Senior Financial Aid Counselor

Reporting to the Director, the Senior Financial Aid Counselor has primary responsibilities including managing the federal, private, and University loan programs, serving as the primary financial aid contact with all students at the Eastman Institute of Oral Health, and managing the School of Medicine and Dentistry’s endowed scholarships. The Senior Financial Aid Counselor assists in the administration of the financial aid programs for medical, graduate, and dental students at the School of Medicine and Dentistry and can be called upon to represent the school in all matters related to student aid. They help with managing the distribution of a variety of student financial assistance from varying entities such as the institution, state, federal and private sources. Provides supervision of the office in the absence of the Director.

Management and Oversight of student loan programs:
• Originate, disburse and reconcile (monthly) all federal and private student loan programs according to federal regulations and University policies.
• Ensure timely cash flow and disbursement of loan proceeds to student accounts.
• Oversee processing and loan reporting with Heartland ECSI, the University’s third party servicer of Institutional Loan programs to ensure that all compliance requirements are met and that awards are appropriately reconciled.
• Maintain current and accurate records in Elm, the on-line tool for private loan management and effectively process private loan applications.• Identify and implement opportunities for improving program efficiency and automation.
• Ensure that entrance and exit counseling requirements are met.
• Establish and document procedures, research regulatory requirements, recommend policy changes, train other staff, verify accuracy of eligibility calculations, and perform loan fund reconciliation as necessary.
• Collaborate with students, staff, and other appropriate contacts to address any problems in materials submitted.
• Facilitate effective communication between the Financial Aid Office and the Bursar’s Office.
• Train staff in required program knowledge related to counseling and casework.

Counseling:
• Participate in meeting the guidance and informational needs of students through individual counseling, written correspondence, training sessions and orientation programs.
• Advise prospective and returning students regarding financial aid options, application processing, and other issues related to education finance.
• Engage in pro-active efforts to assist students in the completion of their applications and the financing of their education.
• Respond to inquiries with accurate information and high quality of customer service.
• Serve as a resource and as a role model of exceptional customer service behavior.
• Assists with the financial aid packaging of medical and graduate students.
• Serve as the primary contact for financial aid counseling and packaging for all programs in the Eastman Institute of Oral Health.

Management and Oversight of Endowed Scholarships:
• Match named endowed scholarships with appropriate students based on student demographics and scholarship awarding preferences.
• Ensure timely and accurate documentation of all matches in all university systems
• Maintain accurate records on all named scholarship awarding criteria.

• Establish, document, and update awarding procedures, communication procedures, and reporting procedures.
• Facilitate effective communication between the Financial Aid Office and student recipients.
• Facilitate effective communication between the Financial Aid Office and University Advancement.
• Facilitate effective communication between the Financial Aid Office and SMD Finance.

Compliance:
• Ensures compliance with all Federal TitleIV regulations
• Manages the verification process
o Responsible for collection of required documents
o Responsible for ensuring reporting back to appropriate federal or state agencies
• Appeal processing.
o responsible for collection of all appropriate data
o responsible for communication back to students and their families of appeal results.
• Maintains current on existing regulations by participating in conferences and training seminars.

Job Posinting Reference# - R259379