Sep 1, 2003 -- The office of student aid is often the front line for students, parents, and management of a university. Robert Friedman, YU’s new director of student aid for Yeshiva College, Stern College for Women, Sy Syms School of Business, and Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, came on board in July. He was tapped by Dr. John Fisher, director of enrollment management, for his expertise in retooling studentaid operations. “In speaking to colleagues at each of Bob’s former schools, the first thing people mentioned was his focus on students,” Dr. Fisher says. A graduate of Thomas Edison State College in New Jersey, Mr. Friedman oversaw student aid at Teachers’ College Columbia University Graduate School of Education. He also held related positions at Fordham University in the Bronx and DePaul University in Chicago. He helps parents and students figure out how best to pay for a college education—$30,000 at YU. “My job is to make sure our families have a sense of how to navigate the financial aid system,” says Mr. Friedman. He calls college tuition “daunting—students and parents need help,” and points to improved customer service as the best way to assist them. He plans to “train every person on my staff to treat people with respect, sensibility, and sensitivity, especially regarding issues unique to Orthodox families.” Also, he has made walk-in counseling available during office hours at the Wilf and Midtown campuses, and plans to make technology improvements to give students and parents easier access to information. “I want them to be able to read their account live, not just from the last day of the last bill, and I want them to have access to their aid package,” he says. “We have to increase the level of customer service. It all boils down to that,” he says. To make an appointment with the Office of Student Aid, call 212-960-5269 or e-mail studentaid@ymail.yu.edu.