Congressman Seth Magaziner said Monday morning “there are few, if any, state agencies that are as well run as RISLA.” The compliment was able to be directly received by Rhode Island Student Loan Agency (RISLA)  officials including RISLA Board Chairman Bob Delaney and Executive Director Charles Kelley, who were joined by Senators Whitehouse and Reed for the ribbon cutting of RISLA’s new College Planning Center at Chapel View Lifestyle Center across from Garden City. 

The office, which will house four to ten college counselors depending on seasonal demand, is a narrow room of cubicles in the shadow of Cold Stone Creamery. It replaces the former College Planning Center in the Warwick Mall. It is a simple change of location, and there will still be only one College Planning Center – though still offering both in-person and online services. According to Kelley, the Center provides “hands-on assistance with applying for financial aid, help with resumes and college essays, and tips on how to complete the all-important FAFSA application, which unlocks federal aid.” College Planning Center Assistant Director Courtney McEntee said the main motivation for the new location is to increase visibility for the center, especially given the access to Garden City Center on public transportation.

Of course, it was somewhat surprising for a simple move of location to draw the entire congressional delegation – though perhaps less so for Senator Reed, whose office is in the same building. With all three present, missing just Congressman David Cicilline’s soon-to-be-elected replacement, it was an opportunity to connect state-level details to the big picture in Washington.

RISLA was an especially apt location for this, as Reed has championed Pell Grant expansion throughout his career as a Senator. Reed, leading off the trio’s remarks, said higher education is “critical to long term economic success” and is “for too many families financially out of reach.” Reed promised on behalf of the delegation to “keep fighting to double the Pell grant and increase financial aid.”

Whitehouse noted accomplishments in the same vein, specifically 2,600 Rhode Islanders benefitting from President Biden’s student loan forgiveness last week, with a total of $109 million of canceled student debt in the state. Like Reed, Whitehouse was eager to highlight one of his big ticket causes, Supreme Court reform, which he linked back to RISLA through what he referred to as “ the political dagger into affirmative action and the political dagger into President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program.” Whitehouse is sponsoring the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2023 in the Senate.

Magaziner offered a slightly more local scope. He said that RISLA, which he noted that “not every state has,” was “particularly important in today’s interest rate environment.” RISLA is offering loans at fixed-rates as low as 4.45% in the upcoming academic year. For Magaziner, it was somewhat of a return home, as he served on the RISLA board for eight years while State Treasurer. The familiarity between the RISLA officials and the Congressman was on full display. RISA and Magaziner’s Rhode Island office are on the same floor of a Jefferson Boulevard office.   Magaziner said that it was “nice to see him (Delaney) somewhere other than the mens room.”

Reed had the honor of snipping the red ribbon with an oversized pair of golden scissors. With that, the new College Planning Center  officially opened. Students and families can now visit the center  year-round for free, bilingual, college planning and application help. Full services are also available online.