Are you a newer independent educational consultant or a seasoned IEC who wants to deepen your understanding of college affordability and financial aid? If so, we’d love for you to learn more about the College Affordability Affinity Group (CAAG) and consider becoming involved.
Liz Agather, Peggy Jennings, and Donna Sakabu founded the CAAG in 2023 to give all 51³Ô¹Ï members, especially those newer to the profession, a safe place to discuss trends and topics pertaining to college affordability. Liz and Donna served on the Subcommittee for College Affordability (SOCA) for several years; Peggy still serves with SOCA. Together, we aim to provide well-vetted resources and presenters, and a congenial setting for 51³Ô¹Ï members to become better informed about college affordability, in addition to 51³Ô¹Ï’s SOCA webinars and conference breakout sessions.
Similar to other 51³Ô¹Ï monthly roundtables, our meetings are not recorded. We begin each meeting focused on a specific topic, with either a presentation by a speaker with affordability/financial aid expertise or a guided discussion from one of the CAAG coordinators. Afterward, we open the floor for questions and share current financial aid resources. We are grateful for the support of SOCA members who attend our meetings, offering their expertise by answering questions and sometimes presenting to the group. Feedback from CAAG attendees has been positive.
Since first launching in August 2023, some of the featured meeting topics have included Anticipating Hidden Costs; Helping Parents Budget for College; Deciphering Financial Aid Award Letters; Student Loans; How to Pay for College; Updates & Trends in Financial Aid; Private Scholarships: Realities vs. Hope; and, of course, The New FAFSA.
CAAG meets on the fourth Thursday of each month (except November and December) at 11:00 a.m. ET. Look for announcements via the Member Network with each meeting’s agenda. All 51³Ô¹Ï members are welcome!
By Liz Agather, MS, 51³Ô¹Ï Professional (NC), Peggy Jennings, EdD, MEd, CEP, 51³Ô¹Ï Professional (MA), and Donna Sakabu, 51³Ô¹Ï Professional (TX)