SUMMARY:

VCU’s Student Financial Management Center is searching for Student Retention Support Specialists. This position is responsible for case-managing student populations to assist students in maintaining good financial and academic standing through direct and tailored interventions, financial counseling, and communications about financial aid eligibility concerns and other actionable items to resolve potential roadblocks within a timely manner.
This position provides a holistic approach to helping students understand and find solutions to complex financial aid and billing questions. These actions directly contribute to the recruitment, retention, and degree completion of students by meeting student payment expectations. This position plays an active role in creating a culture of care, through a case management success team, by fostering solutions-driven meaningful relationships with students and campus partners, and promoting a successful university experience.
This position requires a well-rounded knowledge of federal and state financial aid program regulations, an understanding of the tuition and fee assessment and billing policies, how to navigate and find information within the student information system, and understand financial aid eligibility concerns which hinder progression and retention.
Core Responsibilities

Case Management (55%): Through the use of early alerts, dashboards and daily monitoring: actively identifies, reaches out, and counsels students exhibiting financial distress or concerns about account balances prohibiting retention and progression toward graduating within a timely manner. Reviews data to identify at-risk students in mapping out a sound financial and academic plan for their education.

• Improve students submitting outstanding account document concerns within a timely manner
• Evaluate if a student has exhausted all financial aid opportunities to help pay semester account balances
• Improve on-time account payments, reduce late fees being incurred and financial holds that inhibit future registration
• Reduce collection referrals for outstanding balances
• Engage students who may benefit from satisfactory academic progress or professional judgment appeal reviews
• Identify and contact students who may have concerns paying other educational expenses to improve overall well-being
• Monitor assigned caseload students for financial aid satisfactory academic progress (SAP) concerns: 1) courses that are ineligible for financial aid such as audit and UF grades, 2) directs students to the appropriate class to make schedule adjustments, 3)
• Recommends adjustments to financial aid packages if there are eligibility concerns, 4)
• Reviews the billing statement with student and makes recommendations how to resolve account balances
• Review and resolve referrals from academic advisors and campus partners for students in financial distress

• Work with the students’ advisors to help develop academic plans for students appealing financial aid satisfactory academic progressOutreach to students who are more than 180 days delinquent repaying federal student loans and connect them to their lender for repayment options

Financial Counseling (40%): Advise students, parents and campus partners about financial aid opportunities, eligibility requirements, deadlines, policies, and procedures.

• Investigates and provides accurate information about specific financial aid programs, tuition and fee account billing information, and payment options while updating the student information system/Navigate with comments summarizing the nature of the meeting with the student, parent or campus partner
• Serve as a liaison to assigned colleges and schools answering financial aid and billing questions
• Communicate educational costs, how to find information online or within eServices, how to complete the FAFSA, how to complete forms, how to find VCU scholarships, provide deadlines, other campus resources, how to understand financial aid award notices, how to complete steps for financial aid to disburse and how to budget financial aid offered in relation to educational costs
• Directly interacts with students, parents and campus partners utilizing appointments, front counter walk-ins, telephone, video communication, email, chat/instant message or the Navigate advising platform
• Discuss confidential information with students, other family members and campus partners, as applicable by law

• Reviews the individual circumstances of each student, and in some cases, suggests professional judgement that does not fall into standard practices as an exception to the ruleReviews the accuracy of documents being submitted for completeness

Financial Aid Outreach and Literacy (5%): Supports outreach programs within the University such as summer orientation, preview days, workshops and other various outreach requests that include both on and off campus events; including local or regional overnight travel.

• Presents financial aid opportunities, educational costs and how to pay for college to parent and student groups
• Assists with other projects within the Division of Strategic Enrollment Management and
• Student Success for recruitment and retention efforts
• Promotes the values and mission of VCU to all constituents in a positive and professional manner

Each agency within the Commonwealth of Virginia is dedicated to recruiting, supporting, and maintaining a competent and diverse work force. Equal Opportunity Employer

Please refer the Job description for details