It didn't take long for the buzz about the new, longer SAT to reach the ears of future—and understandably, anxious—test-takers. Competing headlines battle for attention, on one side airing students' concerns about the new essay section, on the other, reporting efforts of the College Board to carefully craft a strategy for its preparation and administration. How much weight would the new essay component carry? How would students perform? What would be learned from the initial rollout? At times the questions have outnumbered answers. At the center of this discussion is CMC's own Georgette DeVeres, elected earlier this year as chairman of the College Board's board of trustees, at the helm of the test's research and its March 2005 rollout.

"We of course were anxious to see the results of the first application of the test, not only to gauge whether it would confirm all of the pre-testing that was done, but also to have a better sense of students' writing abilities and how that might affect the admission cycle for those freshmen entering college in the fall of 2006," DeVeres explains. "When you administer a brand-new program, many technical aspects have to be in place in order to be successful. So the College Board has been working hard to make sure the administration goes well."

It is already known that each component of the new SAT will have a maximum score of 800, bringing the perfect score to 2400 instead of 1600. But not all institutions have decided to use the essay, DeVeres says, although CMC is on-board with the change.

As associate vice president and director of financial aid at CMC, leading policy discussions and engaging in the rigor of academics is nothing new to DeVeres. Boarding a plane to New York to convene the quarterly meeting of the College Board's board of trustees "hasn't really changed my level of involvement with the Board," she says. "I've served on other Board committees for the past 10 years. It's just a balancing act."

After 32 years in the turbulent waves of financial aid, DeVeres knows that for every grateful hug or thank-you card from an appreciative financial aid recipient, there may also be a potential complaint from someone with a less effusive opinion. The key, she says, is mental preparation. "When it comes to money," she says, "no matter how much you award to some people, someone will inevitably perceive that it's not enough. I always tell my staff that we will hear from the unhappy people first. So when we get thank-you notes from people, they mean a lot. We post them on the wall."

The notes are among several rewards that DeVeres counts among the highlights of her work for the College. Others would be CMC's exceptional need-blind admission policy, her staff ("We are a very customer-service-oriented and upbeat office, and we work hard to respond to students and families"), and work that allows her to help change lives through gaining access to an excellent education. "As a financial aid administrator, I've always valued the ability to work with families for the four years they are here, attend their graduation ceremonies, and see all the proud parents and students who feel really good that they've accomplished their goals.

"I think that sometimes," she says, "CMC students don't realize the benefits they had here, until they move on to the next phase of their educational experience. We tend to hand-hold them through their four years, and when they leave this institution, it's like a new world for them."

DeVeres arrived at CMC in 1983, following a 10-year run with her alma mater, Cal State Northridge. A job in the student aid accounting office during her undergraduate years led to a post-graduation offer to serve as one of the university's financial aid counselors, and a decision to change course from her planned career in urban planning. "I've been working in financial aid since right out of college, so it's been my only world," says DeVeres.

Three decades of preparation will serve her well, with election to the College Board's board of trustees coming at a critical juncture in the board's history.

DeVeres says the College Board expects to help America's high school students head for college better prepared for the writing challenges they'll face as undergraduates.

Already, DeVeres says, early results from the May SAT rollout have been very positive, and a number of students performed "exceptionally well." Despite anxieties over the longer testing time, many students voiced positive experiences about the extended exam. "The College Board will continue to study how these test results compare with the old tests, but nevertheless," she says, "the Board of Trustees is very pleased with the initial reports."

The College Board also has its eyes on President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, as well as the launching of a pilot College Board school program in New York. The latter, which would enable students to be exposed to more rigorous academic preparation beginning in sixth grade, is another endeavor requiring her attention this term, she says. And if successful, the program could even out the academic preparatory disparity existing between affluent families and working class school districts.

"Something that has always caused me to want to stay involved with the College Board is its role as a great convener of constituents, and of various people who play a part in the frequent public policy discussions," DeVeres says. "That is something to be admired."

The admiration is mutual.

"All of the College Board Trustees have enormous respect for Georgette," says Linda Clement, vice president for student affairs at the University of Maryland and past College Board chair. "She brings to the task tremendous experience, an outstanding level of commitment to students and their families, and an understanding of complex political issues," Clement says. "I think she will be a great leader."

Richard Vos, vice president and dean of admission and financial aid at CMC, says that DeVeres has a knack for inspiring confidence in the people around her, as well as an ability to bring out the best in those who work with her.

This steadiness helped guide DeVeres through the personal challenge following the sudden death last year of her husband, Allard, whose unwavering support, she says, inspired her to always forge ahead.

"Losing him certainly was devastating," says DeVeres. "He was my biggest cheerleader in terms of professional involvements—in particular, as College Board chair. He was excited about that and supported that. In fact, if it wasn't for his support throughout my professional career, I guess you could say I would not have considered even being in this role. So in some respects I am committed to fulfilling what he supported all along," she says, "and, staying busy certainly helps."

The couple's daughter, Lynzie, finishing her junior year at Oberlin College, coincidentally works in her college's admission office. But whether she follows in her mother's footsteps is uncertain. "She's talking about law school," DeVeres says. "We're obviously staying very closely connected, and she's pushing ahead, knowing that her dad would want her to finish what she started."

The phone rings in DeVeres' office, in the cottage that shares space with her Admission colleagues across the hall. Her desk, stacked with memos and correspondence, is a visible reminder of the breadth of her work. She ponders for a moment any initial reservation taking on the broader responsibility as College Board chair.

"Reservations?" she asks, laughing. "Absolutely! I'm chairman of a group of trustees that is composed of five college presidents and chancellors, and I'm little Georgette DeVeres from CMC. Yes, I had reservations. It is a big responsibility and one in which I never dreamed of finding myself."

Vos says DeVeres' role with the College Board also gives CMC, a relatively young institution, an opportunity to become better known, and to gain some well-deserved attention in the American community of higher education.

Already, she holds a favorable position among her peer institution colleagues, whose financial aid resources generally lack the stability of CMC's aid endowment. So discussing with admitted students the offset costs of a CMC education continues to be a blessing in the wake of the economy's downward turns.

"It certainly has made my job more challenging these past couple of years," DeVeres says of the added demands on the financial aid budget. "But we're still working well with families and making it feasible for them to enroll at CMC."

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