FLSA EMPLOYMENT CATEGORY: Hourly; Non-exempt; Administrative; 12 months
DEPARTMENT: Financial Aid
POSITION SUMMARY:
Alma College seeks a Financial Aid Counselor to join our Strategic Enrollment Management team. This is a student-centered role focused on providing immediate and comprehensive services to students and families, including first year, transfer, graduate and international students.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED/SUPERVISION EXERCISED:
This position reports to the director of financial aid. There are no supervisory duties.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
- Provide main point of contact in the Financial Aid Office with front desk duties. Maintain heavy volume of financial aid telephone calls and respond to email communications in a timely manner.
- Assist students and families with completing the FAFSA, entrance counseling, and Master Promissory Notes.
- Ability to learn software systems including financial aid and web-based applications, to ensure effective operations. Programs include Colleague, Slate and Microsoft office suite (Excel, Word, Power Point), as well as other Federal systems, such as COD (Common Origination and Disbursement), NSLDS (National Student Loan Data System), and FPP (FAFSA Processing Portal), and ELM (private loans).
- Daily processes in Colleague, such as ISIR import, loan import/export, packaging, etc .
- Review and certify student eligibility for state aid programs.
- Determine eligibility for Federal Work Study and award accordingly. Maintain payroll records for compliance and spending purposes.
- Awarding of endowed scholarships through web reports. Maintain communication and coordination with Advancement. Process outside scholarships and award in Colleague.
- Stay up to date with financial aid regulations.
- Review and process forms submitted to the document upload repository.
- Preparation of materials and other items needed for orientation days and annual audits.
- Completes most office mailings including but not limited to award letters, MIL letters, disbursement notices, SAP letters, withdraw information, exit counseling packets and missing FAFSA notices.
- Attendance at admissions meetings and team professional developments.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- 2+ years in a customer service field.
- Excellent communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
- A professional, congenial and polite demeanor.
- Ability to problem solve.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a diverse team of professionals.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Associates or Bachelor’s degree.
- Experience in financial services or higher education.
- Experience working with underrepresented, first-generation, Pell-eligible, and diverse populations.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Interested candidates must submit the Alma College application, letter of interest, and a resume via the apply now button below. Applications will be accepted until September 17, 2024.
Alma College is classified as a selective Baccalaureate College: Diverse Fields by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Committed to academic excellence and development of responsible leaders, Alma’s students thrive on challenging academic programs in a supportive, small-college environment emphasizing active, collaborative learning and close student-faculty interaction. Alma is a private Phi Beta Kappa institution located in the center of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
Alma College is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty, staff and student body.
Alma College recognizes that we are all transformed when we celebrate and value the varied identities backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives in our campus community. We are committed to recognizing and removing barriers to success and providing equitable access to opportunities through education and advocacy. In our increasingly diverse campus and world, we pledge to create a climate where everyone is safe and free to grow intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally. For more information about the College, visit www.alma.edu.