More Housekeeping Items

More Financial Aid

FAFSA - necessary information
It was brough to our attention that you need some basic information about the credit hours per semester to complete financial aid forms. To that end (thanks to an incoming student) the following information applies.

Summer I - 13 points
Fall - 3 points
Spring - 3 points
Summer II - 13 points

The internship counts for additional COE credits due to the internship hours so that you maintain your eligibility during those terms. This will be explained in detail during the summer.

AmeriCorps
Teachers College Summer Principals Academy has a unique program in collaboration with AmeriCorps to provide funding for students who participate in the SPA and who serve in a high needs school for the next two years. The program, for those who work in a qualified school, will provide up to two AmeriCorps Awards ($4,750 per year) contingent upon completion of yearly teaching or administrative service and meeting program requirements. AmeriCorps awards can be applied toward tuition or loans that were used to pay for tuition of approved programs. More information will be provided during the summer regarding receiving AmeriCorps funding.

Loan Forgiveness
If you have a Federal (FFEL) or Direct Stafford Loan and you’re teaching full time in a teacher shortage area, you may be eligible for deferment (postponement of repayment) if you borrowed before July 1, 1993. If you borrowed on or after July 1, 1993, you might be eligible for forbearance (a temporary postponement, reduction, or suspension of payments). If you have a loan from the Federal Perkins Loan Program, you might be eligible for loan cancellation for full-time teaching at a low-income school or teaching in certain subject areas. To find out more, refer to http://studentaid.ed.gov/, click on the “repaying” tab. Then, click on the “cancellation and deferment option for teachers” link and the “Stafford loan deferment/forbearance provisions” link and/or the “canceling a Perkins loan” link.

During the four terms you are enrolled in the SPA you will maintain part-time student status and your loans will be classified as in deferment. We will have further details of how to insure your status by filing a Certificate of Equivalency (COE) during the summer.

Tuition/Fees
The tuition due dates should not be ignored. You will be expected to pay tuition as indicated. SPA tuition is based upon a per-credit rate that is in place for courses at TC. The program cost is $31,320 which includes the 32 credit program of studies and associated student fees. You will be expected to pay the tuition in four equal installments as set up by the Student Accounts Office in the following payment schedule.

Payment Schedule:
Due Beginning of Summer Year 1 of Cohort (6/15/2006) - $ 7,830
Due End of Summer Year 1 of Cohort (9/1/2006) - $ 7,830
Due During the Academic Year of Cohort (1/15/2007) - $ 7,830
Due Beginning of Summer Year 2 of Cohort (6/15/2007) -$ 7,830

Students paying tuition after the due date will be charged a late fee. Tuition payments can be made by check (made out to Teachers College) and submitted to Student Accounts, or you can pay by credit card using the touch-tone service or on the web.
The Teachers College Fee is included in the program fee for SPA students. The only added fees are: 1) if you choose to pay by the deferred payment plan, the College charges an additional $50 2) fee for late tuition payment. Please check the website for more information.

Housekeeping Items

TC Admitted Student Weekends (May 6th/7th or June 17th/18th)
We encourage you to take advantage of activities at the TC Admitted Students weekends. We understand work engagements make it difficult for most of you to attend many of the Friday events; however, if you are able to attend, we highly recommend it.

Questions – TC Admitted Students Online Chat – May 11th, 6:30 – 8:00pm
Teachers College Office of Admission representatives will be present to speak with newly admitted students and answer any questions. Students will also have an opportunity to inquire about Scholarships, Financial Aid, Registration, Orientation, Career Services and Housing. To join the chat visit the calendar link here: Online Chat Calendar

Remember to identify yourself as a student in the Summer Principals Academy so that TC representatives can answer your questions appropriately.

Registration
The SPA office will handle your course registration since all members of the cohort take the same classes. Do not register online! Your classes will be reserved for you by our office. You will be registered for the following courses this summer:

ORLA 4001: Introduction to School Leadership and Decision Making
ORLA 5018: School Leadership for Adult Development
ORLA 6020: The Pro Seminar in Leadership
ORLJ 5340: Basic Practicum in Conflict Resolution
ORLA 5029: Supervision of Teaching and Learning

Immunization/Health Coverage
Please submit the appropriate immunization record in a timely fashion as requested. If you do not submit your record it will result in a hold on your registration for the fall term. You should receive this information from the Office of Insurance and Immunization Records. You will also receive information about health insurance coverage. Note that SPA students do not need to submit a waiver to avoid the health insurance fee. Only students with full-time status during the fall or spring semesters are subject to this requirement. If you find that the fees have been charged to your account, please contact Peter Casey at casey@tc.edu or (212) 678-3006.

Laptop Requirements
You will be required to have a laptop with wireless connection capabilities. Recommendations and additional information on laptops are available on the TC Computing & Technology website. Your laptop will have to be registered with TC for security purposes. There will be representatives available from TC’s computing and information systems office during registration on June 18th to process laptops. Plan to bring your laptop to classes every day as there will be activities related to them woven into every lesson.

Additional Information
You will receive weekly emails with a link (http://spa2006.blogspot.com/) where updated information will be posted by the SPA office. You are encouraged to check this site often, but the weekly emails will serve as friendly reminders.

We also suggest that you browse the Teachers College website for information on a variety of topics. Here are some suggestions:

Admitted Students* - http://www.tc.columbia.edu/admissions/admitted.htm
* This page is comprehensive

Office of Financial Aid - http://summerprincipal.blogspot.com/href="http:/www.tc.columbia.edu/admissions/finaid.htm"

Students Resources - www.tc.columbia.edu/users/students.htm

Office of Housing and Residence Life - http://www.tc.columbia.edu/housing/

Student Activities & Programs - http://www.tc.columbia.edu/stlife/detail.asp

Welcome

Congratulations on your admission to the Summer Principals Academy. We are busy preparing for you (our second cohort) and very excited about your arrival at Teachers College on May 13th.

Dates to save:
May 13, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. - program orientation Part I
June 25, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. - program orientation Part II
June 26 - first day of classes
August 4 - last day of classes

Financial Aid: Please make sure that you have filed a FAFSA for both the 2005-2006 and the 2006-2007 academic year. This will allow you to secure federally subsidized student loan packages beginning in June, 2006 and another allocation for the 2006-2007 academic year (a peculiarity of academic programs that begin in the summer).

Housing: If you plan to secure housing in New York City please be aware of the tight housing market that exists. If you are in need of housing please contact us as soon as possible so that we can assist you in your hunt. In addition to housing at Teachers College dormitories, there are options available at the Manhattan School of Music dormitory, the International House and options available through TC's off-campus housing website. Email Elsa Chen (eic2103@columbia.edu) for details. You may also email Elsa for suggestions if you need accommodations for orientation on May 13th.

Registration for Classes: The Summer Principals Academy is conducted as a cohort program where all students take the same classes together. For this reason you will not need to register for classes - your registration will be done as a batch process prior to your arrival on May 13th. All you need to do is submit your deposit. Deposits not received prior to April 30th may result in problems with your registration so please make sure you make your deposit in a timely fashion.

Student Accounts: The academy is recognized as a flat fee program at TC. You will be billed in four equal installments. A complete schedule of payments will be included in future posts and will be detailed in your financial award letter.

Helpful contacts:
Phone contact:
Sonia Sharma - 212-678-3726

Email contact:
Whitney Bates web2105@columbia.edu

Financial Aid:
Genise Reid greid@tc.edu 212-678-3736

TC's Online Chat for Admitted Students

Teachers College Office of Admission representatives will be present to speak with newly admitted students and answer any questions. Students will also have an opportunity to inquire about Scholarships, Financial Aid, Registration, Orientation, Career Services and Housing.

http://www.interactionsoftware.com/openhouse/default.asp?SchoolId=1000304183