Roberta Hyland to Head Government Relations; Robert M. Haushalter to Manage Education Finance Industry Relations

Herndon, VA, April 9, 2009 - The National Student Clearinghouse has appointed Roberta Hyland as its assistant vice president of Government Relations and Robert M. Haushalter as managing director of Education Finance Industry Relations. The Clearinghouse, a non-profit organization, provides reporting, verification and research services for more than 3,300 colleges and universities, including reporting the enrollment of student loan borrowers to the Department of Education on behalf of its participating institutions. Ms. Hyland, who has served at the Clearinghouse for 12 years, began her appointment March 23, 2009. Mr. Haushalter joins the Clearinghouse on April 14.

"These appointments reflect the Clearinghouse's commitment to our long-time relationships with both the federal government and education finance industry," said Clearinghouse president, Ricardo D. Torres, "and our continued dedication to helping these entities better serve the nation's students as the U.S. education and student financial aid systems evolve.

In her new role, Ms. Hyland works with Clearinghouse senior management to develop strategies to contribute to public policy discussions at various government levels. Additionally, Ms. Hyland advises the Clearinghouse on applicable legislative matters and acts as ombudsmen to the Department of Education. "I am honored to take on this new challenge," said Hyland. "The Clearinghouse provides vital services to the education community and the need for these services is increasing.

Advocacy with the Department of Education and other government offices will facilitate the Clearinghouse's ability to pursue our mission of service to the education community."

Ms. Hyland has been with the Clearinghouse since 1997 when she began as supervisor of Customer Service. Prior to joining the Clearinghouse, she worked in the loan originations and servicing areas of the student loan industry. She is also an adjunct professor of higher education at Drexel University. Ms. Hyland has a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Muhlenberg College and a Master of Science in Higher Education from Drexel University. She is also pursuing a Doctorate in Education at Northeastern University.

As managing director of Education Finance Industry Relations, Mr. Haushalter will be responsible for providing continued dedicated support to the education finance organizations that participate in the Clearinghouse. "I look forward to utilizing my education finance background to help the Clearinghouse address the changing needs of these organizations through the services and support it provides," said Haushalter.

Most recently, Mr. Haushalter was senior vice president of corporate development for Access Group, Inc., a non-profit organization established to provide education financing to students. He has more than 24 years of experience in the education finance industry and higher education. Mr. Haushalter has a Bachelor of Arts in early childhood and elementary education and a Master of Science in science education from American University. He also serves on several boards, including the NCHELP Private Student Loan Committee.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL STUDENT CLEARINGHOUSE
The National Student Clearinghouse is the most trusted source for enrollment and degree verification in the U.S. A non-profit organization founded in cooperation with the higher education community in 1993, the Clearinghouse serves as a central repository and single point of contact for the collection and timely exchange of accurate, comprehensive enrollment, degree and certificate records on behalf of participating institutions.

More than 3,300 colleges, enrolling 92% of US college students, participate in the Clearinghouse. Student loan providers, employers, student credit issuers, student health insurance providers, the U.S. Department of Education, and others access the Clearinghouse's registry over 100 million times annually to conduct electronic student record verifications. In addition, the Clearinghouse provides educational research services to both secondary and postsecondary institutions that provide insights on student access, transfer, permanence, and graduation rates.

Most Clearinghouse services are provided to colleges and universities at little or no charge, enabling institutions to redistribute limited staff and budget resources to more important student service efforts. Its services are designed to work for institutions of any size, from those with fewer than 500 students to those with enrollments exceeding 35,000. Cumulatively, institutions have saved millions of dollars by participating in the Clearinghouse. The success of the Clearinghouse's customer-oriented approach was recognized in a fall 2008 survey of its institutional participants wherein 92% said they would recommend the Clearinghouse to other educational institutions.

Posted 04/10/09 to www.NASFAA.org. Posting of press releases is done as a service to Members and does not imply endorsement or support by NASFAA. NASFAA does not review this information for content or accuracy.