Student Affairs
Financial Education and Scholarship Support
Contact:
Rich Ronnestad, MS, CFP®
Director of Financial Education and Scholarship Support
rich.ronnestad@wsu.edu
509-368-6852 | PROFILE
ABOUT FINANCIAL EDUCATION
Our goal is to provide knowledge and resources to help you achieve your goals. One-on-one meetings, supplemented by group workshops, are the primary venues as we develop an individualized success plan tailored for your needs.
LINKS
The following links provide useful information, webinars, videos and fact sheets.
AAMC’s Financial Information, Resources, Services and Tools (FIRST)
Good information on many financial topics; check out the MedLoans® Organizer and Calculator.
Download the Education Debt Manager.
U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid
Good information on specific types of loans.
National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)
Establish an account to view all of your Federal loans and associated details.
Download your student data for input into the MedLoans® Organizer and Calculator.
SALT
Practical information on budgeting, money management, debt management and more.
SCHEDULE AN INDIVIDUAL MEETING
To schedule a meeting, visit wsu.mywconline.net, register with your official WSU email, and choose the “College of Medicine Financial Education” (not Financial Aid) schedule (second College of Medicine schedule). You should see Rich Ronnestad’s name on the left-hand side beneath every date. Schedule an open time from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Remember to click “Save Appointment” at the bottom of the pop-up window. Spouses/partners are welcome and encouraged to attend.
DROP-IN HOURS
Please stop by my office at SAC 420C any day during the lunch hour (12 p.m – 1 p.m.) to ask questions, clarify an issue, or to discuss any financial or scholarship topic.
This Month’s Financial Topic
MedLoan Calculator/Student Loan Payment Plans
LUNCH AND LEARNS
Join us one Wednesday each month for a lunch and learn, an informal session where we’ll discuss a relevant financial topic. Bring your own lunch and we’ll provide snacks and sweets, location will be announced, from 12:15 to 12:45.
Aug. 23: Establish FinEd Advisory Board, Financial Aid Distribution
Sept. 13: Budgeting for Medical School/Saving/Emergency Fund: 2018-19 Expenses and Loan Planner (Excel file)
Oct. 11: Identity Theft Protection/ Two-Factor Authentication: Identity Theft Protection Steps
Nov. 14: Understanding Your Student Loans: Money Management video
Dec. 12: External Scholarships and Research Opportunities
Jan. 24: Summer Considerations
Feb. 14: Consumer Debt/Credit Cards/Credit Score
March: None due to exams, Spring Break and Intercession
April 17: MedLoan Calculator/Student Loan Payment Plans
May 9: Lone Forgiveness Programs and Scholarships with Service Commitments
June 13: Debt Minimization
About Scholarship Support
Our goal is to provide each eligible student an ESFCOM scholarship, as well as information on external scholarships to help reduce indebtedness.
Links:
- ESFCOM Scholarships: Information on the College’s scholarship program.
- Outside Scholarships: WSU Spokane’s Financial Aid Office provides information on a selection of scholarships whose eligibility includes medical students.