Enrollment Services Specialist (Student Services Professional III), Strategic Enrollment Management and Marketing

Job Summary:

The purpose of this position is to assist students in making successful progress toward their degree objectives by providing financial aid information, direction, and wrap-around detailed and structured service from various offices.

Responsibilities:

Coyote Central Support Services and Aid Coordination

• The Enrollment Services Specialist will provide resolutions to highly complex situations in an expedited environment. If full services are needed, the case may be forwarded to a higher level.
• Administer complex aid programs to support the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
• Conduct at a minimum, monthly reconciliation for assigned program(s).
• Utilize PeopleSoft queries/reports to reconcile program expenditures.
• Administer the special programs sponsored by the California Student Aid Commission including but not limited to Teach and Cal State Teach.
• Create presentations and/or materials to advertise programs as needed
• Meet with appropriate agency/office to review and reconcile program expenditure balances.
• Ensure reconciliation activity details are included in program policies and procedures.
• Responsible for reviewing a variety of critical and complex data reports that reoccur on a weekly basis.
• Utilizing these various reports, manually analyzing data, resolving inconsistencies in the students’ files, adjusting student aid as needed, requesting new ISIR, gathering additional information from various sources including CSAC, Web Grants, NSLDS, COD, Department of Education, IFAP & ELM websites.
• Serve as second level specialist of financial aid and other office services within Coyote Central in support of student success by performing work activities requiring independent thinking and applying professional judgment.
• The specialist independently administrates activities which include, but are not limited to, coordinating financial aid resources, communicating with campus colleagues, providing communication to students one-on-one or in a group setting/presentation, support with admission inquiries, registrar’s information, student financial services inquiries, and basic needs information.
• The specialist must attend all training activities for effectiveness.
• Function as the second level specialist recognizing and diffusing any problems that arise and modeling exceptional interpersonal skills when providing service via telephone and/or in-person.
• Assist with the planning and development of comprehensive informational discussions in individual and group settings on services available through the Coyote Central area and the university.

Verification

• Verifies information students provide on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Using sound judgement, request, review and evaluate data elements to clear discrepancies based on federal guidelines and when required, recalculate the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to determine student aid eligibility.
• Data elements must be corrected and sent to CPS through the electronic corrections process.
• Under general supervision, the Specialist is responsible for performing a portion of complex financial aid assignments related to financial aid applications received annually.
• Accept and process applications/reports for a variety of student financial aid programs.
• The Specialist will analyze and correct data elements in the automated financial aid delivery system, which includes verification and/or resolving inconsistencies on financial aid application data used to determine eligibility.
• Determine financial aid eligibility, award financial aid to students and perform revisions based on but not limited to exceptional circumstances or per regulatory requirements, change of budget, loss of income, changing enrollment (R2T4), over-awards, etc.
• Monitor Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) of financial aid applicants. Review and analyze SAP appeals and apply federal and institutional policy to assess approval or denial.
• Notify students of decision and follow-up with 1:1 counseling when needed. Make academic guidance referrals when and where appropriate.

Counseling, Advising and Customer Service

• Counsel and advise students and parents from diverse backgrounds on Federal, State, and University financial aid policies and procedures.
• Exercise sound interviewing skills when discussing personal and sensitive issues that may affect student eligibility, admissions, registrar’s, basic needs, or student financial aid services.
• Advise students and parents with possible options for financial difficulties. Use sound and insightful judgment to evaluate and determine appropriate courses of action for highly com