Kauba completes NCCCS Financial Aid Leadership Academy
Robeson Community College is pleased to announce that Deborah Kauba, the assistant director of financial aid, has graduated from the North Carolina Community College System Financial Aid Leadership Academy.
The graduation ceremony was held at the GTCC Cameron Conference Center in Oak Ridge. Kauba was one of 16 graduates who completed the program in December.
“Being afforded the opportunity to attend the Financial Aid Leadership Academy has been beneficial for my career progression,” said Kauba. “The Financial Aid Leadership Academy has opened doors and avenues for me to grow as an individual both personally and professionally.”
The Academy is a 6-month long course, offered by the NCCCS to provide training to designated financial aid administrators in hopes of creating a pipeline of qualified financial aid office leaders and administrators within the community college system.
The Academy is a component of the NC Community College System Financial Aid Administrators’ Succession Plan. The Succession Plan was developed to help ensure community colleges maintain a supply of qualified financial aid administrators who are professionally qualified to fill the Director’s position when a vacancy occurs. This pool of qualified financial aid professionals will safeguard institutions from being without a competent financial aid director or administrator.
Colleges that experience extended periods without qualified financial aid administrators could be exposed to federal and state compliance issues. Participants in the program learned the key components of becoming an effective financial aid administrator and critical issues impacting the successful operation of a financial aid office.
For Kauba, attending the Academy helped her to become a stronger leader in her profession.
“The Financial Aid Leadership Academy has enhanced my current skills and has increased my knowledge base significantly and has prepared me for additional responsibilities that I was not able to complete prior to attending the academy,” said Kauba.
Kauba says that attending the academy has helped her in doing her job more effectively and efficiently, and that it was a very rewarding experience that she will never forget.
“I was able to make great connections in networking and collaboration with other Financial Aid Administrators. The team building and relationships made will forever leave a lasting impression as I continue to embark on this journey in making Robeson Community College Financial Aid Department one of the finest institutions within the 58 Community Colleges.”
Members of the 2021 program were engaged in sessions that focused on areas such as leadership, federal and state reporting, using professional judgment, financial aid and the business office, audits and program reviews, and default management. These sessions were designed to aid the academy students in becoming strong leaders in the financial aid community.
