“You’re not here during the summer, right?” Only financial aid professionals can join me in the involuntary snicker this questions prompts. We dream of exotic summer vacations with umbrella drinks and we long to put our feet up with a novel from the bestsellers’ list. Ironically, summer is one of the busiest times for most of us. Our exotic vacations transpose to warm, late night hours in our offices and our bestseller is often the four page appeal from a family who is still preparing to secure financial means to send their child to our institution. Financial aid is a cyclical profession where one busiest time quickly manifests into another busiest time as the months progress throughout the calendar. There is perhaps one week in October where the dust has settled and we actually have a chance to slow down and breathe as we look forward to the next year’s recruiting cycle.
Falling on the third Wednesday of every October (October 15th for 2014), National Financial Aid Day is a special day that is set aside to recognize and celebrate the contributions, commitment and accomplishments of financial aid professionals across the United States. It is a time to reflect on the past year and celebrate the hard work of those dedicated to assisting students to achieve their dreams through selfless acts of kindness, guidance, number crunching and advocacy. Financial aid professionals are a rare breed; they do what they do because they believe in their students. One of our greatest thrills is to see students walk across the stage at graduation—we are genuinely fulfilled to know we have played a part in making a student’s dream come true.
[Value: Looking for more ways to assist your students? Click here for Financial Literacy Resources]
These reasons alone are why we celebrate, and as we should, honor our staff, our colleagues and peers on National Financial Aid Day. How are you celebrating? What have you decided to do for your office? How can you recognize a member of your team who has gone above and beyond? Not sure where to start? In no particular order, here is a list of ideas that from a very low budget to utilizing funds to recognize the work we do and how important we are in each of our student’s education.
Say “Thank You”
It seems simple, but those two words go a long way when it is heard from those you work with. Saying thank you publically doesn’t have to be a grand gesture accompanied by the college’s marching band. Rather, take National Financial Aid Day to say, out loud, “Thank you for all you do” to the colleague in the next cube.
Office Majority Wins
Set up a good old-fashioned vote for the “Financial Aid Professional of the Year.” Suggested criteria: Person goes the extra mile when advising students. Person demonstrates exemplary knowledge of financial aid policies and procedures. Head over to Staples and buy a pre-designed template certificate and print the winner’s name and title so he or she can have a tangible piece of recognition designated by peers to display in the office.
Lunch Anyone?
Pot luck. Cater. Go off-site. Present gift cards to a restaurant of your staff’s choice. Either way, financial aid professionals like food. ‘Nuff said.
Relax, Dine and Be Entertained
Utilize the resources available on your campus and arrange for your office to benefit from the service a particular student group or service can provide. Do you work in a Massage therapy school? Many students need practicum hours to fulfill their requirements—arrange for a masseuse to come to the office to provide everyone with a chair massage. Is your institution a culinary school? Have your students cook breakfast, lunch or dessert to be delivered and served to your staff. Does your university offer a drama major? Invite theater students to perform a section of the current playbill or challenge them to write and perform a National Financial Aid Day skit for the staff.
Announce National Financial Aid Day to the Community
Everyone Gets Something
No matter how small or large your budget is, make a point to give everyone something to celebrate National Financial Aid Day. A personalized sign for each staff member, a bottle of hand sanitizer, a gift card to the college bookstore, a t-shirt with the university’s logo, V.I.P. parking for one day, an all-expenses-paid vacation, or an extra day off. Whichever you choose, acknowledging each staff member with a tangible reward will certainly display gratitude for the hard work that is done throughout the year.
Retreat!
No, don’t run away—use National Financial Aid Day to bring your staff on a retreat. Allow the staff to shed the business attire and get out of the confining walls of financial aid. Design the time to work through various team building exercises, games, activities to improve cohesion and fortify job skills. This is also a time you could allow staff to offer voluntary activities such as yoga, a lesson on mountain climbing, quilting or Spanish 101. This allows staff to learn from each other as well as discover the additional talents of their colleagues.
The importance is not on how you celebrate National Financial Aid Day, but that you make an effort to celebrate National Financial Aid Day. Financial aid professionals work tireless, selfless dedicated hours to ensure our students have the financial security to attend our institutions. We are all in this together, and from me to you—Thank you for all you do.
Rebecca Rose is the Assistant Director of Financial Literacy and Education Programs at Syracuse University. In her 19 year career in financial aid she has held positions such as financial aid counselor, loan education specialist and Assistant Director. Her current primary responsibilities are to oversee the development, implementation and continued success of the award winning "I Otto Know This!" financial literacy program at Syracuse University.
She holds a Master's Degree in Education from Elmira College with advanced certificates in Training of Trainers, Human Resources Development and is a certified Personal Financial Manager.
