NDSU’s Student Financial Services is changing its name to Financial Aid and Scholarships. The change will be phased in over the next several months and fully implemented by fall semester.
The title Financial Aid and Scholarships is a broad-based name used by many universities and colleges, and the new name is considered to be in more in line with the mission and purpose of the NDSU office.
“The name change resonates more with what we do, is easier for students to identify with when seeking out our services and most stakeholders already refer to our office as Financial Aid,” explained Jeffrey Jacobs, director of the office.
“Additionally, a name change provides the connotation that we are the experts in our field to address financial aid concerns and issues for students, as well as act as experts for all scholarship-related issues for colleges and the NDSU Foundation and Alumni Association,” Jacobs said.
Until approximately 2003, the department was known as the Financial Aid Office, with its main purpose to process financial aid for NDSU students. Since that time, the office has been called Student Financial Services.
“Although the rationale to change the name of the department to Student Financial Services seemed like a good idea in 2003, it is not a good reflection of the work we do on a daily basis,” Jacobs explained. “Therefore, I am proposing NDSU change the name of the department to Financial Aid and Scholarships.”
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