As part of USA Funds^®’ commitment to promoting the success of financial-aid professionals through innovative programs, USA Funds University offers, at no cost, a series of webcast training sessions. These sessions, designed for new financial-aid administrators as well as experienced financial-aid professionals, provide a basic understanding of the fundamentals of student financial aid.

Upcoming training topics and dates (All times Eastern Time)

Acronym/abbreviations 
Aug. 16, 2007, 2 – 3 p.m. 
During the course of the day, financial-aid administrators use a host of acronyms and abbreviations. USA Funds has developed a directory of those most commonly used within the financial-aid community and their meaning.

Brighten your workplace with humor
Aug. 22, 2007, 2 – 3 p.m. 
Explore the importance of humor and fun in the workplace. See the many positive benefits of humor and discuss what to avoid in the work environment. Helping colleagues see the value of bringing laughter into the workplace encourages positive change.

Communication basics
Aug. 8, 2007, 2 – 3 p.m. 
How you communicate with staff and students makes a difference. Learn general communication skills involving listening, probing and the best ways to use open- and close-ended questions to get to the root of the customer needs; dealing with challenging students by understanding the motives behind their behavior; listening to understand and speaking to be understood; and how to bring out the best in people.

FAFSA and renewal FAFSA
Aug. 21, 2007, 2 – 3 p.m.  
Financial-aid administrators need to be familiar with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and renewal FAFSA. This session outlines general information about each application, including an interactive case-study review of the FAFSA.

Federal verification
Aug. 15, 2007, 2 – 3 p.m. 
The regulations governing the federal verification process are detailed and specific. In this session, you gain insight into several aspects of verification, including definitions, background and mistakes.

General eligibility requirements
Aug. 23, 2007, 2 – 3 p.m.  
Federal student-aid programs require that each recipient meet certain criteria prior to obtaining funds from the programs. This session reviews those requirements.

Identity theft
Aug. 14, 2007, 2 – 3 p.m.  
A concern to all consumers, the threat of identity theft requires that students and employees of postsecondary institutions be aware of how to protect their own and their customers’ confidential information. This session summarizes the types of identity theft, how identities can be stolen, precautions to prevent identity theft, as well as steps to take if identity theft occurs.

Needs analysis overview  
Aug. 28, 2007, 2 – 3 p.m.        
Need analysis is the overall process of determining a student’s financial need and eligibility for certain programs. This session reviews the general elements of need analysis and defines several terms used in the need-analysis process.

NSLDS data-conflict resolution
Aug. 7, 2007, 2 – 3 p.m.    
This session will cover how National Student Loan Data System data conflicts are resolved. You will have the opportunity to learn about the numerous data provide