Photo by Christina VanHorn,
UNH Human Resources

Of the 2,550 newly admitted students that the University of New Hampshire is expecting to welcome this fall, approximately 70% of them have applied for and will be receiving some level of financial assistance through the UNH Financial Aid Office. For many, the eligibility for financial aid can ensure the access to UNH for students who might otherwise lack the necessary financial resources. In the process of applying for financial aid for the first time, many of those incoming freshmen students and their parents have had the opportunity to speak with Beth Cilley, or one of the other 4 Assistant Directors or 2 Counselors in the Financial Aid Office (FAO). Though the financial aid process is very cyclical, Beth and her colleagues are busy assisting students year round, answering questions for admitted UNH students and their families; on the phone, in person through scheduled appointments or walk-in services. The FAO also serves as an information resource for students, parents, scholarship and loan agencies as well as high schools.

For UNH students, the deadline each year for a student's FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is March 1st. Typically, beginning in mid-February, the FAO begins the process of reviewing and generating financial aid packages for admitted freshmen students. Admitted freshmen are always processed first because many students and their parents need this information in order to make a determination by May 1 about the school they will choose to attend in the fall. Starting in early May, the FAO begins reviewing and awarding financial aid packages to our returning upperclassmen.

Mentioning college costs and money in the same sentence usually generates concern and anguish for many students and/or their parents. It is Beth's responsibility along with the other staff in the FAO to help our students understand, initiate and navigate the sometimes daunting processes involved in a student's applying for federal and institutional financial aid. She meets with students and families under diverse circumstances. Many times, these meetings are due to major changes in status for families for a variety of reasons - loss of income, a death in the family, a major illness, more than one child in college, etc. Regarding necessary skills for a FAO Assistant Director, Beth explains that "money is a very emotional issue…putting together the topic of money and someone's student can generate a volatile conversation. This requires a high level of patience, listening skills, understanding and compassion." However difficult the process can be, Beth finds the work most rewarding and satisfying, stating "we are helping students to obtain a college education." Though Beth has been in the financial aid office for 11 years, she has recently found that having college age children of her own (Rachel, a junior at UNH and Ben, an incoming UNH Freshman) provides her with a different perspective on the college financial aid process. She said it has given her "a better understanding for what the parents and students are going through - making me even more empathetic to the process."

Beth began her own experience at UNH in 1974 as a student and graduated with a BA in History and a minor in English in 1978. She then moved to Virginia and worked in the library at the College of William & Mary. In 1979 she married Gary Cilley (last week's employee profile), and returned to New Hampshire and UNH in 1980. She worked in various positions in the loan department of Dimond Library until 1985 and then left UNH to raise her family and work part time at Golden Gate University at Pease Air Force Base and the Community Technical College in Stratham. In 1993 Beth returned to UNH and joined the staff of the UNH Financial Aid Office. First as an assistant loan coordinator and then as a financial aid counselor. In 1998 she was promoted to her current role of assistant director. Besides working with students and parents in the financial aid process, Beth is also responsible for managing and coordinating the student eligibility portion of the Federal Work Study (FWS) program at UNH. For the 2003-2004 academic year, 1,400 UNH students worked and received financial assistance through the FWS. Beth works with on- and off-campus employers, assisting them in the advertising and hiring process of UNH students eligible for Federal Work Study. Budget-wise, the hiring of a student eligible for FWS can prove very beneficial. The hourly pay for a student under the FWS program is currently split 70% by the federal government and 30% by the hiring department. There are typically more Work Study jobs available than there are students eligible to work under FWS during the academic year. Beth also manages the Summer Federal Work Study (SFWS) program. Students who apply for financial aid at UNH and fill out a summer application are eligible to be reviewed for and receive authorization to work under the summer program. This summer there are 275 UNH students working and being paid through the SFWS program. During the school year, the typical eligibility award amount for those students that qualify is $2,000. In the summer that amount can climb to $2,500 due to the fact that students can work more hours during the summer than during the academic school year. Beth states that she "enjoys being the FWS and SFWS coordinator because it gives me the opportunity get to know other UNH staff and the work of other departments all over campus."

When asked what she found most satisfying about her job at UNH and who has had the most positive impact on her, Beth states it is her colleagues in the Financial Aid Office - "we work well together and assist each other in our jobs. Many of us here have been working together for ten years or more. We know each other well and we are very supportive of each other."

When Beth is not at UNH she can be found working in her gardens at her home, admiring the gardens of others, and spending time with her family and friends. Like her husband, Gary, the traveling bug was also transferred to Beth from her mother, Jean. She went on her first traveling adventure to England with Jean, and daughter, Rachel, in 1993 to visit the home of author, Beatrix Potter. Since that first trip abroad, Beth has returned to England (4 more times), and also visited France, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Later this year, she is traveling with her husband Gary to Italy to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.