Posted Date:October 23, 2015
| Author: | Gabrielle Turner, Chief Communications Officer, Federal Student Aid |
Subject: 2015 Federal Student Aid Training Conference for Financial Aid Professionals
The Federal Student Aid Training Conference for Financial Aid Professionals will be held in Las Vegas, NV at the Mandalay Bay Hotel December 1st through December 4th, 2015. To date, there are over 5,400 financial aid professionals registered.
Training Sessions
Federal Student Aid's Training Conference is the largest free training opportunity for financial aid professionals in the country with more than 50 sessions covering the entire student aid lifecycle from application to loan repayment. We believe you will be better equipped to administer the federal financial aid programs on your campus, and thus helping to ensure the protection of taxpayer dollars from fraud, waste, and abuse.
This year, we are offering two general sessions: Welcome & Federal Update and Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) Application Processing and Verification Update. Several new topics will be covered in our breakout sessions including early submission of the 2017-18 FAFSA® and the use of earlier income information; the Federal Student Aid Complaint System; and the FSA ID. Other session topics of note include Gainful Employment regulations, federal cybersecurity initiatives, student data protection, and identity theft.
Breakout sessions and the agenda are posted on the conference website:
http://www.fsaconferences.ed.gov/program15.html. Individual session presentations will be posted prior to the conference.
Food and Refreshments
Food and refreshments will be available for purchase at the Mandalay in Shoreline B on level 2 of the South Convention Center and the Mandalay Bay Food Court located on level 1at the entrance of the South Convention Center. Details will be listed in your conference program. Federal Student Aid does not provide complimentary food or beverages due to government regulation.
Lodging & Lodging Rates
The Mandalay Bay is currently sold out. However, there are still limited rooms available at the Delano. Information on securing lodging can be found at http://fsaconferences.ed.gov/lodging15.html. Please check back often, as there may be availability due to cancellations, or use your preferred travel websites to secure other lodging. At this time there are no plans to secure additional overflow lodging.
Also please note: While the FY16 government per diem rate for lodging in Las Vegas, NV has increased from $96 to $108 per night, Mandalay Bay has agreed to keep the nightly lodging rate at $96.00.
Resource Center
Federal Student Aid has made some changes to the Resource Center this year based on attendance at past conferences. The Resource Center will be open on Monday, November 30th from 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. and closed on Friday, December 4th. So, come early to get specific questions answered in a one-on-one format.
On behalf of the Conference Services Team, we look forward to seeing you at this year's Federal Student Aid Training Conference.