Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary:
  Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $75,000 - $85,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Under the general direction of the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, and reporting directly to the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, the incumbent participates in the day-to-day operations of the School’s admissions and financial aid office which processes inquiries and nearly 2,500 applications per year from prospective students to the MFA, MA, summer, certificate, and exchange programs of the School of the Arts, and fields admissions and financial aid inquiries from prospective and current students.

Serves as the primary Slate software manager and as the secondary contact for admissions inquiries, financial aid, and billing inquiries. Responsible for the planning and execution of all admissions events including information sessions and admitted student events as well as summer engagement strategies. Processes institutional scholarships, student service positions, teaching assistant positions, and stipends through PowerFAIDS and SIS for approximately 500 admitted students and 850 current students.

In association with Columbia’s Office of Student Financial Planning, counsels students on the fundamentals of federal aid, private funding options, and loan repayment. Serves as a primary contact and liaises to faculty admission committees to facilitate the admissions review process. Responsible for monitoring compliance on admissions and financial aid issues. Oversees records in PowerFAIDS, SIS, and Slate. Generates reports and statistics to keep the Deans, Program Chairs, Concentration Heads, and Directors of Academic Administration informed of relevant admissions, enrollment, and fellowship decisions.

Serves as a key point of contact and provides a high level of service to prospective students throughout the admissions process. Participates in all aspects of the admissions process: receipt of initial inquiry, data entry, organization of admissions dossier for faculty readers, production of letters of acceptance, waitlist, and rejection, and status reporting to Chairs, Deans, and Concentration Directors. Working with the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, oversees the utilization and maximization of software and online admissions systems (Slate, SIS, PowerFAIDS, etc.).

Works with the Admissions Assistant to respond to daily mail, e-mail, telephone, and in-person requests from prospective students for basic information about the School and its admissions process and policies.
Responsible for coordinating and attending all in-person and online admissions events, including scheduling, planning, managing, and chronicling. Liaises with venues, catering, faculty, staff, and other University partners.
Assists with writing, database culling, and distribution of mass emails to prospective and admitted students as part of the communications plan devised by the Communications team and the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. Assists the Communications team in editing and updating online application text and the relevant sections of the School of the Arts website. Liaises with the Communications team on summer engagement strategies.
Works with the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid to prepare the Slate application for each new admissions cycle and to make edits…