The Bursars Professional Certificate

The Bursars Professional Certificate (BPC) is a vocation-based designation which indicates mastery in the Bursars and Student Financial Services Profession. The BPC program is recommended for current bursars, bursars office staff/cashiers, collections, accounting staff and controllers.

PDG has teamed up with Darla Freeborn for the instructional design of the BPC program.

Content Overview

• Leadership skills – teambuilding, conflict management, employee evaluations/goal setting

• Regulations – FERPA, GLBA, Red Flag, TILA/Reg. Z, PCI Compliance

• Tax forms – 1098T, 1098E, 1042S, Form 8300

• Daily operations – Accounts receivable management, payment trends & PCI compliance, ACH information, financial aid updates, VA benefits, collections/due diligence, skiptracing, bankruptcy, customer service, internal controls, cashiering/money handling, fraud, safety & security.

About the Speaker: Darla Freeborn

Darla Freeborn has been the Manager of Student Accounting Services at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, for over 16 years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History Education and a Master’s degree in Education Administration. Darla oversees the operations of the University cashier, student accounts and collections, and the Perkins and Institutional Loan office. During the last several years, she oversaw the implementation of several e-commerce and paperless applications. She currently serves on Whitworth’s Educational Review Board, Retention Task Force, Financial Literacy Team, and several other committees. She regularly presents information at on-campus student financial literacy and orientation sessions. Prior to joining the staff of Whitworth University, Darla was involved in business and industry. She was the staff accountant for a highway construction company and the plant manager in a manufacturing facility. 

LEADERSHIP

Ethics in Higher Education*
Robert E. Dixon, Oklahoma State University

Rarely does a day go by that the subject of ethics does not make headlines, and higher education has not been immune to the harm that ethical issues may inflect upon the institution. This session discusses the 9 ethical principles of an ethical institution, and considers the unique ethical issues faced by college administrators and faculty. * Added June 2018, replaced "Doing Right"

Effective Team Building - No "Trust Falls" Needed
Darla Freeborn, Whitworth University

Do you wish your staff was more willing to jump in and help when issues arise? Do you have folks in your offices that have an “it’s not my job attitude”? It takes time, effort, and leading by example — but you can put together a top notch team willing to jump in and help anytime the need arises. In this session, we will talk about what it takes to create a good team, as well as introduce some fun exercises you can do to encourage teamwork. Come prepared to share what works well in your office. We are all open to new ideas!

Making Goals & Evaluations Count - What’s the Final Destination?
Geri Landwehr, University of Northern Colorado

What is the final destination? Creating measurable, attainable and meaningful goals. Getting buy-in from your employees so they can make the most of their work experience and be happy in their jobs. Because as we all know, happy, fulled employees make for a better place to work!

REGULATIONS

FERPAnic
Barry Greenberg, Barry Greenberg Consulting

Barry covers updates on regulations governing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (34 CFR Part 99). In this session you will learn of some of the exemptions of FERPA and techniques in training staff on upholding FERPA rules.

GLBA and Red Flag Rules
Ellen Harris-Small, Rutgers University (Retired)

The session examines FTC regulations and solutions to prevent identity theft. An overview and review of the rules, regulations, policies and procedures to maintain compliance.

Reg Z - How to Stay Compliant
Brent Lattin, Senior Attorney, Federal Reserve Board, Washington D.C. 

Does your institution need to comply with the recently released Regulation Z of the Truth-In-Lending Act? If you don't need to, why not? And, if you do, what specifically affects your school and how do you approach compliance? Unravel these and other questions about Regulation Z in this must-attend webinar by Brent Lattin, Senior Attorney at the Federal Reserve Board.

TAXES

Let's Talk Tax Forms
Darla Freeborn, Whitworth University

Is your relationship with your 1098T, 1098E, 8300, and 1042S tax forms tenuous at best? In this session, we will try to ease the tension between you and your forms by covering that all-important, need-to-know information that will help you to successfully produce and file your various tax forms. Included will be the basic information you'll need to have before forms can be generated; the IRS requirements regarding large cash payments, charges, tuition payments, interest reporting, scholarship and grant reporting; processing the forms whether you produce them in-house or outsource them; how to make corrections to your files; and uploading your final files to the IRS through the FIRE website.

1098T's - Why Does the IRS Hate Us So Much?* 
Geri Landwehr, University of Northern Colorado

What does the change to box 1 mean for us? Join us as we try to understand these changes with the information we currently have, as well as current compliance issues and headaches. We will also get the latest update from the NACUBO SFS Council. *Added June 2018, replaced "Let's Talk Tax Forms"

DAILY OPERATIONS

Operations Excellence: Improve Your Students AR Operations
Bill Edmunds, President & Principal of Gentleman's C Higher Ed Consulting

Operational Excellence has the goal of allowing institutions to achieve financial sustainability. This is achieved by developing a simple, cost-effective organizational structure, procuring quality goods and services at a lower cost, supporting the productivity of staff through new tools and practices, and developing efficient policies and procedures. Come to this session to learn how your Student AR Operation can improve its efficiency and its customer service.

The Effects of SAP on Accounts Receivable - CFPB
Christina Cardinale,  Student Account Coordinator, Manhattan College

The session will provide a practical description and overview of the Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) regulations used by the Financial Aid Office in determining ongoing eligibility for a student’s use of Title IV Programs. Learn how to identify students at-risk for not making SAP and how the Bursars Office can work with Financial Aid on the appeals process (the Academic Plan) to restore aid eligibility. We will also discuss how to counsel the student and assist them with the development of a financial plan.

Sponsored Billing: Responsibilities of the Student, Organization and University
Kala Williams, Drake University

Sponsored billing is the process whereby the university bills an outside organization (sponsor) for a student's tuition and/or fees. In this session you will learn proper communication channels, verification of contract information, ERP and Third Party system coding, applying payments and follow up procedures.

Dealing with the Headaches of PCI-DSS Compliance*
Matt Schaefer, Indiana University

After a quick basic overview of PCI-DSS, we'll look at how NOT to manage compliance with lessons Indiana University learned along the way. We'll share best practices and new strategies to deal with ever-changing requirements. Being proactive and looking for weaknesses in your systems will help you avoid fraud and possibly prevent a data breach. Keeping your administrative departments aware of PCI-DSS will help you find out what's actually happening on campus and give you the opportunity to jump in before it's too late. This session will leave you better equipped to deal with these headaches, both before and after trouble brews. *Added June 2018, replaced "Payment Trends and PCI"

ACH Rules Update 2018*
Patty Presta, VP of Education and Communications, WesPay

Get caught up on what’s going on with Same Day ACH and other upcoming NACHA rule changes. You will also learn about the new faster payments options your schools have. We will go over the first real time payments platform in the U.S. offered by The Clearing House (RTP) and how it differs from real-time payments such as Zelle. *Added June 2018, replaced "What the New ACH Rules Mean for Your Business"

The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act*
Dr. Richard Robitaille, Berkeley College

From concept to execution, the Post-9/11 GI Bill has fundamentally changed how veterans access higher education and their ability to successfully complete a Bachelor's degree. We will discuss the legislative developments from the Federal government and the future of the GI Bill to include the Forever GI Bill and the effect it has had upon the Post 9/11 generation. *Added June 2018, replaced "Veterans Education Benefits"

State of the Art Collections - Part 1: Collection Basics
Carla Perez, Assistant Director Student Loans and Collections, University of  Illinois

Topics include: Accounts/Charges, Aging, and Internal Collections

State of the Art Collections - Part 2: Due Diligence
Carla Perez, Assistant Director Student Loans and Collections, University of  Illinois

Topics include: Due Diligence, Skip Tracing, and Dealing with Difficult Customers

State of the Art Collections - Part 3
Carla Perez, Assistant Director Student Loans and Collections, University of  Illinois

Topics include: Collector Performance Motivation, Dealing with Bankruptcy, Collection Agencies, and Internal Software.

Bankruptcy, Tuition, & Loan Accounts
J. Scott Watson, of J. Scott Watson, PC

Everything you need to know about the FDCPA but were afraid to ask.

Bursar Basics Part 1 - Customer Service & Internal Controls
Barry Greenberg, Barry Greenberg Consulting

PDG and CASHNet present a unique opportunity to get the benefits of one of the most highly regarded workshops covering the Bursar's Office and associated issues without incurring a single penny in travel costs.

Bursar Basics Part 2 - Collection, Billing, & Cashiering
Barry Greenberg, Barry Greenberg Consulting

PDG and CASHNet present a unique opportunity to get the benefits of one of the most highly regarded workshops covering the Bursar's Office and associated issues without incurring a single penny in travel costs. From July 13 through July 16, we are offering 4 consecutive days of 1-hour webinars equivalent to our pre-conference workshop "Bursar Fundamentals", aka "Bursar 101", presented by Barry Greenberg.

Separation of Duties
Kala Williams, Drake University

Cashiering and Student Accounts job duties - who should do what, when duties cannot be separated, and what compensating controls should you have in place? Are you aware of your weaknesses?

Defusing Complaints
Ellen Harris-Small, Rutgers University (Retired)

Each hostile situation is different. There is no magic secret to defuse someone's anger. We will be working on solutions to establish the calm after the storm.

Privacy is a Fundamental Right - You Must Protect It
Laurie Beets, Oklahoma State University

Even with the social media explosion, privacy is still a fundamental right. It is an expectation and a commitment to uphold safeguarding private information. This session discusses Red Flag Rules and best practices for your areas to be good stewards in the responsibility of protecting privacy.