tiffany gourley senior staff associate university of maine
TRANSCRIPT
Core Competencies for Student Workers in the
Financial Aid OfficeTiffany Gourley
Senior Staff AssociateUniversity of Maine
Case Study – Financial Aid Office Model
Hiring
Training Student Employees
Testimonials
Discussion Questions
Overview
◦ First point of contact with students/parents◦ Answer general financial aid questions
Time lines/deadlines When will I be awarded? When do I file my FAFSA?
Types of aid available Forms required
MPN, Entrance Counseling, Verification, Scholarship checks
Cause and Effect Enrollment adjustments, late filing
Referring Students to other University Resources Bursar’s Office, Academic Areas, Admissions
Student Counselor Aides (SCA)
Other Office Related Projects
◦ Quality and Assurance Imaged documents/cleaning
queues
◦ Emails Provide accurate information
– using templates Identify issues Provide resources for
students Abide by FERPA
SCA Continued
1:1 Private Advising Sessions
In-Depth Review of Financial Aid◦ SAP, Loan Eligibility, Form/Waiver Assistance
Special Circumstances◦ Appeals◦ Prior/Past due balances◦ Budget increases◦ Enrollment Adjustments/Withdrawals
Advisor
Oversee/Assist SCA’s
◦ Ensuring adequate coverage Overseeing phone & counter activity
◦ Assigning projects
◦ Returning voicemail messages
◦ Answering SCA questions Researching loan questions Impact on awards Disbursement questions Taking over calls if necessary
Supervisors
Support Supervisors and Advisors
Further Review Questions
Special Circumstances◦ Appeals
Effect of appeals on award Required documentation
◦ Awarding students◦ Provide Professional Judgement
Financial Aid Advisors (FAA)
Initially trained with SCA’s◦ SCA position (first 3 months)◦ Advisor (3-6 months)◦ Supervisor (6-9 months)◦ FAA (9+ months)
Assigned Specific Projects◦ Appeal Processing/Communication◦ SCA Training/Development◦ Weekly Queries
Graduate Assistant
Flow Chart
Voicemails
Incoming Calls/Counter/Emails
SCA’s
Supervisor Advisor
FAA
Federal Work Study
Skills◦ Customer Service Experience◦ Interpersonal Communication Skills
Availability◦ Compared to that of office needs◦ 10-15 hours per week
GPA
Hiring
Reliable
Flexible
Demonstrate Initiative
Respectful
Patient
Professional
Team Player
SCA Characteristics
Formal Training Sessions◦ 1 week (15 hours)
◦ Days 1-3 (9 hours) Policies, procedures, financial aid basics
Phone Training Sessions◦ Day 4 (3 hours)
Phone training with seasoned SCAs Listening to phone conversations and learning phone etiquette
◦ Day 5 (3 hours) Taking calls with seasoned SCAs plugged in
Training Student Employees
Office Introductions◦ Who does what
Policies◦ Adherence, FERPA/Confidentiality, Dress Code
Procedures◦ Time Sheets, Contact Logs, Taking Messages,
Commenting on Student Accounts
Basic Financial Aid Training◦ Loans, Scholarships, Forms, Verification, FAFSA Filing
Formal Training
Formal Training◦ Group sessions
2 trainers◦ Use projector to show examples of websites used
MaineStreet UM Financial Aid homepage StudentAid.ed.gov
◦ Handouts with questions to work on independently throughout training, review as group
◦ Facilitate discussion throughout training◦ Prepared student examples, customer service
scenarios
How Do We Train?
Training Checklist
Reviewed
Comfort Level
Completed
Phone Training/SCA Peer Training◦ New SCA listening to phone calls taken by trained
SCA Reviewing phone etiquette and procedures (i.e.
comments, contact logs)◦ New SCA taking calls with trained SCA listening
Trained SCA answers questions, provides feedback
How Do We Train? (cont.)
Imagenow◦ Imaged documents that office receives
Scholarship notifications, verification forms, misc.
Share drive◦ R2PK
Why student has not been awarded◦ Alternative Loan Spreadsheet
If loan has been received When it will disburse
◦ Forms Verification Consent
SCA Tools
Formal Training◦ Provides foundation for SCAs
Basic financial aid knowledge Where to find resources Who to ask
Phone Training (Listening)◦ Provides customer service foundation for SCAs
Getting SCAs comfortable with answering phones by observing trained SCAs How to navigate MaineStreet Able to ask questions about call afterwards, learn how to
comment and use contact log
Why Do We Train the Way We Do?
Phone Training (Taking Calls)◦ Answer calls with trained SCA/staff member
listening Practice interaction with customers Able to get immediate feedback Assist with transitioning to being on their own Provides further engagement
SCA Peer Training◦ Benefits both new and trained SCAs
Teaching-to-learn strategy Keeps students refreshed on information
◦ Establishes rapport between student workers
Why Do We Train the Way We Do? (cont.)
Fall & Spring Review Sessions◦ Mandatory information review before semester
begins SCA E-mail Group
◦ Daily reminders◦ Office updates◦ Semester schedule requests
Bi-weekly listening◦ Staff member and graduate student listen and
evaluate SCA phone calls Evaluation form with feedback in SCA file
Follow-up Training & Development
Evaluations
Answering phone calls (1st semester)◦ Develops financial aid knowledge◦ Students become comfortable interacting with
students/parents◦ Refines communication skills
Counter Coverage (2nd semester)◦ Face to face contact◦ Receiving forms and applications◦ Scheduling appointments with advisors
SCA Progression
Emails (3rd semester)◦ Email etiquette◦ Editing templates◦ Multi-Tasking/Time Management
Office Projects◦ Quality and Assurance (experienced)◦ Data entry (novice to experienced)
SCA Progression (cont.)
Provides Office Efficiency◦ Time to improve our practices/processing time◦ Allows students to be awarded sooner
Energetic and Positive Atmosphere Reminds Staff of Student Impact Continual Training
Benefits to Having Student Workers in Financial Aid Offices
SCA Scheduling
• 4-6 SCAs on at a time
• 1-2 SCAs on counter
• 3 SCAs answering phones
Staff Scheduling
• 4 hour shifts
• Supervisors & Advisors 3-4 shifts per week
• FAA 1-2 shifts per week
• Additional coverage as needed
“How has working in Financial Aid prepared you
for your career?”
"I think that the most important aspect that I have improved upon since starting my employment at Financial Aid is my customer service skills. I plan on entering the legal world when I graduate, and through gaining stronger interpersonal skills I will be able to better handle clients. I think it is a skill that most don't develop until later in life but Financial Aid has helped me realize how important and valuable the skill actually is. I am no longer timid when it comes to answering calls, face to face encounters with students and parents, and have a confidence in myself that I lacked before when it comes to customer service in general"
Victoria Degenhardt4th year Political Science Major4th year SCA
"My time working for the Financial Aid office here on campus has honed my ability to convey complicated information in easy to understand sections. I also write email responses for the Financial Aid office, which has given me experience communicating on the behalf of and with the weight of a large organization. Both of these skills will serve me well in my career as a Technical Writer, where I will be writing for and on the behalf of companies much larger than myself“
Daniel Perriello4th year English Major3rd year SCA
“Working in the Financial Aid office has given me the opportunity to work closely with my superiors as well as my fellow student employees. I have learned how to effectively communicate on a professional level, which will be key for my eventual career in the medical field. The invaluable interpersonal skills I have developed in this office will stay with me through all of my future work”
Paige Courtney4th year Medical Lab Science Major 2nd Year SCA
Questions