Ray Tripp, who has been director of student financial aid at UGA for almost 22 years, has announced his retirement at the end of April.
Tripp, who has worked in the financial aid office since 1978, has accepted a job with Edamerica, a firm that services student loans, and will be moving to Americus.
Tripp joined the financial aid office as a counselor and served as associate director before becoming director in 1979. Before coming to UGA, he was director of student financial aid at Armstrong State College.
UGA’s financial aid programs have undergone explosive growth during Tripp’s tenure. The office administered about $3.8 million in private and state loans and scholarships, and about $5 million in federal loans, grants and scholarships in 1978. A total of about 11,000 students received financial aid.
In 1999, the office administered state, federal and private loans, grants and scholarships worth more than $137 million--about 37,090 awards worth $109.1 million to undergraduates, and 4,965 awards worth $28.6 million to graduate students. A total of 21,520 students received some form of financial aid.
One of the most successful aid programs Tripp has overseen is the HOPE scholarship. Since the program began in 1993, 38,696 UGA students have received HOPE awards worth more than $237.2 million. Other aid programs administered by the office include federal Pell Grants and Supplemental Grants, Perkins and other loans, Regents Opportunity Scholarships, and federal work-study programs.
Tripp is a recognized leader among financial aid professionals, serving as an organizer and speaker for numerous professional development programs. He has been president of the Georgia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, secretary of the Southern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, and chairman of the student financial aid advisory council for the Georgia Student Finance Commission.
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