TRIO Retention Specialist / Financial Counselor

TRIO Retention Specialist / Financial Counselor

About Susquehanna:
As a living, learning and working community, Susquehanna University affirms its commitment to being an engaged, culturally inclusive campus. As we seek to embody the rich diversity of the human community, we commit ourselves to the full participation of persons who represent the breadth of human difference. The university encourages candidates from historically underrepresented groups to apply. Susquehanna University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Susquehanna University is a national liberal arts college committed to excellence in educating students for productive, creative and reflective lives of achievement, leadership and service in a diverse, dynamic and interdependent world. Its more than 2,300 undergraduates come from 35 states and 22 countries, and all students study away through Susquehanna’s unique Global Opportunities program. Susquehanna University’s 325 acre campus, noted for its beauty, is located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, 50 miles north of Harrisburg in the scenic Susquehanna River Valley, about a three hour drive from Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York City. For more information, please visit https://www.susqu.edu.

Position Summary:
Job Summary The Retention Specialist / Financial Counselor will support the financial health and academic success of approximately 160 students enrolled in the TRIO Student Support Services program. The successful candidate will lead programs and activities designed to cultivate academic self-confidence, community engagement, 21st-century life skills, and self-advocacy amongst TRIO students and will work to foster a community of support through culturally relevant programming. As a Financial Counselor they will develop and provide financial education workshops, assist students in searching and applying for financial support for both undergraduate and graduate education, and develop and implement other events designed to promote financial literacy and healthy financial behaviors. This person will work in collaboration with the Office of Financial Services to increase the FAFSA completion rates, assess students' understanding of personal finances, and develop new and creative strategies to meet the needs of low-income student populations. As a Retention Specialist they will actively monitor the academic performance of each of these students throughout the academic year, working with the Office of the Registrar to gather all relevant data. This person will meet with any TRIO SSS student who is academically struggling at SU and develop a plan of action to help that student succeed. This person will collaborate with the Office of Financial Services and/or the Office of Student Life to support any student who encounters financial or social issues and support the Director of TRIO Student Support Services as needed. This position will need to work two evenings per week and occasional weekends. Preferred start date 1/02/2022 Specific ResponsibilitiesAcademic Support 50%

• Meet regularly with and providing academic counseling to individual students in the TRIO SSS program
• Outreach to students who are identified as needing academic support
• Collaborate with faculty and staff to promote the academic success of TRIO SSS students
• Monitoring the academic success of students in the TRIO SSS program
• Developing academic and social programs for TRIO SSS students
• Helping to recruit and support alumni mentors
• Attending programs and trips planned for TRIO students
• Supporting the Director of the Office of TRIO SSS as needed Financial Counseling 50%
• Meeting regularly with and providing financial counseling to individual students in the TRIO SSS program
• Helping students to help seek out and apply for sources of financial support
• Planning workshops and other events designed to promote healthy financial behaviors
• Administering an assessment of students' understanding of personal finances.
• Generating and updating a list of internal and external financial aid sources and scholarship programs for SSS participants and maintaining familiarity with those sources
• Supporting students in applying for financial support to attend graduate and professional degree programs
• Monitoring the FAFSA completion rate of TRIO SSS students and assisting individual students in completing the FAFSA as needed
• Collaborating with SU faculty and staff to develop strategies and action programs to assist TRIO SSS students with financial difficulties
  
  Required Qualifications:
  Knowledge, Skills, AbilitiesThe Retention Specialist / Financial Counselor should be able to work interpersonally with students and staff at SU and to effectively communicate with a large and varied audience. This person should have logistical and organizational skills involved in developing programming for students. This person should be creative and empathic and capable of proposing innovative, culturally relevant programming. EducationBachelor’s degree required. Recent graduates are encouraged to apply. Physical DemandPosition requires the ability to stand or sit for extended periods of time. Position requires the ability to move about the campus. Position requires the ability to talk and to hear instruction. Position requires occasional manual dexterity and the ability to use fingers, hands, and arms to feel, handle, and reach. Position requires occasional stooping, crouching and bending. Position requires the ability to occasionally lift up to 10 pounds. Working conditions are indoor.
  
  Preferred Qualifications:
  ExperiencePreferred one to three years’ experience (can include undergraduate experience, internships, and/or volunteer work) in college access programs, academic support services, student support services, and/or financial literacy/education or financial aid office. Experience working with first-generation students, students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and students with a disability. Individuals from historically underrepresented groups and/or TRiO graduates are highly encouraged to apply.
  
  Special Instructions to the Applicant:
  
  
  Benefits Eligible: Yes
  Number of Months: 12 months
  Other Number of Months:
  Full-Time/Part-Time:
  Work Schedule/Hours per Week:
  Posting Date: 11/15/2021
  Closing Date:
  Open Until Filled: No
  Anticipated Start Date:
  Posting Number: AH00815
  
  To apply, visit https://jobs.susqu.edu/postings/2545