Student Services Specialist

POSITION SUMMARY:

Date application must be received for priority consideration by: April 1, 2024
Anticipated Appointment Begin Date: May 1, 2024
Closing Date or if blank, Open Until Filled:
Job Family Group: Support Staff
Support Staff Classification Title: Administrative Program Specialist
Division/Department: Academic and Student Affairs/Raider Student Services - Registration & Records
Compensation Range (commensurate with experience): Salary Range 20, Step 1 - Step 2 or $20.15 - $21.00 per hour, or $3,492 - $3,640 per month @ 1.0 FTE
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt
Appointment Basis: 12-month
Time Type: Full-time
Benefits Eligible: Yes
Renewable/Non-renewable/Grants/Limited Duration: Non-renewable/Limited Duration
Temporary Position with an anticipated end date of December 31, 2026
This position must possess and maintain a current, valid Driver License: No
This position is designated as a critical, security-sensitive or safety-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a Criminal Background Check: Yes
Lead Work/Supervisory Responsibilities: No
Remote Work Type: Hybrid
Work Hours: M-F (8:00a – 5:00p) Hours are subject to change with notice.
Worker Status: Must be able to legally work in the United States without visa sponsorship

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANT:

Special Instructions to Applicants

• Each applicant is required to provide (as attachments to the online application) the following supplemental documents: (1) a letter providing some detail of the applicant’s qualifications and interest in the position; and (2) current resume/CV
• For inquiries and additional information, please contact Human Resource Services via email at hrs@sou.edu or by phone at (541)552-8553.
• To view SOU’s very generous benefits and pension programs available to eligible positions, please visit https://inside.sou.edu/assets/hrs/Benefits/Benefit_Flyer/2024_Prospective_Candidate_Benefit_Overview_012024.pdf
• ·         Our benefits package is an important complement to the offered salary and our Total Compensation Calculator, https://inside.sou.edu/hrs/comp-calc.html, demonstrates our value and commitment to our employees.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

Raider Student Services (RSS) strives to provide convenient, efficient, and effective enrollment services in the primary areas of Financial Aid, Registration and Records, and Student Billing/Finances. Southern Oregon University is embarking upon a 2.5 year project to replace our core Student Information System.  During this time, we will need significant assistance for our core RSS staff (and potentially other offices including Admissions, Institutional Research and Academic Affairs) so that they can primarily focus on implementation of this new Student Information System.  As a result, we are recruiting for a new Student Services Specialist position, which will be a limited-duration position with an anticipated end date of 12/31/26 (this may change as the project develops).  We will initially be filling 3 identical positions with one recruitment and will likely fill additional identical positions thereafter.

Under the supervision of the University Registrar/Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management (Registrar), the Student Services Specialist (SSP) provides service and support to students, families, faculty, and staff.  The SSP will work in close conjunction with core RSS (and potentially other) staff to help offload many of their normal responsibilities.  The most successful candidates display a positive attitude, technical ability, adaptability, and a willingness to learn and serve.  This position will be primarily remote, but may require some physical presence in the office depending upon operational needs.

Minimum Requirements

• Two years of experience as an administrative specialist or executive support specialist which included administrative support for a project, program, or operation.  Administrative support includes those duties beyond clerical/secretarial such as:  interpretation of laws, rules, and regulations; administrative data collection and analysis; and evaluation of projects, processes, and operations; OR
• An equivalent combination of training and experience.
• One year of postsecondary education may be substituted for up to one year of the experience.

Preferred Requirements

• not applicable

Essential Functions

Duties - The following examples are typical work activities that are meant to illustrate the general range of work functions and are not meant to be all-inclusive or restrictive:

(100%)

Duties for this position will vary significantly depending on what needs occur, and you may find yourself assigned to multiple focal points throughout the duration of the position.  Duties may include:

• Interpreting rules, policies, regulations, and procedures and explaining them to students with professionalism
• Exercising sound judgment when addressing student concerns
• Facilitating communication with departments across campus to address escalated student concerns
• Communicating SOU, state, Department of Defense, and federal regulations to students in a clear and concise manner
• Directing students to appropriate resources or departments for their specific needs.
• Abiding by strict federal privacy regulations with every customer interaction.
• Collaboratively researching and resolving complex student issues surrounding registration, academic records, financial aid,VA benefits, and student financial accounts.
• Answering financial aid, registration/records, and billing/financials questions via email, phone, and in-person
• If requested to work on campus, assisting with front desk operations, including fielding centralized in-person, phone, and email queries, helping students with needs, and accepting/processing payments and various forms
• Assisting with miscellaneous operational needs within RSS and well as general clerical duties
• Supporting the Registrar, Bursar, and Director of Financial Aid with meeting note-taking, creation and maintenance of procedural documentation, meeting scheduling, and general administrative support
• Assisting with major events and associated preparation, including Commencement
• Special projects, including conducting of research and creation of various reports, as needed to support both ongoing operations and the Student Information System project
• Supporting data reconciliation and cleanup projects in a variety of systems
• Testing and reporting within various systems
• Counseling students on billing/payment details/options and arranging/accepting payments
• Assisting with acceptance and reconciliation of departmental deposits
• Processing, verifying, and updating federal, state, and institutional financial aid documents
• Counseling students and families on financial aid processes, rules, and regulations
• Scribing degree (and associated) requirements into DegreeWorks
• Performing student curriculum updates
• Processing student petition/substitution requests
• Processing transfer course evaluations (and associated items such as AP, CLEP, etc.), and answering associated questions
• Helping students and others troubleshoot course registration issues
• Assisting with tuition/fee setup, testing, assessment, and troubleshooting, and answering associated questions
• Assisting with degree review/processing/troubleshooting, and answering associated questions
• Processing classroom assignments, course creation/modification (and associated items) and answering related questions
• Assisting the offices of Admissions and Academic Affairs with general clerical and processing support
• Contributing to report generation and associated general institutional research activities

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• Excellent communication skills; demonstrated ability to effectively communicate information in a clear and understandable manner, both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated customer service experience requiring a very high level of diplomacy and professionalism to effectively handle a broad range of sensitive interpersonal situations.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and consistently apply a wide variety of complex policies and procedures where specific guidelines may not always exist.
• Expressed ability to work with frequent changes in policies and procedures, under pressure of deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical and research skills; demonstrated ability to gather, evaluate, and to develop well-reasoned conclusions and recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to proactively assess work operations and anticipate potential problems; ability to develop and implement strategies for preventing/resolving problems.
• Great ability to effectively perform work of a highly sensitive and confidential nature that requires access to information. Must be able to exercise sound judgment and discretion, tact, and diplomacy.
• Takes initiative in independently planning, organizing, and performing work assignments within broadly defined parameters
• Demonstrated ability to work with a high level of productivity and accuracy/attention to detail.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills with the demonstrated ability to set own priorities to coordinate multiple assignments with fluctuating and time-sensitive deadlines.
• Excellent computer skills and proficiency with a variety of computer applications including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, online systems, social media platforms, Internet as well as online calendaring and email.
• Demonstrated ability to initiate, establish, and foster communication and teamwork by maintaining a positive, cooperative, productive work atmosphere in and outside the University with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships within a diverse population and with those from various cultural backgrounds.
• Willingness to and work effectively in a heavily bureaucratic environment which requires regular interaction with a number of levels within the organization and multiple outside agencies.
• Working knowledge or ability to quickly learn, university infrastructure, policies, and procedures.
• Ability to provide training and direction to student assistants.
• Demonstrated skills in an institutional/educational environment utilizing a customer-oriented and service-centered attitude.

Physical Demand

• Normal office activities such as sitting/standing at a desk, using a computer, answering phones, and communicating in person both in writing and via phone with others.

Special Conditions

• Must be willing to travel and attend training programs off-site for occasional professional development.
• Must be able to work additional hours and adjust working hours to meet special jobs. May be called back periodically to perform work as needed on an emergency basis.
• Must be able to successfully pass a pre-employment background check.
• This position classification has been defined as non-exempt and is subject to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
• The person holding this position is considered a mandatory reporter under the Oregon Revised Statutes and is required to comply with the requirements set forth by the Oregon Department of Human Services.

_________________________

SOU is an equal access AA/EOE committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workforce

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Southern Oregon University will provide, if requested, reasonable accommodation to applicants in need of accommodation in order to provide access to the application, interviewing, and selection process. You are not required to note the presence of a disability on this application. If, however, you require a reasonable accommodation in the application and/or interview process due to disability, requests must be made in a timely manner to Human Resources.

Diversity Statement:
Southern Oregon University is a welcoming community committed to inclusive excellence and the celebration of diversity. Without diversity, our educational process is diminished. Working together in support of our commitment to diversity, we strengthen and enrich our role as learners, educators and members of a tightly connected global community. We encourage those who share in our commitment to diversity, to join our community and we expect all our employees to demonstrate an ability and desire to create an inclusive campus community.

SOU Land Acknowledgement
We want to take this moment to acknowledge that Southern Oregon University is located within the ancestral homelands of the Shasta, Takelma, and Latgawa peoples who lived here since time immemorial. These Tribes were displaced during rapid Euro-American colonization, the Gold Rush, and armed conflict between 1851 and 1856. In the 1850s, discovery of gold and settlement brought thousands of Euro-Americans to their lands, leading to warfare, epidemics, starvation, and villages being burned. In 1853 the first of several treaties were signed, confederating these Tribes and others together – who would then be referred to as the Rogue River Tribe. These treaties ceded most of their homelands to the United States, and in return they were guaranteed a permanent homeland reserved for them. At the end of the Rogue River Wars in 1856, these Tribes and many other Tribes from western Oregon were removed to the Siletz Reservation and the Grand Ronde Reservation. Today, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon (https://www.grandronde.org) and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (https://www.ctsi.nsn.us/) are living descendants of the Takelma, Shasta, and Latgawa peoples of this area. We [you may say I or the name of a program/department] encourage YOU to learn about the land you reside on, and to join us in advocating for the inherent sovereignty of Indigenous people.

Notice to Prospective Employees
Section 485 of the Higher Education Act, and The Federal Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 (now referred to as the “Clery Act”), require that prospective employees be notified of the availability of SOU’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. The report provides the annual statistics and campus policies for the reporting of and responding to campus crimes and fires; access to campus facilities; conduct code and campus policies on the use, possession, and sale of drugs/alcohol; and educational/information programs to inform the campus community about campus security procedures and crime prevention.

An electronic copy of the Annual Security Report (ASR)can be accessed at the following link:
https://inside.sou.edu/security/statistics.html. A physical copy of the ASR is available at no charge upon request. To request a copy please visit the Campus Public Safety Office at 382 Wightman Street, Ashland OR 97520. For more information call 541-552-6258, or email clerycoordinator@sou.edu.

Salary : $21 - $3,492