Foundation Scholarship Specialist

Western Dakota Technical College•Rapid City, SD

About The Position

The Foundation Scholarship Specialist administers and promotes all scholarship programs supported by Western Dakota Technical College and the WDT Foundation, including institutional, endowed, community-funded, and Build Dakota scholarships. This position oversees scholarship application, selection, awarding, compliance, reporting, donor stewardship, and student support processes while serving as the primary liaison among Foundation staff, Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Student Success, and external scholarship and Industry partners. The Foundation Scholarship Specialist manages scholarship records and databases, coordinates scholarship-related communications, ensures compliance with donor intent and program requirements, and cultivates relationships with donors, industry partners, and community stakeholders to support scholarship funding and student success. In collaboration with the Foundation Director, this position supports scholarship growth through stewardship, engagement, and partnership development activities.

Requirements

Knowledge of technology tools, including Microsoft Office Suite, student & donor databases, and other applicable software for scholarship management.
Ability to maintain the confidentiality, security, and integrity of students, donor, and Foundation information while ensuring compliance with FERPA, applicable laws and regulations, Foundation policies, and ethical standards governing the handling of sensitive information.
Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and complete work within established deadlines while managing multiple objectives and goals.
Ability to provide exemplary customer service, use effective decision making, and exercise discretion in responding to sensitive interpersonal situations.
Ability to conduct detailed, accurate, and timely date entry.
Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, including public speaking, presentations, and donor communication.
Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with employees, donors, students, alumni, and community partners.
Ability to analyze information, troubleshoot situations, identify potential solutions, and recommend courses of action.
Ability to maintain current knowledge of trends, best practices, regulations and emerging challenges related to the position, including the appropriate use of current technology and AI-enabled tools.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Business, Human Services or related field preferred.
One to three years of related experience in higher education, fundraising, nonprofit service, community-based organization, public relations, or a combination of education and experience to perform the essential duties of the position.

Responsibilities

Administer and promote all scholarship programs supported by Western Dakota Technical College and the WDT Foundation, including institutional, endowed, community-funded, and Build Dakota scholarships.
Timely and accurate processing of scholarship gifts in donor database.
Timely and responsive execution of donor stewardship processes.
Manage the college’s intranet portal scholarship webpage.
Monitor student scholarship eligibility and academic performance, collaborating with the Student Success Center, Financial Aid, and Student Accounts to support student retention, minimize debt conversion with Build Dakota Scholarship Program, and collaboratively promote student success.
Create and deliver presentations on scholarship programs to current and prospective students, donors, industry partners, and other stakeholders.
Chair the scholarship committee, including training the scholarship committee on its responsibilities, facilitating the scoring process, and assuring awarding requirements for each scholarship are adhered to.
Work with internal WDT offices to ensure efficient scholarship distributions with accurate and timely data entry of scholarship awards in the College’s student database system.
Ensure needed data for audits and reporting is available.
Coordinate with internal WDT offices to ensure effective promotion of Build Dakota Scholarship Program, timely communication with Build Dakota Program Staff, and compliance with the program’s data reporting requirements.
Support Western Dakota Technical College and WDT Foundation events, initiatives, and activities as assigned.