Athens, Ga. – The College Board Southern Regional Assembly has a new chair-elect. Bonnie Joerschke, director of the University of Georgia Office of Student Financial Aid, will take office in February 2014 at the Southern Regional Forum in Atlanta and will serve successive one-year terms as chair and immediate past chair.
As chair, Joerschke will preside over two regional council meetings held annually as well as the annual Forum of the College Board Southern Regional Assembly.
The Southern Regional Assembly is comprised of delegates from member institutions and agencies who meet to address the interests and needs of pre-college and college students, educational institutions, systems and state education agencies in the region. The Southern Region includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Each year, the College Board helps more than 7 million students prepare for college through programs and services in college readiness and college success-including the SAT and the Advanced Placement Program.
“I just completed a three-year term as an elected representative to the College Board’s Southern Region College Scholarship Assembly,” Joerschke said. “It was a wonderful experience working with educators from K-12 and higher education institutions in our ten-state region. I gained a depth of knowledge on issues that affect us individually as well as collectively through discussions on research and the best practices that help high school students to be academically prepared for a successful transition into, and graduation from, an institution of higher education. I look forward to serving in this leadership role as an advocate for the students and educators in our region.”
Since 1975, Joerschke has worked as a financial aid administrator at Colorado Northwestern Community College, the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Oklahoma State University and Purdue University.
She joined UGA in 2008 as the director of the Office of Student Financial Aid. She is currently the chair of the Reauthorization Task Force of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators that is working on recommendations to be sent to Congress for statutory changes to the Higher Education Act.
About Office of Student Financial Aid
The Office of Student Financial Aid is a unit of the Office of the Vice President for Instruction. The Office of Student Financial Aid informs prospective and current students of the resources and services available to them to secure funds for financing their education. The office advises students of their eligibility for financial assistance in a timely manner and educates them about the financial and academic responsibilities associated with the receipt of that aid. For more information, see http://osfa.uga.edu.