Robert P. Huff Golden Quill Award
The Robert P. Huff Golden Quill Award may be presented each year to an individual or individuals chosen for their contributions to the literature on student financial aid.
The award is named in honor of Bob Huff, former director of financial aid at Stanford University and himself an outstanding contributor to the scholarly literature on student aid. Bob received the first Golden Quill Award in 1984.
Nominees for the award are judged on the basis of published work which exemplifies the highest quality of research methodology, analysis, or topical writing on the subject of student financial aid or its administration.
2024 Robert P. Huff Golden Quill Award Winner
Jeff Webster, Director of Research, Trellis Company
After 37 years of leading the research team at TGSLC/TG/Trellis Company/Trellis Strategies Jeff Webster retired in December 2023. While his contributions to the field are countless, one of his main contributions includes the creation and ongoing management of the Student Financial Wellness Survey that Trellis has had with over 63,000 learners responding at 143 participating institutions. This sample size provides an incredibly unique insight into the modern learners experience and is just one example of his strong legacy in this space.
Jeff's work has revolutionized the space of student finances, calling attention to incredibly important issues including student loan default, student loan counseling, and most recently student basic needs and the role that they play in student success. In his time overseeing Trellis’ Research Department he pioneered the use of predictive modeling to improve student loan default prevention efforts and developed the first consumer facing tool to show student debt-to-income ratios by major by institution. Jeff has presented to many groups including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, the federal Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, and the Financial Literacy and Education Commission.
