Director of Merit Scholarship

UMass Boston•Boston, MA

About The Position

The Director of Merit Scholarships within the Division of Enrollment Management will oversee all components of merit scholarship programs, including marketing, outreach, selection process, award distribution and fund management for Undergraduate and Graduate students. The incumbent will interact with Vice Chancellors, Deans, Directors and department Chairs to advise, interpret and develop strategies to most effectively utilize scholarship funding; will monitor continued student eligibility and compliance; will advise University Advancement on appropriate scholarship parameters and selection criteria; and will evaluate success of scholarship programs in contributing to enrollment goals. The Director of Merit Scholarships will report to the Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management and will make recommendations as to changes and/or improvements in the merit scholarship program.

Requirements

Master’s Degree and a minimum of five-seven (5-7) years of experience in higher education, which includes working in or knowledge of financial aid guidelines, scholarship awarding procedures and regulations, admissions, recruiting, and/or enrollment management issues and strategies, is required.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience with budget and fund management preferred
Experience with PeopleSoft and CRM systems preferred
Knowledge of various administrative software applications and programs, including Microsoft Office
Familiarity with the use of admissions and financial aid databases, as well as finance modules in PeopleSoft
Ability to plan and manage multiple projects simultaneously and balance priorities
Ability to manage complex tasks under time constraints, while maintaining strong attention to detail
Ability to work effectively and efficiently in a team capacity with a broad range of staff to accomplish departmental, program and university goals
Ability to respond tactfully and professional to student academic needs
Ability to multi-task in a fast paced environment and meet deadlines
Ability to use independent judgment and be entrusted with confidential information
Exemplary written and oral communication skills
Strong interpersonal skills, including the capacity to work cooperatively with a wide range of individuals
Strong organizational skills
Strong commitment to customer service

Responsibilities

Manage the distribution of approximately $23 million dollars of merit scholarship funding (funding sources include state waivers, university and endowed) to approximately 4000 students.
In collaboration with Admissions, Financial Aid, Administration & Finance, and the Chancellors Office employ strategies to utilize and secure scholarship funding to ensure the enrollment of high achieving students each admissions cycle.
Manage publicity, outreach, selection process, amount determination and disbursement of continuing student scholarships with the overall goal of contributing to student retention and graduation.
Consult with University Advancement regarding new corporate, foundation and private gifts; review and edit fund agreements and work with donors to understand the legal requirements associated with awarding scholarship money to ensure compliance with state, federal and institutional aid policies and practices.
Develop, improve and maintain strong relationships and contacts with the Offices of Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions, Financial Aid, University Advancement, Bursar and Registrar to ensure scholarship funds are used in the most effective way possible to meet recruitment goals.
Oversee expenditures and reconciliation of all endowed scholarship accounts held on campus; consult with the Office of the Controller and the Office Budget of Budget and Financial Planning to resolve budget errors.
Exercise independent judgment in interpreting established scholarship criteria; oversee the selection of appropriate recipients according to donor wishes and university policies.
Monitor student academic progress and continued scholarship eligibility; advise students experiencing academic difficulty.
Plan, market and implement events to attract scholarship level students to UMass Boston including the Scholarship Awards Dinner, Welcome Days, Open Houses and other events as needed; giving away scholarship monies and the impact on such awards to a student’s financial aid package, to ensure compliance with UMass Boston business practices.
Write and oversee the design of all scholarship publication materials and work with marketing staff within Enrollment Management on text, design and photos for such publications; work with internal staff to identify the audience and create distribution plan for all scholarship materials; update the Division of Enrollment Management’s web site to reflect all scholarship publication materials, when appropriate.
Review need-based financial aid for necessary adjustments resulting from merit awards; analyze, adjust and repackage the student’s financial aid package, as appropriate.
Manage the technology needs of the Office for Merit-Based Scholarships including the AcademicWorks Scholarship application system, CRM reporting and communication, website management, and Oracle Reporting; work with student applicants and faculty/staff reviewers to troubleshoot technical issues.
Manage International Student Scholarships by collaborating with Shorelight Education and monitoring international student enrollments.
Work in collaboration with the Schools and Colleges to market scholarship opportunities; award, notify, and track their scholarship awards for their graduate student population.
Award Graduate fellowship tuition credits at the direction of Graduate Studies.
Act as a representative of UMass Boston on outside scholarship committees and support the cultivation, promotion and awarding of external scholarships.
Work with departments within the Division of Enrollment Management as well as external consulting groups to set aid strategies that support new and continuing student enrollment.
In collaboration with the University Advancement and the Bursar’s Office create new item types for newly endowed accounts.
Serve as liaison to community colleges to expedite the referral of potential Foster Furcolo Scholarship recipients to the university and market other scholarship opportunities specific to transfer students to help reach admissions targets.
Respond to annual UMass Foundation compliance audit to ensure that all policies were followed for the distribution of scholarship funds.
Supervise the recruitment, selection and continued eligibility of Osher Reentry Scholars program, a $1 million gift to the university; generate reports to identify students for scholarship eligibility and communicate with such students about the scholarship application process.
Interact with donors to help work out the processes for distribution of scholarship awards; stay abreast of all federal and state laws, while trying to satisfy donor’s wishes.
Perform other duties as assigned.