May 31, 2002

Impending Departure of Education Department Official Worries Many Student-Aid Administrators

By STEPHEN BURD

The resignation of the leader of the U.S. Education Department's effort to modernize the federal student-aid programs has college officials worried that his departure could slow, or even halt, the effort's progress.

At an emotional meeting with his staff this month, Greg Woods announced that he would leave his job as chief operating officer of the Federal Student Aid office at the end of September to put his full energy into battling pancreatic cancer, with which he was diagnosed this