Financial Aid Specialist - College Discovery

Financial Aid Specialist - College Discovery

Founded in 1971 in Long Island City, Queens, LaGuardia Community College is one of seven community colleges of the City University of New York (CUNY). LaGuardia offers more than sixty associate degree programs and more than fifty workforce training, ESOL, GED, and pre-college programs. In 2023, LaGuardia served approximately 24,000 students. More than one-third of LaGuardia’s degree-seeking students are born outside the United States;

they come from 136 countries and speak 43 heritage languages. Sixty percent are first-generation college students.

Virtually all LaGuardia students are ethnic minorities (89 percent), 58 percent are women, 27 percent are over the age of 25. Forty-six percent of associate degree students are Hispanic. Upon graduation most students transfer to four-year colleges, typically in CUNY, to complete their baccalaureate degrees. Graduates of career programs such as Nursing, Computer Technology, and Veterinary Technology enter the workforce. LaGuardia ranked fifth among U.S. community colleges in economic mobility – moving low-income students into the middle class and beyond – in studies by Stanford University (2017) and the Brookings Institution (2020).Please

visit www.laguardia.edu to learn more.

Under the directions from the Financial Aid Manager, the Financial Aid Specialist will be responsible for processing Title IV verifications and determining students’ eligibility for the College Discovery program; keep abreast of Federal and New York State (NYS) financial aid regulations, policies, and procedures, and assist in the day-to-day administrative tasks for the programs.

The Financial Aid Specialist will, in addition to the CUNY Title Overview, perform the following responsibilities:

• Perform functions required for the compliance and administration of Federal Title IV Verification, and the College Discovery program;

• Assist in tracking, and updating students Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards for federal and state aid;

• Identify and analyze data and take appropriate action to resolve issues in the packaging processing and administering of Federal and NYS grants;

• Assist in the certification and reconciliation of federal, and state awards;

• Assist with determining eligibility for special programs e.g., College Discovery, CUNY Reconnect, New York State Opportunity Program (NYSOP);

• Assist with the resolution of student’s concerns;

• Notify students of missing information or documentation related to verification;

• Provide various management reports;

• Conduct internal quality control reviews and assessments to review compliance with state, and university policies and procedures and update appropriate databases as needed;

• Represent the department on and off- campus as requested and perform other job-related duties as assigned;

Bachelor's Degree and four years' related experience required.

• Experience working in higher education.

• Experience with CUNYFirst system or People Soft, including running queries.

• Knowledge of federal and state financial aid programs and regulations.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team.

• Excellent communication, interpersonal and organizational skills.

• Schedule must remain flexible during peak periods. Evening hours required.

Administers and supervises financial aid programs and operations.

• Reviews contracts, disbursements, tuition and fees; validates student eligibility for various programs

• Administers, monitors and troubleshoots CUNY financial aid systems as well as Federal and NY State systems in order to ensure integrity of student databases and timely…