DCLPublicationDate: 6/1/95 DCLID: GEN-95-32 AwardYear: Summary: This letter announces a nationwide series of Fiscal Officer Training Workshops in 1995. June 1995 GEN-95-32 SUBJECT: This letter announces a nationwide series of Fiscal Officer Training Workshops in 1995. REFERENCE: This announcement refers to training that will supplement information contained in the 1995 edition of The Blue Book: Accounting, Record-keeping, and Reporting By Postsecondary Educational Institutions For Federally-Funded Student Financial Aid Programs. Dear Colleague: We are pleased to announce an upcoming series of Fiscal Officer Training Workshops. The two day workshops will focus on accounting, recordkeeping, and reporting elements that postsecondary institutions need to know in order to administer the student financial aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. What will be covered at the workshops? Fiscal Officer Training comprises a workshop overview, introduction and seven sessions with three lab exercises. Enclosure A (workshop agenda) lists the major topics. This training expands on issues covered in the 1995 edition of The Blue Book: Accounting, Recordkeeping, and Reporting By Postsecondary Educational Institutions For Federally-Funded Student Financial Aid Programs. Who should attend the workshops? The training is primarily for fiscal officers: bookkeepers, cashiers, bursars, comptrollers, and other business office staff at postsecondary institutions participating in the programs. We also encourage financial aid administrators to attend these workshops so that they may better understand the Title IV aid responsibilities shared with fiscal officers at their institutions. Such responsibilities include the reconciliation of cash and reconciliation of federal funds. How many, where, when, and how long are the workshops? Twenty-five workshops will be offered from October 31 through December 15, 1995 within the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico. Please refer to the Schedule (Enclosure B) for the locations and dates of each workshop. Each two-day workshop will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at approximately 5:00 p.m. each day. How do I register for the workshop? To register, complete the Registration Form (Enclosure C) and mail the form to the P.O. Box address shown on that form. Be sure to indicate on the form your workshop preference, both first and second choices. Every effort will be made to accommodate your first choice. For the hearing impaired, please indicate if a sign language interpreter is needed. There is no charge for the workshop or workshop materials. Your Registration Form should be mailed no later than Tuesday, October 10, 1995. All prospective participants will be registered on a First-Come, First-Served basis. Once you have been confirmed for either workshop, we will send you a "reservation confirmed" letter. This letter will give the address and telephone number of the workshop location. If space is no longer available at either workshop location, we will send you a "no space available" postcard. If you need overnight accommodations, we ask that you make your own reservations. What materials will be provided and what do I need to bring to the workshop? Everyone registered to attend a workshop will receive a free copy of the Participant's Guide and the Blue Book for 1995. Both the Guide and the Blue Book will be used at the workshop. Please bring the following items to the workshop so that you can participate in the group activities and in other exercises: two 2-inch thick, 3-ring notebooks binders for the Guide and Blue Book and a pocket calculator. Will Continuing Professional Education Credits be offered to certified public accountants who complete a workshop? The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) is in the process of applying for approval as a sponsor organization for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) for Fiscal Officer Training in 1995. Application for approval has been sent to the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). Since the New York State Board for Public Accountancy, Illinois Department of Professional Regulation, and Indiana State Board of Public Accountancy do not accept NASBA approval, we have also submitted separate applications to those organizations. We expect to receive approval from these Boards before the 1995 workshops start. If OPE is approved as a sponsor organization and if you wish to receive these credits, you will need to attend the entire workshop and sign a Record of Attendance form in the morning and afternoon of each day. The signed forms must be retained in our files in order to comply with NASBA, New York, Illinois, and Indiana regulations for a sponsor organization. Each participant who meets those requirements will receive a Certificate of Completion or a letter serving the same purpose. Both will indicate the number of CPE credits earned. We believe participation in Fiscal Officer Training will assist you in administering the Title IV aid programs at your postsecondary institution. Thank you in advance for your interest in this training. Sincerely, Elizabeth M. Hicks Deputy Assistant Secretary for Student Financial Assistance Programs Attachment A Attachment B Attachment C |