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Wendy Stouffer, director of academic scholarships at the University of Arkansas, has been newly appointed to an advisory board for Fastweb, a free online scholarship search and matching service.

Fastweb is a free online search engine that can be used by any student seeking financial aid. Students create profiles, and the website matches them with scholarship opportunities that the student may qualify to receive. The site also allows students to search for colleges, jobs and internship opportunities.

Stouffer was nominated by another member of the Fastweb Advisory Board, and after completing a short interview process, she became a member of the board.

“The Fastweb Advisory Board is a group of educators that advises Fastweb on the best practices in higher education and scholarships,” Stouffer said. “It is made up of representatives from Fastweb, colleges, high schools and foundations that offer scholarships.”

Not only is Stouffer a new member of the Fastweb Advisory Board, but she is also a member of the National Scholarship Providers Association as well as several committees on campus. She works closely with both the Honors College and the office of enrollment services. Stouffer earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and criminal justice in 1995 and a Juris Doctor in 1998, both from the University of Arkansas.

After practicing law for three years, Stouffer began her career at the university in 2001 as assistant director of admissions and shortly thereafter was promoted to associate director of admissions for operations. She gained experience working closely with the faculty Admissions and Appellate Board. She was instrumental in the office’s transition to an automated, paperless process for managing thousands of applications annually. In September 2010, Stouffer was appointed interim director of academic scholarships and in March 2011 she was appointed director of academic scholarships.

"Wendy Stouffer has been a great addition to the Academic Scholarship Office," said Suzanne McCray, vice provost for Enrollment Services. "Her leadership has been exceptional. She has been instrumental in the development of a new online scholarship application that will streamline the process for students and reviewers, and this is only one of many changes that she has already instituted, always with the goal of helping serve students better. That she is being recognized at a national level is no surprise.  She is energetic and organized, a powerful combination."

As director, Stouffer is responsible for overseeing the general operations of the office of academic scholarships, outreach, and recruitment involving scholarship opportunities. She also works in collaboration with other academic units and departments across campus regarding scholarships and scholarship processing.

Stouffer is excited to be a new member of the Fastweb Advisory Board. “I will have the opportunity not only to advise Fastweb on best practices, but I will get to discuss student funding issues with colleagues from across the nation,” Stouffer said. “I look forward to the education I will receive from this group.”