10 Questions with Linda Crook
Director of Financial Aid at Red Rocks Community College and
President of the Colorado Association of Financial Aid Administrators

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

Linda: I have been the Director of Financial Aid at RRCC for 5 years. Prior to that, I was a financial aid advisor at Metro State College and the University of Denver in Colorado. In the 1990’s, I was a financial aid advisor for 8 years at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. I have also had “jobs” in CAFAA, RMASFAA, NMASFAA, and SWASFAA.

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

Linda: We are really excited about an event that is coming up very soon in March. CAFAA is sponsoring a Legislative Coffee at the Colorado State Capitol. This initiative is very timely, considering some of the changes that are being proposed for state financial aid funding. We hope to have most of our CAFAA members show up at 7:30 A.M. to discuss important issues and concerns with our legislators. We are also working on an outreach project where we distribute folders with financial aid materials strictly in Spanish. We have distributed over 1200 folders so far, and hope to distribute many more over the next few months. A third project that we are excited about is Colorado’s first College Goal Sunday event in February 2007. As everyone knows, the year prior to the actual event is the crucial planning phase. CAFAA is right in the thick of this planning phase, so we will be quite busy for the next year.

3. Exchange: Tell us about Red Rocks Community College. What are a few things that you think are unique about your school?

Linda: RRCC is located in Lakewood, Colorado, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains (right off of I-70 just as it heads into the mountains). We have a wonderful view of Table Mesa in Golden and the Flatirons of Boulder. The Lakewood campus is the largest community college campus in Colorado and we have over 14000 annual students. RRCC offers over 150 programs including health careers, computer technology, fire science, and law enforcement. It is a wonderful place to work with great students and staff.

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

Linda: My office consists of 3 full-time advisors, 1 part-time advisor, and 1 administrative assistant. All have been in financial aid for at least 3 years and bring a variety of experiences with them that are beneficial to our team.

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

Linda: Our biggest challenge this spring is one that we share with all of the other community colleges in the state of Colorado, the implementation of Banner. Our process team has been working on this for a year now, and we are currently going through end-user training, with the expectation of going live on March 21, 2006. Another challenge for us in 2006 is convincing our politicians that higher education in Colorado is a worthwhile investment. Over the past year, Colorado has gone through some groundbreaking changes in philosophy on funding, has implemented the first ever “stipend” to assist students, and is considering other changes that will affect the way we award aid.

6. Exchange: How about Red Rocks Community College as whole? What challenges and changes are they facing?

Linda: RRCC is starting several new and exciting programs this year, including process technology, sonography, audiology and speech pathology, and a gaming program. Another change is a plan to locate all of the different student services departments in one centralized area of the campus in order to provide better services to students.

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

Linda: If I could change one thing here at RRCC for our financial aid students, it would be the capability of direct deposit for refunds. Students need their money as rapidly as they can get it and if we could speed up the process for them, it might mean the difference between success and failure in classes.

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

Linda: Every member of my team is very professional, courteous, and conscientious when it comes to our students’ financial aid. We work very hard to help them charge their books at the bookstore, avoid having their classes dropped, and receive their refunds as soon as possible. I am also very proud that in my absence, I can feel very confident that my staff can answer questions from students or other departments that I would generally answer.

9. Exchange: Tell us about your family.

Linda: I am married and have 3 children. My oldest is 29, married with 2 children. His wife is currently stationed in South Korea in the Air Force. While she is there, my son and 2 grandchildren have been living with us in Conifer. My middle daughter is 26, married, and lives in Lakewood. She is finishing her associates degree at RRCC this semester. My youngest daughter is 16 and a junior at Conifer HS.

10. Exchange: What do you do for fun and relaxation?

Linda: One of my favorite things to do is go hiking, which I do whenever I get a chance. My husband, youngest daughter, and I are also very heavily involved in Westernaires, a mounted precision drill team in Lakewood. I am in charge of a team of 25 boys called the “Warriors”, one of many teams that performs on horseback throughout the state and in nearby states. They performed at the Mexican Rodeo during the National Western Stock Show, so you can imagine how busy I was in January. I spend probably 20 hours a week (including all day every single Saturday of the year) with Westernaires. My daughter is on several teams, including trick riding and Roman riding. That’s my “fun and relaxation”.