Spring Break
Hopkins hires new financial aid director
Issue date: 2/7/08
The University has hired a new director to lead its embattled financial aid department, eight months after an investigation by the New York Attorney General's office into ethics violations forced the ousting of former Director Ellen Frishberg.
Vincent Amoroso, who has worked in the financial aid department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill for nine years, started at Hopkins last week.
With his arrival, the financial aid office expects to compile a new list of preferred lenders - one of the subjects of last year's investigation - relatively soon, although it is unlikely that it will be finished in time for the class of 2012.
Though his colleagues cautioned him against working for a department seemingly marred by ethics violations, Amoroso chose Hopkins over a number of other schools, including Columbia University, the University of Southern California and the University of Texas. Those schools were also searching for heads of their financial aid departments after similar investigations.
Among the factors that impressed Amoroso, who worked as deputy director of scholarships and student aid at UNC-Chapel Hill, was a recognition by the faculty of the gravity of the ethics violations.
Still, "the past is the past," he said, "and I'm more interested in the future."
Amoroso will be heading up an office that is working under a recently adopted code of conduct - one that is much more restrictive than before New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's extensive investigation discovered multiple conflicts of interest between Hopkins's director and at least one loan company.
"There was absolutely no other individual in that office that had a relationship with a lender or anybody that could be construed as a conflict of interest, perceived or otherwise," said Dean of Enrollment and Academic Services William Conley, who served as interim director while the search for a new one was conducted.
Ultimately, neither the code of conduct nor any other ethical concern deterred Amoroso, continued Conley.
Vincent Amoroso, who has worked in the financial aid department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill for nine years, started at Hopkins last week.
With his arrival, the financial aid office expects to compile a new list of preferred lenders - one of the subjects of last year's investigation - relatively soon, although it is unlikely that it will be finished in time for the class of 2012.
Though his colleagues cautioned him against working for a department seemingly marred by ethics violations, Amoroso chose Hopkins over a number of other schools, including Columbia University, the University of Southern California and the University of Texas. Those schools were also searching for heads of their financial aid departments after similar investigations.
Among the factors that impressed Amoroso, who worked as deputy director of scholarships and student aid at UNC-Chapel Hill, was a recognition by the faculty of the gravity of the ethics violations.
Still, "the past is the past," he said, "and I'm more interested in the future."
Amoroso will be heading up an office that is working under a recently adopted code of conduct - one that is much more restrictive than before New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's extensive investigation discovered multiple conflicts of interest between Hopkins's director and at least one loan company.
"There was absolutely no other individual in that office that had a relationship with a lender or anybody that could be construed as a conflict of interest, perceived or otherwise," said Dean of Enrollment and Academic Services William Conley, who served as interim director while the search for a new one was conducted.
Ultimately, neither the code of conduct nor any other ethical concern deterred Amoroso, continued Conley.
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