Financial Aid Appeals & LRAPs: How Butler University Changes ‘No’ to ‘Yes!’ with Ardeo

View our recorded webinar discussion with Butler University to explore how Ardeo’s yield tool has helped them move students with cost concerns to enroll.

During the webinar, Lori Greene, Vice President for Enrollment Management, and Melissa Smurdon, Executive Director of Financial Aid, discussed their enrollment strategy and how they use Ardeo’s Loan Repayment Assistance Programs with financial aid appeals and targeted populations.

Butler University began using Ardeo’s enrollment tool for the 2022-23 cohort. They targeted Pell-eligible students in Indiana and used LRAPs with financial aid appeals to help move students from “no” to “yes.” Watch the webinar to explore Butler’s Fall 2022 success, and how they have expanded their use of LRAPs for the 2023-24 cohort to target various prospect groups.

Why watch the webinar?

Learn how LRAPs can help you flip enrollment decisions from “no” to “yes” by removing the fear of student loan debt.
Hear directly from Butler’s chief enrollment and financial aid officers about how the program has made a difference in the lives of their students.
Get the opportunity to explore different enrollment strategies and ask questions!

Lori Greene brings more than 27 years of experience in enrollment management to Butler University. She began her career in higher education at her alma mater, Spring Hill College located in Mobile, Alabama. During this time, she earned her MBA from the University of South Alabama. In 2000, she transitioned to Loyola University New Orleans, where she spent eight years in the Office of Admission. By 2008, Lori moved from the Dean of Admission role and joined the Loyola University Chicago Office of Admission as the Director of Undergraduate Admission. Her tenure at Butler began in April of 2015 as the Vice President for Enrollment Management.

Over the years, Lori has been an active member, and Board Director nominee, for the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC). She has served in numerous roles within the Southern ACAC, Illinois ACAC, and presently within the Indiana ACAC, which includes serving as the Admission Practices Co-Chair. Lori also served as a member of the Common App Board in the role of the Finance Committee Chair and now serves on the Audit Committee. She has also served on the Development Committee and Finance Committee as a Board Member for the International Center of Indiana.

Melissa Smurdon has served in the Office of Financial Aid at Butler University for more than 25 years. She was named Executive Director of Financial Aid in 2022 after serving as Director of Financial Aid since 2010. She has held various positions in the Financial Aid Office from counseling to systems and compliance oversight. She was the functional lead for the implementation of PeopleSoft Financial Aid Module and served three years on the Financial Aid Advisory Group for the Higher Education Users Group (HEUG). She currently serves on the Customer Advisory Board for Oracle’s Student Financial Planning (SFP) as Butler was an early adopter of the financial aid cloud platform.

She got her start as a student employee at University of Indianapolis followed by Ball State University where she completed a Master’s in Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education. Melissa is a member of National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), Indiana Student Financial Aid Association (ISFAA), Midwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA) and has served and presented for those organizations as well at College Board Regional and National Forums and the Higher Education User Group (HEUG).

Matt serves the needs of our clients and their students, bringing with him experience in a long, successful career in higher ed and a passion for helping students pursue their callings. He has extensive knowledge of the higher ed industry, having previously served in roles within student development, admissions, and for the majority of his career, in enrollment management where he oversaw financial aid and admissions for trad and non-trad programs. He was most recently the Vice President of Enrollment at Spring Arbor University, where he helped increase their main campus undergraduate enrollment by over 60% with Ardeo’s LRAPs. Matt earned a BS in education from Greenville University and an MA in sociology from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.