Financial Aid Counselor

Goshen College is a Christian liberal arts institution that prepares students to thrive in life, leadership
and service. We strive to model an inclusive community committed to transformative justice, peace, and
sustainability. A respect and appreciation of the Anabaptist- Mennonite faith perspective and practices,
and a commitment to the mission, vision, core values and community standards of Goshen College, are
important for teaching and administrative faculty members.

Job Summary:

The Financial Aid Counselor advises students and parents on requirements, rules, and policies regarding
student financial aid. The Counselor also assists the Director in reporting, establishing, and updating
policies and procedures, monitoring compliance with all state and federal regulations and managing the
interface of financial aid services with computer services, federal and state agencies.

Essential Functions:

• Provide excellent customer service
  • First line of contact with students and families who make contact by phone or email
  • Responds to emails and voicemails promptly and professionally

•  Share day-to-day responsibilities for the student population with the Director
  • Complete the need analysis review
    • Obtain follow-up documents from students and families
    • Review and approve individual student budgets
  •  Assign appropriate financial aid packages and interpret them to students and parents
  • Responsible for verifying select students and sending missing information
    communications as requested

• Be primarily responsible for packaging any student population at the direction of the Director
  • Follow up with students regarding missing information
  • Package students promptly and accurately
  • Complete verification for those students selected for verification

• Be primarily responsible for counseling students on their accounts
  • Communicate with students regarding problems with their financial aid
  • Counsel students on how to resolve unpaid account balances

• Be the primary contact person for Indiana state financial aid program
  • Promptly complete the reporting requirements
  • Assist the Director in reconciling state aid by the end of each semester
  • Primary liaison to the state representatives for purposes of resolving any questions that
    come up
• Counsel and educate aid applicants, prospective aid recipients, parents and other professionals
  • Pre-enrollment: Parents and Students
    • Explain financial aid philosophy and process in individual interviews
    • Interpret Goshen College policies to parents and students
    • Assist with summer registration process–on and off campus as necessary
    • Assist with budget counseling/education at launch
  •  Enrollment Processes
    • Interpret Goshen College policies and financial aid packages to prospective and
      current Goshen College students and parents
    • Educate students and parents concerning payment options and billing problems
    • Revise aid packages due to changes in enrollment, housing, family
      circumstances, outside awards, or work-study over earnings
  • Community
    • Give financial aid presentations at local High Schools/college fairs, along with the Director
    • Meet with families to fill out FAFSA at College Goal Sundays and other FAFSA completion events in the community

• Works with the financial aid awarding cycle
  • Daily scanning of documents, daily data entry, and preparing file folders as needed
  • Opens and sorts incoming mail and screens forms for appropriate signatures and
    requests follow-up information when data is incomplete
  • Daily receives and loads electronic federal data (original and corrections)
  • Understand student financial aid computer programs relevant to job expectations
  • Loads all student records into financial aid software
  • Generates necessary computer reports and lists
  • Assists with processing applications, tracking of forms, and preparing and mailing award notice materials
  • Works with outside scholarships
    • Checks financial aid software to be sure outside scholarships are entered (both
      packaging and comments) when outside scholarship checks come in
    • Ensure the Accounting Office is informed of all outside scholarships that have come in
  • Works with Church Aid Program
    • Enter information into computer systems when church commitment forms come in
    • Enter church checks into the computer systems when church aid comes in
    • Ensure the Accounting Office is informed of all church checks that have come in
  •  Works with Parent & Grad PLUS loans
    • Upload the applications into financial aid software
    • Follows up with Parents and Students as necessary
    • Adds PLUS loans to financial aid packages
  • Prepares financial aid packages as assigned by the Director
    • Assign appropriate financial aid packages
    • Interpret them to students and parents
    • Responsible for verifying select students
  • Monitors Incomplete/Missing Documents
  • Notifies students regularly requesting they complete the outstanding documents related to verification, MPNs, Entrance Counseling, or any other required documentation needed for financial aid packaging or disbursement
  • Other Duties as assigned by the Director

Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s Degree. Some post-bachelor’s degree work experience preferred. Preferably
business-related, higher education, or student financial aid.

Skills and Competencies:

Required:

• Self-motivated
• Establish priorities and effectively implement and follow through
• Effectively counsel students and parents
• Effectively handle frequent change of policies, regulations and procedures
• Readily grasp the intricacies of accounting procedures and financial budgeting procedures
• Effectively translate policies, rules, and regulations
• Develop diplomatic/pleasant/multiple relationships
• Readily grasp the complexities of state and federal governmental processes
• Ability to learn computer programs quickly. Examples include but are not limited to, Microsoft
• Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Docs, PowerFAIDS, Jenzabar, Salesforce, and state and federal government websites.

Preferred:

• Fluent in Spanish

Physical Demands:

• Within normal range of office environment
• Frequent use of computer monitor
• Operation of normal office equipment

Work Environment/Environmental Conditions:

• Inside Environmental Conditions

All of the job functions listed indicate the minimum level of knowledge, skills and/or ability deemed
necessary to perform the job proficiently. This job description is not to be construed as an exhaustive
statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements. Individuals may be required to perform other job-
related instructions as requested by the supervisor, subject to reasonable accommodation. This position
description is not all-inclusive and may change at the option of the (supervisor or department head).
Any major change will result in the position being reviewed for reclassification.

How to Apply

Application materials may be attached to the Administrative/Faculty Application Form or sent
electronically to hr@goshen.edu. Goshen College will not be sponsoring candidates for this position.

Required:

• Complete the online Admin/Faculty Application Form
• Letter of Application
• Resume
• List of three professional references with contact information

E-Verify Statement of Participation

Goshen College participates in E-Verify. If you are hired, we will provide the federal government with
your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. Goshen College
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement Goshen College is an equal opportunity employer, committed
to enhancing diversity across the institution. Goshen College does not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, national or ethnic origin, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or any legally
protected status. As a religious institution, Goshen College expressly reserves its rights, its
understandings of, and its commitments to the historic Anabaptist identity and the teachings of
Mennonite Church USA, and reserves the legal right to hire and employ individuals who support the
values of the college. To protect the welfare and provide for the safety of the students, employees,
visitors, and resources of Goshen College, background checks are conducted by the Office of Human
Resources on all new and re-hired employees.

About Goshen College

Goshen College is a nationally-ranked college and Hispanic-Serving Institution in Indiana renowned for
its distinctive hands-on, real-world educational opportunities, and its commitment to creating positive
change in the community and the world. The college offers over 65 undergraduate areas of study; as
well as best-in-class graduate programs in nursing, business administration, social work and
environmental education. This caring, safe and diverse campus prides itself on providing excellent
academic programs that connect arts with sciences, and theory with practice — exposing students to
multiple perspectives and encouraging them to think deeply, live creatively and lead purposefully. The
college is located in the City of Goshen in the heart of Elkhart County, within several hours of Chicago,
Indianapolis and Detroit. Residents of Goshen enjoy a culturally diverse small-town atmosphere with an
active arts community, a vibrant and entrepreneurial downtown, the Maple City Greenway network of
bicycle paths and affordable housing prices. Learn more at goodofgoshen.com.

Contact HR

Human Resources
Goshen College
1700 S. Main Street
Goshen, IN 46526-4795
E-mail: hr@goshen.edu
Telephone: (574) 535-7111