Phil Asbury named executive director of Student Financial Aid

Phil Asbury has been named the executive director of the Office of Student Financial Aid at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and will begin his new role on Dec. 1.

Asbury most recently served as the university director of financial aid at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He has more than 30 years of financial aid experience at a range of institutions, from small and large private institutions to another flagship public university, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, widely lauded for one of the first major financial aid promise programs at a public flagship, the Carolina Covenant.

“We are incredibly grateful to have recruited Phil, a national figure known for his keen acumen, dedication to student access and success, and strategic visioning for innovative aid programs,” says Derek Kindle, vice provost for enrollment management.

Asbury will look to bolster the socioeconomic diversity of the student body at UW–Madison while leading national and international conversations on access to public higher education. Asbury will also work to advance awareness of UW–Madison’s existing promise programs, including Bucky’s Tuition Promise, Bucky’s Pell Pathway and the new Wisconsin Tribal Educational Promise.

As a peer reviewer for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Asbury has visited roughly 80 institutions of all types and sizes to provide advice and recommendations to improve their financial aid delivery. He’s been a lead negotiator in federal negotiated rulemaking with the U.S. Department of Education, elected to committees of the College Board, and has given presentations on a wide variety of financial aid topics.

“I am thrilled to be joining the University of Wisconsin–Madison as its executive director of financial aid. The university is integral to the lives of families in Wisconsin and is a leader in access, equity and affordability across the state and the nation,” says Asbury. “I look forward to joining the team and contributing to the important work of the university.”

Asbury received both his Master of Science in Education and bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University.

Asbury will report to Kindle in the Division of Enrollment Management.

“I would also like to thank Associate Vice Provost Scott Owczarek, who has served as the interim executive director of student financial aid and helped lead the team through one of the most challenging years in recent history given the nationwide difficulties with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) rollout by the U.S. Department of Education,” Kindle says.

The Office of Student Financial Aid is a leader in providing access and financial support. The team helps students and their supporters navigate the aid application process and the financing of their education and it supports students through graduation, providing budgeting and money management guidance, connections to funding and community resources and basic needs assistance.

Through the team’s efforts, 66% of undergraduate students graduate without debt and almost 6,000 are part of a promise program that covers tuition or more. Overall, the team manages the federal, state, institutional and private sources of financial aid totaling nearly $650 million annually.