Posted Date:September 30, 2013
| Author: | Chris Greene, Communications & Outreach Group, Federal Student Aid |
Subject: 2013 Federal Student Aid Training Conference for Financial Aid Professionals
The FSA Training Conference will be held in Las Vegas, NV, at the Mandalay Bay Hotel from December 3 through December 6, 2013. To date, there are over 4,000 financial aid professionals registered for the conference.
Training Sessions
This year, FSA is offering approximately 45 training sessions over the course of four days on a variety of topics, including federal student loan processing, reconciliation, systems and program regulations, as well as data security, program integrity, cohort default rates and more. Based on the positive feedback we received from attendees at last year’s conference, the session schedule will again be staggered, and there will be no designated lunch period or break times. Once again, it will be up to you to schedule your day. Therefore, please review the agenda carefully and be sure to always have a back-up session selected.
Interest sessions and a tentative agenda are posted on the conference website at http://www.fsaconferences.ed.gov/program13.html. Within the next month, individual session presentations will also be posted.
Food and Refreshments
For breakfast and lunch, the Mandalay Bay will provide food & beverages for purchase at discounted prices. Coffee, food & beverage cash sales will be available from Tuesday until Friday in Bayside B on the first level. There will also be coffee carts in the Mandalay Bay Foyer on the second level. FSA is unable to provide refreshments. Be sure to visit the FSA Training Conference website for more details about the menus for breakfast and lunch.
Lodging
Both Mandalay Bay and THEhotel are sold out on peak nights. Additionally, some rooms might be available at the prevailing rate if the conference rate is not available. Please check back often, as there may be availability due to cancellations. You may also use your preferred travel websites to secure lodging at other area hotels. At this time, there are no plans to secure overflow lodging.
Resource Center
FSA has made some changes to the Resource Center this year, emphasizing the areas of greatest interest to attendees in past years. This year, you will notice a more robust Ask-A-Fed, where you can get specific questions answered in a one-on-one format. Stations will also be provided for popular systems, such as COD, NSLDS, G5, FASFA on the Web and much more. If you have questions about a system not represented at its own station, there will be an open demo computer available, and Resource Center staff will be on-hand to assist you. Either way, FSA will ensure that you get your questions answered.
On behalf of the Conference Services Team, we look forward to seeing you at this year’s FSA Training Conference.