Athens, Ga. – Bonnie Joerschke, who has served as senior associate director of the Division of Financial Aid at Purdue University, has been named director of the Office of Student Financial Aid at the University of Georgia following a national search. Joerschke succeeds Susan Little, who retires at the end of March.

Joerschke has been in the financial aid profession since 1975, with experience at three large public universities. As senior associate director at Purdue, a position she has held since 2003, she was responsible for the oversight and management of daily operations of the Division of Financial Aid.

Joerschke has been active in the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and will chair the federal issues committee of the association in 2008-09.

“I am delighted to join the Office of Student Financial Aid, which is known for its excellent service to students and their families,” Joerschke said. “The University of Georgia is a great institution and I am eager to become involved in campus and community activities that will promote the success of our students.”

At both Purdue and UGA, approximately 79 percent of the student body receives aid in the form of grants, scholarships, loans and work programs. At UGA, more than $200 million in aid is awarded annually, including more than $100 million in student loans and close to $90 million in HOPE Scholarships.

The director of student financial aid will report to the vice president for instruction under a new enrollment management model that includes the offices of Undergraduate Admissions and the Registrar.

“I would like to thank the search and screening committee, the executive and faculty search group, and the staff in the Office of Student Financial Aid for their outstanding support during the search process,” said Jere Morehead, vice president for instruction. “I am confident that Bonnie Joerschke will make a wonderful addition to the UGA enrollment management team, and I look forward to her leadership of the superb staff in the Office of Student Financial Aid.”

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Note to editors: For a photograph of Bonnie Joerschke, contact Cynthia C. Hoke at 706/542-8083 or cchoke@uga.edu.