Publication Date: June 18, 2001
Author: COO | Chief Operating Officer of the Student Financial Assistance
Summary: SFA Community Newsletter 6/18/2001
SFA Community Announcement
Student Financial Assistance, U.S. Department of Education
7th & D Streets, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20202
(202) 260-6536, (202) 708-7970 Fax
www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP
June 18, 2001
For more info call:
Karen Freeman
Director, Office of Communications
(202) 205-1531
SFA Opens Landmark Caribbean Facility
Karen Freeman
Director, Office of Communications
(202) 205-1531
SFA Opens Landmark Caribbean Facility
Greg Woods, Chief Operating Officer of Student Financial Assistance (SFA) in the U.S. Department of Education, today announced the opening of the new SFA Caribbean Training Facility. Opening June 21, the facility will be located at the American University of Puerto Rico in Bayamon and is designed to better meet the needs of students and parents in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean region.
The Caribbean Training Facility is the first government facility of its kind to offer such comprehensive high-technology training. The facility, open year-round, will provide more "hands-on" computer-based training, technical assistance training and the use of video conferencing in the administration of federal student aid programs for its school partners in the higher education community of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
SFA worked in partnership with top school and government administrators, including the General Services Administration (GSA) in the Caribbean, to develop the training facility. SFA will lease the building from the American University of Puerto Rico, which plans to use the income as part of a scholarship fund for students at the university.
"We welcome this facility," said Puerto Rico Governor Sila María Calderón. "A key to Puerto Rico's success in the global market is making sure that our students have access to affordable higher education. Facilities like this will enhance our ability to compete in the global economy and will create new opportunities for Puerto Rico's students."
Woods said, "This learning center was made possible by the strong partnership between the community, American University, and SFA. The dedication of this facility demonstrates our collective respect for and commitment to students in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean region."
Kay Jacks, General Manager of Schools, Robert McKiernan, Area Case Director, and Patricia Dorn, Acting Lead for Direct Loans, will represent SFA at the formal opening on June 21 from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM.
Puerto Rico is a major recipient of federal aid for higher education, with 93 percent of postsecondary students receiving Pell Grants and over 100 postsecondary institutions participating in the Title IV student aid programs.
SFA is the office of the U.S. Department of Education that helps put about 8.7 million Americans through school each year, administering Title IV student loans and grants totaling about $54 billion a year. As a Performance-Based Organization, SFA strives to improve customer satisfaction while cutting the costs of administering student aid programs. For additional information on student aid, call 1-800-4-FED-AID, visit our Web site at http://ed.gov/offices/OSFAP, or go to http://fafsa.ed.gov.