Financial aid director tapped to serve on student aid commission's advisory board

Patrick Register, director of the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office, was selected in June to serve on the California Student Aid Commission’s Financial Aid Advisory Board after being nominated by the UC Office of the President.

“The California Student Aid Commission is responsible for some of the largest grant programs available at the University of California. My participation on the advisory board represents an opportunity for UC to provide input into upgrades and improvements to the grant delivery systems and policies over the next several years,” Register said.

The commission is the principal state agency responsible for administering financial aid programs for students attending public and private universities, colleges, and vocational schools in California. The commission’s mission is to “to make education beyond high school financially accessible to all Californians.”

The commission provides financial aid policy analysis and leadership, in partnership with California’s colleges, universities, financial institutions, and financial aid associations. The Financial Aid Advisory Board will review major proposed and planned program or policy changes and provide advice and recommendations to the commission. The board is made up of representatives from the state postsecondary segments as well as high school counselors associated with the commission’s administration of the Cal Grant, Dream Act Application, Middle Class Scholarship, Chafee Grant, and other state financial aid programs.

“Patrick will make a great representative by both providing important campus-level insight and being able to share with our campus and his colleagues about the latest developments,” Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management Michelle Whittingham said.

Register was appointed to oversee the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office in 2014 after a nationwide search. Previously, he was the campus’s senior associate director of Financial Aid and Scholarships. He was first recruited to campus in 2005.