| Purpose of the Position: |
The Financial Aid Counselor has primary responsibility for strategic support of recruitment and retention efforts related to enrollment and revenue goals of the university. S/he works directly with students, parents, guardians, and community-based organizations that are involved in the processes of helping students choose to enroll and persist at the university.
The Financial Aid Counselor is responsible for: the effective and compliant management of one or more significant financial aid programs, including understanding federal, state, and institutional regulations and policies associated with each respective program; supporting and deploying policy and procedure development that ensures effective and compliant delivery of funds; articulating those policies and procedures to both internal and external constituents; meeting reporting requirements of the university and governing bodies that are associated with each program. This role is also responsible for understanding and utilizing technical systems to support their work with students and the management of each program for which they are responsible, including but not limited to Banner, Argos, Xtender, and program-specific reporting applications. S/he works as a member of the Financial Aid team to determine annual financial aid awarding processes and procedures and to create proactive outreach initiatives regarding financial file completion, financial literacy, and financial planning to a variety of internal and external constituents. S/he creates and supports program-specific communication strategies. This person directly influences enrollment yield objectives and revenue at the university and has significant fiscal responsibility given the program(s) managed.
Duties/Responsibilities
Use discretion and independent judgment to advise and counsel students, parents, and/or prospective students in solving their educational financial problems through scholarships, loans, grants, employment and financial counseling.
Serve as an Advisor for in person and/or phone appointments.
Respond to questions and counseling needs of currently enrolled students, prospective students and parents in-person or through effective written, phone, and email communication.
Assist with reviews for professional judgment of student files and making adjustments as needed.
Provide loan and indebtedness counseling to students on an individual and group basis.
Award, revise and/or approve the awarding of financial aid through the specific controls of program policy and guidelines.
Assist students with specialized needs such as: Study Abroad, Vocational Rehabilitation, Graduate, and International Student issues.
Interpret and maintain knowledge of current federal, state, and institutional policies, procedures, and regulations pertaining to financial aid, student employment, and scholarships.
Provide assistance and guidance to other financial aid staff to ensure that processing activities adhere to established policies and procedures.
Participate in and assist in the planning and execution of events that support departmental initiatives for specific audiences.
Use discretion to respond to varied questions that may require researching and consolidating data regarding financial aid, scholarships, and specialized programs.
Attend local, state, and national workshops and conferences.
Use independent judgment to provide support to colleges and departments as needed.
Assist in developing and revising financial aid consumer information material, publications and brochures for currently enrolled students, prospective students and their parents, colleges, departments and university use.
Participate in review, revision, and interpretation of complex rules, regulations, procedures, and policies relating to general financial aid, scholarships, and team specialty area(s).
Assist Admissions with recruitment events which includes presenting, hosting workshops, or managing a resource table.
Participate in external and internal trainings, conferences, webinars etc. related to administering all types of financial aid.
Attend staff meetings, retreats and other meetings as assigned. May include representing the Office of Financial Aid in enrollment management and campus-level initiatives.
Process Satisfactory Academic Progress, Professional Judgement, and other letters of appeal.
Verify all required documentation (tax returns, federal verification forms, etc) as needed for federal verification and Professional Judgement.
Review requests to make adjustments to aid for changes in enrollment, change in program, etc.
Review over-awards and make appropriate adjustments.
Process verification of cost of attendance and verification of financial aid offers for external organizations.
Assist with verification processing and awarding projects as needed.
Cross-train with other teams and assist with processing needs as necessary.
Serve as the point of contact for the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs and veteran students, processing over $4 million in aid. This includes working with the office to help students in unique situations and providing outreach when requested and working with them to address escalated student situations.
Advise students and families on application processes, important timelines, types of aid, eligibility requirements, financing options and other resources available.
Exercise professional judgment when students or their families have unusual financial circumstances to determine additional eligibility.
Adjust awards as necessary to reflect student's enrollment and eligibility.
Continually assess customer service to proactively identify and address issues that may impede quality service.
Provide individual and group financial aid advice to students and families, including adequate loan counseling and financial literacy information.
Hire and manage all front desk student staff (6-8 students)
Train student workers for the walk in customers, phones and emails.
Member of the Financial Aid SAP Committee
Member of the Financial Aid Scholarship Appeals Committee
Member of the Financial Aid Professional Judgement Committee
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