Brad Lindberg, Grinnell’s new director of financial aid will be joining the College on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Lindberg has had more than 10 years of experience in financial aid administration at St. Olaf College, University of St. Thomas and Macalester College and is currently serving as director of admissions at St. Olaf, his alma mater.
A committee that included faculty, student representatives and members of the financial aid office selected Lindberg from an extensive pool of applicants, announcing their decision last Thursday, Oct. 31. Lindberg has had extensive experience with financial aid data analysis and related technologies. As associate director of financial aid at Macalester College, Lindberg worked closely with federal aid programs, the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile and its associated needs-analysis process; he also served as the data-standards manager for information technology priorities and policies.
His experience with financial aid technology and his creativity were critical factors in the decision to hire Lindberg, factors the committee considered to be essential for the position, especially at a time when the College’s financial aid policies and mechanisms undergo significant changes.
Joe Bagnoli, Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admission & Financial Aid, feels that Lindberg’s experience with institutional methodology at schools similar to Grinnell will prove instrumental as the College moves towards adopting a more technology-intensive way of allocating financial aid.
“We are moving to a much more comprehensive assessment towards student financial need. He’s deep in his understanding of institutional methodology (IM), which is a far more comprehensive look into needs-analysis. There aren’t a large number of financial aid professionals nationally who have a great deal of experience in IM. That was a real point of interest for us,” Bagnoli said.
A major change to Grinnell’s financial aid allocation methodology is the slated adoption of the CSS Profile. In addition to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Additionally, Grinnell will be implementing a new program called “Web Advisor,” which allows students to access financial aid award letters electronically. This program will not only make the financial aid award process more transparent to students, but will also make collecting information and distributing awards more efficient.
“Finalizing the roll out of the CSS Profile and ensuring students and families understand what the Profile is, and how it will help the College fairly and equitably distribute our aid dollars, is a top priority,” Lindberg said.
Lindberg will join Grinnell during the busiest time of the admission and financial aid application process as the financial aid office meets with students and their families and prepares to award new and returning students with financial aid packages.
“The core work of the financial aid office … will occupy much of my time the first weeks at Grinnell,” Lindberg said. “Moving forward, my desire is to capitalize on the tremendous progress made by financial aid staff in the last year.”
According to Lindberg, his decision to work for Grinnell was based off the institution’s focus on academic excellence, diversity and social responsibility.
“As I think about what is important for me professionally, working at an institution with which I share similar values is essential. Personally, my wife and I were looking for a close-knit college community to raise our three young girls. Mary, my wife, grew up just outside of Grinnell, so we are confident that the Grinnell community will be a great fit for our family,” he said.
