GLENVILLE, WV – Two Glenville State University employees within the Office of Financial Aid have earned the FAAC® designation from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators’ (NASFAA) accredited Certified Financial Aid Administrator® Program.
Financial Aid Director Stephany Amos and Financial Aid Counselor Sheri Goff both completed the process. There are only around 340 individuals throughout the United States who hold the financial aid administrator certification (FAAC®) and Amos and Goff are only the third and fourth to be certified in West Virginia.
The program certifies individuals with proficiency in the body of knowledge pertaining to administering federal Title IV financial aid and its interaction with state and private financial aid. The designation also recognizes the integral role financial aid administrators play in an educational institution’s overall success and provides an added layer of credibility.
To earn the FAAC® designation, individuals must demonstrate sufficient industry-related experience, successfully pass a comprehensive knowledge exam, and affirm commitment to the standards for ethical behavior that are a hallmark of the financial aid profession. There is also a process to maintain their designation that ensures employees stay updated on issues affecting the financial aid community.
“To be one of only 344 individuals in the nation to have earned the Certified Financial Aid Administrator designation, and also to be one of only 255 individuals in the nation to have earned all 17 possible NASFAA credentials, is quite prestigious,” Amos said. “I feel very honored and appreciative to have been given the opportunities to pursue the FAAC® designation and the NASFAA credentials. Studying for and taking these tests was very time-consuming and difficult, but very much worth it. Earning such meaningful and respected designations and credentials proves to the campus community that we are capable, knowledgeable, and want the most and the best for our students.”
“I studied for several weeks before I tested and when I finished testing and realized that I had passed, I got pretty emotional. I still find it hard to believe that I am one of only four people in West Virginia and under 400 people in the entire United States who holds this certification,” Goff said. “So, when I see that FAAC® designation at the end of my name, I know that I have accomplished something fairly big and I am pretty proud of myself.”
The NASFAA is the only national, nonprofit association with a primary focus on information dissemination, professional development, and legislative and regulatory analysis related to federal student aid programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The group consists of more than 32,000 student financial assistance professionals at nearly 3,000 colleges, universities, and career schools across the country.
