Program Specialist 3 - Welcome Center

Program Specialist 3 - Welcome Center

The purpose of this position is to serve as the initial contact for potential students and current students, to guide them through the admissions, enrollment, financial aid processes, cashiering, student accounts, and minimizing return visits. This position processes admission applications, conducts enrollment processes, provides cashiering and student account services, and assists with the completion of all FAFSA/WASFA requirements from first term through graduation.

All work is performed independently with a high level of accuracy and efficiency.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing personalized assistance to students completing FAFSA/WASFA applications, including complex tasks such as Special Circumstances and Dependency Overrides.
• Exploring alternative funding sources and understanding payment options. Guiding students in understanding account balances, tuition payment obligations, Nelnet Payment Plan.
• Providing assistance to students and staff, including rectifying cashier errors, answering inquiries about student accounts, and providing account advice to stakeholders.
• Receiving and processing various forms of payments and interdepartmental transactions. Providing receipts for transactions, reconciling/balancing student and departmental receipts, and preparing bank deposits daily.
• Assisting students, departments, and outside agencies with account interpretation, reconciliation, and correction.
• Reviewing back-up documentation provided by stakeholders and correcting errors as needed on student accounts.
• Anticipating potential problems and exploring solutions and alternatives, and recommending resolutions to meet certain criteria to set students up for success.
• Assisting students in using and understanding the class catalog, class schedules, and first-term enrollment.
• Responding to inquiries via face-to-face, virtually, phone, email/e-Chat, text, and other web-based methods regarding enrollments, financial aid, student accounts, and other continual student support.
• Processing/updating student records by processing student forms, documents, and other information needed to complete transactions and procedures.
• Ability to identify and de-escalate or mitigate situations when needed.
• Assisting students with determining alternate funding resources when necessary.
• Updating student accounts by processing student forms, documents, and other pertinent information to complete transactions and procedures.
• Serving as the interdepartmental liaison regarding the interpretations and implementation of program policies.
• Fostering cross-departmental relationships to effectively handle complex student issues and to collaboratively facilitate resolutions for students within established guidelines.
• Independently conducting research and analyzing data to identify program needs and participant eligibility for continued enrollment in the college.
• Collaboratively participating in identifying areas for program development.
• Collaborating with external organizations and internal staff to assist incarcerated students formerly to understand their needs.
• Assisting with developing and establishing policies and procedures by bringing recommendations to the Director.
• Assisting students in understanding student account balances, tuition payment, obligations, options, and deadlines.
• Informing students about college collection policies and procedures.
• Managing/Maintaining Calendly welcome center appointments and reviewing students' files prior to the meeting.
• Verifying enrollment status, processing Admissions applications, and completing program research on behalf of students.
• Independently investigating discrepancies (i.e., dependency override) and recommending corrective action for financial aid files for FASFA/WASFA applications.
• Assisting students with campus and community resources to support students.
• Explaining Nelnet payment plan deadlines.
• Assisting with inquiries about the college as a whole and directing them when needed.
• Attending ENROLL NOW! Graduate Strong and OC graduation ceremonies throughout the academic school year.
• Providing assistance and/or resources to students, potential students, and/or the public regarding the various steps in enrolling in college.
• Hosting internal outreach events and tailoring the event to intended audiences.
• Assisting in conducting monthly financial aid, admissions, and enrollment workshops both in-person and virtually.
• Attending events at local high school events every quarter to ensure high school staff have accurate Olympic College contact information and resources.
• Hosting in-person trainings on completion of FASFA/WASFA within the high schools to help prepare students who are applying to college.
• Attending internal and external meetings, conferences, and/or trainings.
• Serving on internal hiring committees as needed.
• Completing assigned internal trainings.
• Assisting in developing and/or selecting marketing and promotional material as needed for outreach events.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum…