSA, thank you! We will receive your record from the Federal Processor shortly, and will then send you confirmation of receipt by mail.

If the necessary 2011 Federal Income Tax Returns will not be filed before February 10, please submit the FAFSA using estimated information. Once the tax returns are filed, return to www.fafsa.gov to make any necessary corrections using the IRS data retrieval tool. We will consider a FAFSA with estimated data as on-time, as long as it is submitted at www.fafsa.gov by February 10.

For students who meet the priority financial aid deadline and submit any additional requested information promptly, financial aid awards should be available in late March. Please submit additional information only if requested by Student Financial Services.

Filing the FAFSA online is the best way to provide us with information. It allows for quick updates and it has built in edits to reduce the chance on making any errors. The priority deadline is this Friday – be sure not to miss it!

Our financial aid staff are happy to help. Their contact information and customer service hours can be found on our website.

Please let us know how we can assist in this process to help make UVM affordable!

What is an ASV?

In admissions, we tend to use short hand for many things. Acronyms abound in our world. Some need explaining, even when you know what the letters stand for! Let me tell you about our ASV’s!

One of the most helpful kinds of visits when a student is admitted is one that allows a student to see many facets of campus in one day and one that provides a student a chance to choose what they want to do during the visit. These are two features of our admitted student visit days (ASV’s.) During this day-long visit, admitted students and parents become part of the campus life. Activities during the day include:

• Presentation by the academic college/school to which a student is admitted
• Campus tour
• Lunch on campus
• Residence hall tour
• Information sessions by several dozen academic sessions presented by academic departments
• Opportunities to talk with personnel from student financial services
• Tour of the athletic facilities
• Presentation by current UVM students
• Sessions highlighting career services and study abroad

Students and parents often ask what is the difference between the ASV and orientation. The ASV is designed to give the kind of information students need in order to make a decision about attending UVM (or to reinforce the decision made.) Orientation is designed to help students take the next step to enrolling at UVM – select classes and become more familiar with the campus.

If you plan to attend an ASV, be sure to review the schedule sent in advance. Because there are three blocks of time when a student needs to choose what they want to do, it takes some planning. I often recommend that students and parents consider attending different sessions during part of the day to cover more ground. Also know that there is more offered than students and parents can attend – sometimes sessions of interest to the student are offered at the same time. I have worked at four other universities and UVM’s ASV is one of the most comprehensive programs for admitted students. The program begins at the Sheraton that is next to campus. The academic sessions take place across campus. The headquarters for the program after the academic session in the first block is the Davis Center.

If you haven’t registered to attend, I encourage you to do so in order to make a good decision. Rooms at the Sheraton do sell out so plan ahead by being sure to make hotel reservations if needed. If you end up not staying at the Sheraton, the program will still begin there (and parking will take place there in order to accommodate the number of cars.)

We can’t wait to see you on campus!

Celebrating diversity in our community

Tonight was a reminder what a great commitment UVM has to exploring and educating ourselves about issues of diversity. I sat in historic Ira Allen Chapel with a full house of students, faculty, staff and community members listening to actors Danny Glover and Felix Justice who performed “An Evening with Martin and Langston.” Each actor helped the audience experience the words and shared their commentary on the impact that these two legends had that shaped where we are today. Questions from the audience included asking Mr. Glover’s and Mr. Justice’s views on the state of voting rights for marginalized citizens and and what they think Martin Luther King Jr. would say about the Occupy movement in the U.S. today. The program ended with the audience joining the UVM Concert Choir in a rendition of We Shall Overcome – it was a great community moment. This event was part of a week-long MLK celebration, an annual event on UVM’s campus.

UVM is an exceptional place because we provide our students with a place to discuss, debate and wrestle with complex issues – in the classroom, in the clubs and organizations in which they are involved, and in settings like tonight. We work hard to bring individuals and groups to campus that represent a wide spectrum of perspectives important in developing critical thinking and diversity competencies.

Danny Glover was asked about his appearance on the TV show, Brothers and Sisters….and he started his response with his signature laugh.  It was a great night at UVM!