10 Questions with Dave Gruen
Director of Financial Aid at University of Wyoming and President of the Wyoming Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators

1. Exchange: Dave, how long have you served as Director of Financial Aid at UW? What other jobs have you had in the world of financial aid?

Dave: I’ve been at UW 3 ½ years. Also, Director of Student Financial Services at DU; Director of Student Financial Aid at University of Tulsa (OK), Alfred University (NY) and Southeastern CC (NC). I am in my 34th year of financial aid administration.

2. Exchange: This year, you are serving as the President of WyASFAA. What are some of the projects and initiatives that you hope to accomplish in your role?

Dave: I have represented WyASFAA at, and been involved in, the Hathaway Scholarship discussions and in keeping the membership informed. I have pushed for greater visibility of WyASFAA with legislators, high school counselors and throughout the state. I am working on revamping and updating the WyASFAA web site. The final preparations are being made for the spring conference at the Bear Lodge Resort in Dayton, WY in late May.

3. Exchange: Tell us about UW. What are a few things that you think are unique about your school?

Dave: UW is the only 4-year school in the state—no other state has only one 4-year public institution. State resources are very good as shown by the $4 billion dollar endowment for the new Hathaway Scholarship program. At 7,200 feet, UW has the highest altitude of any Div. 1 school. Academically strong programs are in anthropology, geology, petroleum engineering, pharmacy, MBA and the e-business curriculum. The law school is one of the smallest in the country. UW is in the bottom 11% for cost of education in the country. The VP is a graduate—duck!!

4. Exchange: How many folks work in your office? Tell us a bit about your team.

Dave: 22 – 1 Director, 2 Associate Directors, 4 Assistant Directors, 1 Programmer, 1 Data person, and 13 Counselors/Receptionists. We have a number of employees with over 20 years in the UW financial aid office—one with over 30 years. I am the only male employee other than two student employees. The OSFA sports the highest percentage of ethnic minority employees within the various Student Affairs Offices, if not campus-wide.

5. Exchange: What are a few of the challenges and changes you see on the horizon for your office?

Dave: The OSFA recently went live with SCT Banner. We will be looking to do more with the new system—better reporting tools, more assessments and benchmarking, and more efficiencies in how we do business. We hope to have an RFP out this fall for developing a preferred lender list. We are now developing a campus-wide student employee training program in collaboration with HR and Career Services that will be implemented this fall. Changes to UW’s operation of our scholarship programs are being implemented with this fall’s class that will make better use of our limited dollars. For the 2007 fall, we will be implementing significant changes to our scholarship offerings to accommodate the new Hathaway program and will be able to generate institutional need-based aid.

6. Exchange: How about the University of Wyoming as whole? What challenges and changes are they facing?

Dave: Wyoming is one of the few states with a surplus budget situation due to WY’s receipt of mineral funding from the feds. With a declining WY high school population and with only 52% of graduating HS seniors going on to college (37% from 9th grade), the new Hathaway program will target increasing the number of students that are better prepared for college and that go on to college. UW is currently interviewing for a new President who will most certainly move the school in a new direction. WY is looking for ways to improve employment opportunities for our graduates within WY—economic development and manpower needs of the state.

7. Exchange: If you could change one part of the financial aid process for students, what would it be.

Dave: Reducing/simplifying the FAFSA questions; allow for the matching of income with the IRS.

8. Exchange: What are some of the things that make you most proud of your team and how they help students?

Dave: The staff at UW is very dedicated to helping students. With the advent of Banner, they have been very receptive to changing the way we do business. Their flexibility in the face of change is very heartening. Annual audits and a program review a few years ago verify that they do things right—the office receives very few exceptions, mostly minor, if any.

9. Exchange: You moved from Denver to Laramie when you started at UW. Quite a difference. How do you like the change?

Dave: I am enjoying the small town feel of Laramie along with the less stressful drive to work and, of course, now being able to afford a house. Laramie is near great beauty (Vedauwoo, Snowy Range), fabulous fishing and other outdoor opportunities. The weather is better than expected and not too dissimilar to Denver, except about 8 degrees cooler and generally less snow.

10. Exchange: Tell us about your family and what you do for fun and relaxation.

Dave: I am engaged to a former financial aid professional. I have two children from a previous marriage—both are married and living in Tulsa, OK and Ft. Wayne, IN. My first grandson lives in Tulsa with my son and his wife. My daughter and her husband are going the surrogacy route and recently found out that they will have a child this fall. While the administration of financial aid can be fun and relaxing, I am learning how to fly cast. I occasionally snowshoe, hike and have spent a lot of time (and money) over the past few years remodeling my house.