From Federal Computer Week ... (it's about time!)

Officials at the U.S. Department of Education have begun to look at ways of completely revamping student financial aid systems to be simpler, more accurate, and more efficient. Most students applying for federal financial aid currently do so online, but over the years, various legislation has forced the department to create multiple systems to handle those applications. At a conference of financial aid administrators, the department collected more than 4,700 ideas about how the process can be streamlined and will begin sorting through all the suggestions. Improvements are expected to benefit not only students using the Web to apply for loans but also those who opt for the
traditional method of postal mail. Katie Crowley, deputy general manager of application, school eligibility, and delivery channel programs at the Department of Education, said the initiative gives the department the ability to make long-term plans in a way it previously has not been able to. With the new program, she said, "we have a big opportunity to do everything we want in the system."