Essential Duties and Responsibilities
The Financial Aid Coordinator manages student financial aid programs at Laredo College, including but not limited to financial aid counseling, verification, satisfactory academic progress, awarding, and reporting, as well as having fiscal accountability for federal, state, institutional, and local funds. This position aids in all areas of enrollment services as needed. The Financial Aid Coordinator assists students and staff with processing and disseminating of information and customer service; assistance includes training new staff in the programs for which they are responsible. Work necessitates strict adherence to federal financial aid policies and procedures, as well as applicable state financial aid policies and procedures and institutional policies and procedures. This position establishes the tone for a student-centered, technology-based, high-performance culture that values service, quality, productivity, and efficiency. Responsible for assisting prospective and continuing students by managing financial aid communications effectively and on time, as well as processing and delivering accurate information to members of the financial aid team for file verification, awarding, and eligibility review. In accordance with FERPA and GLBA regulations, maintains accurate student's financial aid records. Counsels and advises students and parents on all aspects of financial aid eligibility, as well as student accounts. Awards and revises financial aid packages, makes independent professional judgments and adjustments to student eligibility based on unique student circumstances, processes documents and other associated duties, including appeals, requests for additional/reduced aid, enrollment revisions, verification revisions, ISIR revisions, satisfactory academic progress appeals and consortium agreements. Assists the Director of Financial Aid with the review and processing of Financial Aid appeals and maintenance of office processes and procedures. The Financial Aid Coordinator directly reports to the Director of Financial Aid.
Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities
- Responsible for counseling students and parents and assisting them through the financial aid process.
- Plans, develops, implements, and evaluates financial aid policies and procedures to meet students' needs while supporting the College's enrollment goals. Administers and facilitates the awarding of new and continuing students financial aid packages which may include Federal Pell and SEOG Programs, State Aid and Tuition and Federal Work Study.
- Maintain direct contact with assigned students via phone, text, e-mail, etc., and respond to student inbound communication within established timeframes.
- Award applicants with federal, state, and institutional financial aid awards in accordance with student eligibility and institutional policy.
- Verify financial aid applications using federal tax transcripts, verifications forms, etc.
- Constant review of student enrollment to determine student aid eligibility.
- Review and process student aid adjustment requests such as part-time adjustments, housing status changes, etc.
- Review reports to ensure compliance with federal regulations such as over awards, Pell LEU issues, loan default issues, CFLAGS, etc.
- Assist with development and maintenance of financial aid policy and procedures manual.
- Coordinate and partner with other offices on campus to ensure streamlines student-centered processes.
- Process summer financial aid requests.
- Resolve student issues, assist with determining the best possible aid package.
- Package financial aid awards according to federal and state regulations.
- Maintain an on-going understanding of the computer programs and their application to all areas of processing and awarding financial aid.
- Maintain current knowledge of federal and state regulations and their application to administration of financial aid programs.
- Assist administration with ongoing projects.
- Review and make decisions on satisfactory academic progress appeals.
- Determines and approves if students qualify for an unusual/mitigating circumstance; exercises professional judgment by making decisions or revisions to costs, contribution, need, or dependency status as exceptions to the prescribed process.
- Addresses questions and requests from students, parents, or guardians in person or in writing regarding financial aid programs and eligibility.
- Demonstrates working knowledge of Federal Systems such as COD (Common Origination and Disbursement), CPS (Central Processing System) and NSLDS (National Student Loan Data System).
- Preforms other duties as assigned.
Supervision Exercised
Non-exempt staff, Student employees and/or work-studies.
Supervision Received
Director of Financial Aid.
Physical Requirements
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit.
The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, or crouch.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move items weighing up to 50 pounds.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Work Environment
Work is performed in a standard office environment.
Work-inside a well-lighted and air-conditioned area most of the time.
The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.
Safety
Required to work safely and follow safety rules.
Report unsafe working conditions and behavior.
Take reasonable and prudent actions to prevent others from engaging in unsafe practices.
Special Conditions
Immediate supervisor may assign other duties.
May be required to work outside regular working hours, as needed.
May be required to work at a different college work site or campus as needed.
EEO Statement
In compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Laredo College is open to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, or national origin who are otherwise eligible for admission as students. Furthermore, Laredo College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and no applicant or employee will be discriminated against because of race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability or national origin. This institution will not enter knowingly into any contractual agreement for services or supplies with any firm failing to follow fair employment practices.
Foreign Degrees
Foreign degrees require an evaluation for United States equivalency from an approved stated education agency or having membership with the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Transcripts issued outside the United States of America require a course-by-course analysis with an equivalency statement from a certified transcript evaluation service verifying the degree equivalency to that of an accredited institution within the USA. This report must be attached to your online application at the time of applying. For your convenience, we have provided the following links to assist you in complying with this requirement. However, you may use any other certified transcript evaluation service. http://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Educators/Certification/Out-of-state_Certification/Foreign_Credential_Evaluation_Services/ http://www.naces.org/members.htm
Disclaimer
The above description is an overview of the job. It is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities of the job, nor is it intended to be an all-inclusive list of the skills and abilities required to do the job. Duties and responsibilities may change with business needs. LC reserves the right to add, change, amend, or delete portions of this job description at any time, with or without notice. Employees may be required to perform other duties as requested, directed, or assigned. In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made by LC as its discretion to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.