College FAFSA challenges reflect process culture | Jon Boeckenstedt | 6 Min Read

January 31, 2024

Two quick stories might help you understand how the FAFSA delays and how you deal with them are not just mechanical or operational: They’re cultural.

Many years ago, back when we used to get our reimbursements as physical checks instead of direct deposits, I grabbed mine and walked to the Student Accounts Office on campus over the lunch hour to get mine cashed. I walked in, and was gratified to see that there was literally no one in line, so I walked right up to the window, and told the person behind the glass why I was there. She gave me a look I didn’t understand, and pointed to a sign on the wall that said, “Expense checks cashed 2-4 p.m. only.” It was clear to me the reason the policy existed: To better serve students by reserving time for them. But I pointed out that there was no one else there; despite this, she was unmoved. I returned about 2:30, and got in line behind four other people and proceeded to wait about 15 minutes to get my cash.

Another time, I went to get my driver’s license renewed just before the lunch hour. I walked in, saw four clerks…

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Jon Boeckenstedt

Jon Boeckenstedt is the Vice Provost of Enrollment Management at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, where he has been since July, 2019. Prior to that, he was Associate Vice President at DePaul University in Chicago, for seventeen years. This year marks his 40th year in enrollment management and admissions, and his experience has taken him to a wide range of colleges and universities, from non-selective to highly selective, and from very small to very large. He has special interest in data visualization and the appropriate application of corporate strategy to higher education, and is the author of three blogs: One on higher education data, one on important trends and topics in admission and enrollment management, and one focusing on Oregon higher education. Jon has presented at regional and national conferences across the country, for organizations such as NACAC, NASFAA, AACROA, and has participated in panel discussions with national think tanks and educational policy groups. His admission work has taken him to 40 states and eleven countries outside the U.S., and his writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Slate Magazine, and The Academic Impressions website. He takes his work very seriously, but not himself. Jon is an Iowa native, and holds a BA in English and an MS in Marketing and Management.