Head Count followed John Gudvangen through his first year as a financial-aid director, at Wesleyan University, in this special series.

It turned out to be a pretty eventful year–midway through, Wesleyan announced it was moving from need-blind to need-sensitive admissions. You can read more about how Mr. Gudvangen navigated that change and more in this Chronicle story.

Newly Minted is a monthly series on Head Count following John Gudvangen through his first year as a financial-aid director at Wesleyan University. We’ll check in with Mr. Gudvangen as he learns the ropes of his new position and faces challenges common to his profession, as well as some unique to Wesleyan.

August

Over the summer, John Gudvangen has been in touch with the president of Wesleyan’s student government. They’ve talked about a number of things, including the U.S. Education Department’s new “Financial Aid Shopping Sheet” (which Wesleyan plans to send only to military veterans, at least for now) and the possibility of starting up a group for first-generation college students.

Once students are back on the campus, Mr. Gudvangen expects to talk more with them about the university’s recent shift to need-aware admissions, in which the financial need of applicants may …

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Newly Minted is a monthly series on Head Count following John Gudvangen through his first year as a financial-aid director at Wesleyan University. We’ll check in with Mr. Gudvangen as he learns the ropes of his new position and faces challenges common to his profession, as well as some unique to Wesleyan.

July

Tuition bills are due to Wesleyan University the first week of August, so it’s important that the financial-aid office sends returning students their aid awards before then. Awards have now gone out to all of the students who turned in all of their paperwork on time, says John Gudvangen, the aid director.

Once the awards are out, the office hears from those families who are disappointed with what they have received. That is most likely to happen when a family thinks it is in the same position as it was the year before, while a circumstance the aid office considers,…

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Newly Minted is a monthly series on Head Count following John Gudvangen through his first year as a financial-aid director at Wesleyan University. We’ll check in with Mr. Gudvangen as he learns the ropes of his new position and faces challenges common to his profession, as well as some unique to Wesleyan.

June

A few weeks ago, Wesleyan University’s president unveiled a new budget plan designed to keep the institution on a financially-sustainable path. The plan stipulates that the university will hold down tuition increases and highlight students’ opportunity to graduate in three years.

It will also end Wesleyan’s 100-percent need-blind admissions policy, a decision that has upset some students and alumni. There’s even a tumblr mocking the president for the shift. “Wes teaches you to fight inequality,*” says one post, “*same standards do not apply to admissions.”…

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Newly Minted is a monthly series on Head Count following John Gudvangen through his first year as a financial-aid director at Wesleyan University. We’ll check in with Mr. Gudvangen as he learns the ropes of his new position and faces challenges common to his profession, as well as some unique to Wesleyan.

May

Wesleyan University is set to graduate its Class of 2012 this weekend. The university won’t give diplomas to seniors with student loans until they have completed exit counseling. But even though they get this reminder about their debt, the aid office hasn’t heard from many seniors who are worried about paying it back.

The reality of repayment may not have hit them yet, says John Gudvangen, the financial-aid director. Many graduating seniors are still unsure of what their income will be in the coming year, he says, and a good number will go right on to graduate school,…

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Newly Minted is a monthly series on Head Count following John Gudvangen through his first year as a financial-aid director at Wesleyan University. We’ll check in with Mr. Gudvangen as he learns the ropes of his new position and faces challenges common to his profession, as well as some unique to Wesleyan.

April

If Wesleyan University’s need-based aid has done its job, a good number of admitted students have been pleasantly surprised to find they can afford to come to an institution that costs more than $60,000.

Hearing from such students and their families is always enjoyable for John Gudvangen, the university’s aid director, and his staff. After all, these are people who give out money for a living. They like it when the people who receive it are pleased and grateful. Still, they can’t make everyone happy.

“Our natural inclination is to help families,” Mr….

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Newly Minted is a monthly series on Head Count following John Gudvangen through his first year as a financial-aid director at Wesleyan University. We’ll check in with Mr. Gudvangen as he learns the ropes of his new position and faces challenges common to his profession, as well as some unique to Wesleyan.

February

This month Wesleyan University sent admissions decisions to students who had applied for its second round of early decision. Admitted students who received financial aid were notified of their aid awards along with their acceptances.

As it packages aid awards, the financial-aid staff moves from the philosophical to the practical. “It’s no longer in the aggregate,” says John Gudvangen, the financial-aid director. “It’s the specific case right in front of you.”

The second early-decision pool is quite a bit smaller than the regular group the aid office…

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Newly Minted is a monthly series on Head Count following John Gudvangen through his first year as a financial-aid director, at Wesleyan University. We’ll check in with Mr. Gudvangen as he learns the ropes of his new position and faces challenges common to his profession, as well as some unique to Wesleyan.

January

January is a quiet time on Wesleyan University’s campus, with students on break for much of the month. For the financial-aid office, this is the calm before the storm. Before long, it will be time to evaluate need and package aid for students who applied regular decision—work that must happen quickly because Wesleyan sends financial-aid awards with its acceptance letters.

In the meantime, John Gudvangen has been wrapping up his projections for how much the office will spend on aid this year. Because Wesleyan admits students without considering…

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Newly Minted is a monthly series on Head Count following John Gudvangen through his first year as a financial-aid director, at Wesleyan University. We’ll check in with Mr. Gudvangen as he learns the ropes of his new position and faces challenges common to his profession, as well as some unique to Wesleyan.

December

Need-based financial aid hinges on simple subtraction: Cost of attendance minus family contribution equals need. But how does a college determine the handful of variables that make up the family contribution?

John Gudvangen recently had the chance to talk through the answer to that question with a small group of students at Wesleyan University. The student government there has identified financial aid as a key issue, and so Mr. Gudvangen met with a student committee to discuss how it works. He described how his office looks at income, assets, and other…

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