By Kenneth McGhee, Director of the DC Tuition Assistance Grant Program
A are being hired as the vice president of enrollment management. Still, most financial aid directors report to a vice president or dean who has never worked in the field. In numerous cases, upper administration's personal experiences or opinions impact their department oversight. The lead financial aid staff must be good communicators and show how they are part of the student services team.
Even when this approach is utilized, it is equally essential for the college or university to have an organizational culture in place to support the financial aid team. In fact, the main question financial aid director job applicants try to formally and informally find out when applying for a job in the industry is: Does the institution get it?
This prompts another question: Is an organizational culture in place to understand that rules and regulations are not negative in themselves, and students who are told yes and no, based on the requirements, are being treated well?
When a new person at the vice president or dean level, who typically supervises the financial aid director, is hired, the entire financial aid team sits back to evaluate the answers to these same questions. The job of a financial aid team has four components, which include:
- Customer service for internal and external customers.
- Legal compliance related to all program rules and regulations.
- Technology support for staff and students.
- Ongoing reviews of best practices to see if they fit the institution well.
Considering the answers to the following three themes will allow the enrollment management vice president and others in upper administration to determine if they currently see the financial aid department as a team member or an office that is on the outside looking in.
Student Service Centered Vs. Student Concern Centered
Does administration assume a problem exists because a student goes to another office to talk about what took place in the financial aid office?
Is the financial aid office allowed to follow up with the student without blame being preassigned to the department?
Customer Service Enhancement Vs. ‘More and Newer is Better’ Approach
Is there a formal annual review of how students are assisted, or is the newest and latest technology or staffing service model being promoted based on assumptions that it will improve things? (i.e., moving from a single office student service to the One-Stop-Shop set up. This works well in some schools but not at others.)
Institutional Lens of Half Full Vs. Half Empty
Allowing the financial aid office to be a full college or university partner will increase employee retention and allow more time for staff to work on efforts to increase enrollment and promote student retention and success.