with Frank Cuozzo
Born, raised and resides:
Valley Cottage, N.Y. (two miles from the Palisades Center Mall)
Education:
B.A., history, Fordham University
M.S., counseling and development, Long Island University
Family:
Wife, Linda; sons Scott, age 8; and Tim, age 6
Favorite pastime:
Bike riding
Favorite sport to watch:
Baseball
Favorite television shows:
"The West Wing" and "The Sopranos"
Frank Cuozzo knew he was no Kenny G. Although he played
saxophone throughout high school and college, and enjoyed a brief stint
in a wedding band (very brief--they played only one gig), Frank realized
a future as a musician was not in the cards. "I was smart enough
to know that I stunk," he said with a laugh. "Well, at least
that I wasn't good enough to pursue it in a professional capacity."
But it was his connection to music that landed him a career in financial
aid.
Frank, who has been director of Financial Aid since September, said he
fell into the business by accident. As an undergraduate at Fordham University,
Frank was a history major and active on campus, including serving as president
of the Fordham Band. But he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with the
rest of his life. "I had no idea what I was going to do with a history
degree. I just liked studying it, so I majored in it," he said.
What he did know was that he enjoyed the college atmosphere and wanted
to stay after graduation. The adviser to the band, who was also the vice
president of Administration, suggested Frank find work on campus. Frank
heeded his advice and applied for and was offered a job as a financial
aid coordinator; something he didn’t know much about but "learned
by fire."
That was 16 years ago. Since then, Frank has remained in higher education,
working at Ramapo College and Columbia University before coming to Montclair
State. "I was excited about the chance to be at a school where there
is one Financial Aid office, not multiple offices and procedures, which
is the situation at Columbia," he said. "This was an opportunity
to come back to one institution with one financial aid office and one
philosophy. And with Montclair State being the second largest university
in New Jersey, this is an important position, not only at the institution
but throughout the state."
In his seven months here, Frank has taken a close look at the services
Financial Aid provides. "It's a matter of evaluating where we are,
what we do well, what we don't do well and then moving forward,"
he said. "We recently put together mini-training sessions for the
staff where we discuss a different topic each week. We're trying to get
everybody on the same page so we're all giving students the same information."
Another plan is to put together a survey for students to find out why
they work. The survey will determine how many hours students work, where
they work and how it affects their education.
Frank also is considering the effect of budget cuts. "We don't know
yet what the implications will be," he said, adding that about 7,500
students received some form of financial aid. "The two big things
that will affect us are what tuition will be next year and room and board
costs for residential students. That's the starting point. The other issue
is how much the state will fund the Tuition Aid Grant (TAG)."
Frank said one thing students can be sure of is that his department will
be there to assist them and their families. "If there's one thing
I'd like to get across about the Office of Financial Aid it is that we're
here to help."
And that is ultimately what Frank enjoys most about his job. "I like
working with students, understanding student issues, trying to help them,"
he said. "My master's degree is in counseling, so my focus is always
on the student's point of view."
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