WARWICK, R.I. – Russell Romandini’s career in financial aid began during his freshman year of college as a work-study student, sparking a 31-year journey through progressive financial and student service roles. A Rhode Island resident since 2019, he joined the Community College of Rhode Island as Director of Financial Aid to put his three decades of experience to work serving local students and families. 

At CCRI, Romandini leads student financial services in helping students smoothly navigate the financial aid process. While this year's FAFSA rollout has been efficient, his team recently partnered with the marketing department to launch the "Use the Code, Not the Campus!" campaign. The initiative ensures all CCRI students select the main Warwick campus school code (004916) on their applications — regardless of which campus they attend — so their financial aid is processed without delay. 

In this edition of Thinkers, Doers, and Achievers, Knight Knowledge spoke with Romandini to learn more about his career, how students can avoid common FAFSA pitfalls, and his life outside the office. 

Knight Knowledge: First, can you tell us a bit about your background and what brought you to CCRI? 

Romandini: I started in financial aid as a work-study student as a freshman and have worked in progressive financial and one-stop roles over the last 31 years. I have been a Rhode Island resident since 2019 and was interested in using my financial aid background and knowledge to serve the Rhode Island community. 

Knight Knowledge: Can you tell us about the critical issues happening with FAFSA? 

Romandini: Thankfully, this year the FAFSA launch has been smooth, and students can go into the FAFSA portal and complete the form in roughly 20 minutes. 

However, one issue we have noted is that when students fill in the school code for CCRI, they are presented with every CCRI campus and not just the main campus. Students should always select 004916/Warwick as the school code and should not choose the campus they attend. As I say around the office, “Use the Code, Not the Campus!” 

If a student has completed their FAFSA already and selected a campus other than Warwick, all they have to do is go back into FAFSA and make a correction to add the 004916 code to the school list. CCRI will receive the update in three to five days. It’s an easy fix! 

Knight Knowledge: How is CCRI preparing students for this issue? 

Romandini: Student financial services has partnered with the CCRI marketing department to develop a multichannel campaign to help get the word out to the CCRI community to make sure students are using the code, not the campus. 

Knight Knowledge: What do faculty and staff need to know in order to help? 

Romandini: Please encourage students to be sure that they have filed FAFSA for this fall semester. If Student Financial Services is reaching out to you, that is because we are missing paperwork. We ask that students connect with SFS right away since the semester is quickly drawing to a close. 

For students already filing for next fall, good work! Be on the lookout for next year’s financial aid filing and payment deadlines. We will get the information out to the community once the dates are finalized. Please make sure to file your forms on time! 

Knight Knowledge: Outside of CCRI, what do you like to do for fun? 

Romandini: I enjoy spending time with my wife, Laurie, and my son, Ryan, cooking, traveling, going to concerts, and watching sports. I am a big fan of the Bruins, Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox, Revolution, and AS Roma in Italian Serie A soccer. For many years, I was a public address announcer for college and high school basketball and football, and I work on voiceover projects whenever I have the chance.