Washburn University Staffer Uses USA Funds Online Training to Quickly Learn Financial Aid

When it comes to mastering financial-aid basics, Jennifer Hill, assistant director of financial aid at Washburn University,  credits USA Funds^® University’s online training with quickly getting her up to speed.

“I would definitely refer the courses to others,” Hill says.

Hill had little experience in financial aid when she started in her new position in November 2005. Although she had experience in higher education, she had worked primarily in admissions and needed to learn financial-aid basics fast. The director in her new office recommended that she use the USA Funds online training to gain an overview of the basics of financial aid. Hill has successfully completed several courses and webcasts.

“The information that I’ve gathered has helped me consult with other members of my office in a more-effective manner,” Hill says. “In-depth information about specific topics, learning the terminology and walking through real-world examples all have helped me gain enough knowledge to move forward confidently.

“For someone who is new to the field, it was just enough,” Hill says. “The level of detail was perfect. It was more than just reading general information, but not too school-specific.”

Hill notes that the way that the material is presented makes the online-learning tool easy to use. “It’s nice because the material is all in one place. I can do it in my office at my own pace and print specific documents to review later,” Hill says.

She already is sharing her newfound skills with others in her office. Hill made copies of some of the reference documents that she printed while taking the courses and provided them to newer employees.

Hill encourages others who work in financial aid to complete USA Funds University’s online-training program. “It’s just another way to learn,” she says.

More than 40 online-learning courses are available at no cost to select schools and education-lending professionals. For more information, contact your USA Funds Services representative. To register for the courses, log on to the USA Funds University online-training site.