Scholarship, Awards and Operations Specialist

Connecticut State Community College•Manchester, CT

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Scholarship, Awards and Operations Specialist is integral to the student impact work at the CT State Manchester campus. This position will be responsible for managing scholarship administration, which includes the application process, assisting students with detailed scholarship information, scholarship program budgeting, and managing a review committee of internal stakeholders. The Scholarship, Awards and Operations Specialist manage the, annual merit and financial need scholarship awards program and other awards distributed to hundreds of students throughout the year; the Specialist also plays a critical role in fostering partnerships with the bursar, financial aid, bookstore, and student affairs departments at the college.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in an appropriately related field and up to three (3) years of professional experience in higher education institutional advancement or related experience; or a combination of education, training and experience which would lead to the competencies required for successful performance of the position’s essential duties.
Proven track record of success in the administration of an annual program, preferably with a student orientation in a higher education environment.
Project management experience, including budgeting.
Strong attention to detail with the ability to maintain accurate records and prepare reports.
Ability to multi-task and meet deadlines.
Good proofreading skills.
Willingness to take on various office needs and urgent requests.
Proficiency with mail merger processes.
Ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds, including individuals with disabilities.
Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams).

Nice To Haves

Mastery of a customer relationship management (CRM) system or scholarship administration system.
Three (3) years of professional experience in higher education institutional advancement or related experience.

Responsibilities

Manage annual scholarship budget.
Maintain the scholarship database with updated criteria and qualifying questions; primary liaison with database vendor.
Guide students in the application process (overview, steps, requirements, reminders, and FAQs).
Manage a review committee of internal stakeholders – establish regular communication and reporting procedures, provide training on the review tools and process.
Analyzes scholarship applications and makes recommendation of awards to CT State Manchester students; partners with college bursar and financial aid offices to determine eligibility for financial aid-based scholarship awards.
Compiles and analyzes scholarship awardee data to influence program improvements and donor reporting.
Monitors scholarship and award agreements for compliance with donor intentions.
Collects and provides scholarship recipient student profiles for donor stewardship and cultivation.
Prepares presentations for the MCC Foundation Board of Directors Scholarship and Disbursement Committee.
Primary liaison across college departments to help address student needs and provide guidance to the Office of Student Affairs on the administration of the Student Emergency Fund application and where other MCC Foundation assistance is needed.
Partners with the college bookstore to allocate book funds and other awards.
Compiles and analyzes awardee data for budgetary purposes and donor reporting.
Manages all endowed fund awards administration through the MCC Foundation, including generating payment requisitions, student award checks, and the collection of student information for donor reporting.
Provides support in the creation of the Foundation’s annual report.
Compiles and processes check requests to support the scholarship and award program.
May manage and train Student Worker(s) on weekly assignments and special projects.
Organizes and participates in student orientation, open house, and other related activities to promote the scholarship and award program.
Other administrative duties as needed.
Attendance and participation at convocation and commencement ceremonies.
Service on assigned committees and task forces.
Attendance and participation at committee, staff, informational and professional meetings which may occur during evenings and weekends.