American Student Assistance Recognized by Computerworld as a 2013 Computerworld Honors Laureate

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Student Assistance’s innovative SALT™ financial education program was honored today as a 2013 Laureate by IDG’s Computerworld Honors Program. Governed by the not-for-profit Computerworld Information Technology Awards Foundation, Computerworld Honors is the longest running global program to honor individuals and organizations that use information technology to promote positive social, economic and educational change.

“With SALT, we aim to use the perception of a student debt crisis – with the help of cutting-edge technology, communications, and gamification techniques – to help students understand that managing student loan debt is solvable, and to raise the financial IQ of the next generation.”

“Computerworld is honored to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of the 2013 class of Laureates and to share their work. These projects demonstrate how IT can advance organizations' ability to compete, innovate, communicate and prosper,” said Computerworld Vice President & Publisher John Amato. “Technology continues to play a pivotal role in transforming how business and society functions. For the past 25 years the Computerworld Honors Program has had the privilege of celebrating innovative IT achievements.”

“We are honored to be recognized as a Computerworld Honors Laureate in the Human Services category,” said American Student Assistance^® CIO Brian Curtis. “As a nonprofit organization with a public purpose mission, ASA strives to innovatively use new information technology to improve the lives of those we serve: students and families struggling to finance college and repay education loans.”

ASA^® works with students before, during and after college to empower them to make better decisions around paying for higher education and repaying education debt. The organization has responded to the societal issue of escalating student debt with SALT, a financial education membership program that uses student loans and the higher education financing experience as a series of teachable moments to develop financial competencies in students and recent alumni.

SALT is unique in that it allows users to interact with the product through multiple channels. SALT includes a robust digital financial literacy curriculum that utilizes a series of interactive tools; one-on-one personalized expert telephone counseling about loan repayment; highly engaging mobile apps that enable members to put into practice what they have learned about money management and budgeting; a social community that gives members practical advice and support; and a personalized digital dashboard that allows members to download and store student loan data from the national database of federal student loans. SALT’s online component is available at saltmoney.org.

“It is said to never let a crisis go to waste,” said American Student Assistance President Paul Combe. “With SALT, we aim to use the perception of a student debt crisis – with the help of cutting-edge technology, communications, and gamification techniques – to help students understand that managing student loan debt is solvable, and to raise the financial IQ of the next generation.”

The Computerworld Honors Program awards will be presented at the Gala Evening and Awards Ceremony on June 3, 2013 at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. The Computerworld Honors Program feature will appear in the June 3rd issue of Computerworld and online at Computerworld.com.